Wherein Moominmama learns about Crazy Horse and how the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho put George Armstrong Custer to shame (and death)...

A granite mountain in the Black Hills of South Dakota is slowly being carved in the shape of Lakota Warrior Crazy Horse, and the monument already outshines nearby Mount Rushmore in its size, scope and ambition  

It is entirely paid for by donations, following a decision by the Lakota and the sculptor not to accept any federal money for fear of losing control over the memorial.

Hired by the Lakota, the sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski designed and gave the rest of his life to the project, which should look like this model when finished but 563 feet tall and 641 feet long. 

His wife, Ruth, provided oversight after he died, relying on his detailed notes, and now several of their children and grandchildren continue the work, supported by the Lakota who want this site to be a center for education and a testament to the bravery of all Native Americans. 

But it took Moominmama to Montana to understand exactly why Crazy Horse is revered, in part because of his role in vanquishing Lt. Col. Custer and the 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. In doing so, Crazy Horse used several of Custer's trick against him, particularly in encircling the soldiers and attacking from multiple sides. 

It's worth knowing that both the Lakota and the Cheyenne had good reason to despise Custer. Custer was the one who announced he'd seen gold in the Black Hills in 1874, inspiring thousands of prospectors to swarm the sacred lands that still belonged to the Lakota by treaty. The U.S. desire for the gold led directly to the Battle of Little Bighorn because the military was called in to kill or capture any Indian who refused to move onto a reservation, clearing the way.  

Custer had also been involved in negotiating a prior treaty with the Cheyenne and promised never to fire against the Cheyenne again - a broken promise. And finally, the battle started with the deaths of Hunkpapa Lakota families, including two wives and a daughter of Chief Gall. You bet they were pissed off when they responded to Custer and the 7th Cavalry on June 25, 1876. 

The battlefield in southern Montana is on the Crow reservation. Two small pieces of land are claimed by the National Park Service: one where Custer, his brother and others died (Custer's Last Stand) and a second parcel three miles south, where his second in command, Major Marcus Reno fought a desperate battle.

There are stone monuments to both men, and in between, scattered across the landscape, white marble markers where individual soldiers fell in battle.

Added more recently are brown stone markers where Native warriors fell. And near the visitor center is a lovely circular monument with openings to the four directions, finished in 2013. Interior panels provide reflections on the battle contributed by each of the five tribes involved on both sides.

Moominmama is not typically interested in battlefield tactics, but having read the story of Custer's defeat, it was interesting to see the hills and gullies, the river and trees that shaped this outcome. 

The Lakota, the Cheyenne and the Crow had all fought over this territory in the past and were much more familiar with it than Custer and his men. The Crow and Arikara were working with the U.S. government as scouts, in hopes they could reclaim the land. Which they did. The Crow were granted one of the largest reservations in the U.S. here in Montana where they continue to live and raise horses, and where Moominmama could see their children splashing in the river.

Normally tours of the park would be provided by members of the Crow, I was told, but due to COVID, they are steering clear of the tourists. Instead a pair of older white park rangers gave a brief talk about the site, one of them highlighting how brutally the body of Custer had been treated after death, failing to mention why that might be the case. I wonder if a Native ranger would have spoken thus.

But briefly (and simplified) the battle went as follows: The prior week, Crazy Horse had come upon General George Crook and troops at Rosebud Creek to the west and after a fight, his warriors forced the soldiers into a retreat. The remaining two generals guiding the campaign against the Indians decided to send Custer in from the south. From a high point east of the river, Custer could see horses and campfire smoke that marked the Indian encampment on the west side of the river. Whether Custer, age 36, was just too cocky or whether he couldn't see through the trees how badly he was outnumbered, he ordered Major Reno to cross the river and come at the encampment from the plains at the southern end.

Reno and his men came toward the camp firing but also completely exposed. Quick to respond, Crazy Horse and Chief Gall led a charge that scattered the soldiers. After some brutal hand-to-hand combat in a tree line, Reno's remaining men fled back across the river and up an incline. Meanwhile the Indians were adding to their weapons and ammunition, taken from the fallen. Firing as the soldiers fled and then gaining a position above (now called Sharpshooter Ridge), the warriors were able to pin Reno's men on that rise.

Custer in the meantime made his way north thinking to come at the encampment from the opposite side. A gully at Medicine Tail Coulee led down to the river where they could cross. Unfortunately for him, the Lakota and Cheyenne knew of this crossing and suspected he might come in this direction. As the women, children and elders fled, some of the teenage boys and older men, hid in the woods and were there to ambush Custer as he tried to cross.

After pinning Reno on the hill, Crazy Horse had come back to the encampment to organize the remaining warriors and to ensure the women and children could escape safely. He was able to respond quickly when he heard Custer's attempted incursion. 

While several Native leaders pursued Custer back up the coulee, Crazy Horse led another group to the north and circled round to cut off any retreat. Custer and his men were pinned on top of the hill and resorted to killing more than 40 of their horses to provide a wall of horseflesh to protect themselves. They were killed by the Cheyenne, Lakota and Arapoho on the spot or as they attempted to flee. Most are now buried directly under the memorial, a four-sided pillar bearing their names.

Having dispensed with Custer, the warriors then made sure Reno's men were no longer a threat. They did not go in and kill them. Reno and survivors remained hunkered down for another night, then fled south.

The Cheyenne, Lakota and Arapoho celebrated their triumph and honored their dead. But as we know, they won the battle but lost the war. Crazy Horse was killed just over a year later after bringing his people to Camp Robinson, recognizing their nomadic life was no longer sustainable. Despite this, the government was afraid he would lead a revolt, so Crazy Horse's arrest was ordered. When he resisted arrest, he was stabbed in the back with a bayonet and died Sept. 5, 1877.

I have totally failed to mention the role of Sitting Bull and other leaders in these historical events, but many are identified within the Indian Memorial. I leave you with this sculpture, which faces north from inside the circle. Designed by Lakota artist Colleen Cutschall, these "Spirit Warriors" remain silhouetted against the Great Plains and the big Montana sky, a source of pride to Native people everywhere.