CRAZY HORSE
by: Griffin Peek
Crazy
horse was considered to be a huge impact to the Indian way of life in the 1800’s.
His real name, Tasunke Witko, was born in the black hills of South Dakota. At
the age of thirteen he was already stealing horses from the crow Indians and
was then given the name crazy horse. He was considered to be a shy man but who
was a son, pupil to red cloud, a brother but most people knew him to be a
leader.
His
conflict with the settlers first started when the settlers wanted to build the Bozeman
trail when they first realized that there was gold in the Black hills of South Dakota.
The Bozeman trail was to be built right through the buffalo hunting fields of
the Lakota people also known as the Sioux nation. He was not happy about this because
tribe life had already begun to change in the 1850’s and it started to change
rapidly. For the white man to take away the buffalo hunting that was the same
as killing the people, because that was there main source of food and recourses.
The Lakota people decided that they were going to move farther in to the “hills”
to live away from the settlers.
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| Crazy Horse |
Crazy
horse was known for many things he was known for his leadership and grit, but
for someone to have those qualities you need something else that come with it. That
is courage; crazy horse was known to be one of the bravest warriors that ever
lived. He would charge into battle 40 yards in front of the other warriors that
shows how much the tribe looked up to him and how he had a “mystical ability to
avoid injury or death on the battle field.”(BIO) He fought in many war and battles
such as the battle of bull run and many more. After the death of Red cloud,
Crazy horse was promoted to the tribes “shirt wearer” he was now the leader of
the Lakota people and tribe loved him. But when he was caught trying to steal
another man’s wife he was removed from shirt wearer but the people of the tribe
still loved and praised him the same.
Crazy
horse was one of the best warriors that the Sioux people had and him most famous
battle was know all around the United States as the Fetterman massacre. In the
early 1870’s the government was trying to put all of the Indians in Oklahoma
known as Indian Territory. They were put on reservations. Crazy horse was not
okay with the idea that he would be moved from his land. The fetterman massacre
was the attempt by the government to control the Indians in the black hills of
South Dakota. Eighty men under the command of Fetterman marched into the hills
trying to force Crazy horse to the reservation.
Crazy horse and his men killed all eighty of fettermans men and before
they could get to fetterman he committed suicide and the massacre was over.
This was heard all around the United States and was for ever known as a huge embarrassment
to the government. After the massacre the government ended the Bozeman trail in
1867 and that was the end.
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| Hunting Buffalo |
Ten
years later the Government chased Cary horse out of the black hill as crazy
horse retreated to Montana to meet up at the main Sioux encampment where the
leader Sitting Bull. AS sitting bull retreated Crazy horse decided to fight eventually
surrendering to the reservation. The final years of Crazy Horse’s life he was
nearly starving but losing his rebellious attitude. In a final attempt to get
his third stick nearly dead wife to his parents he was caught and was accused
of running off the reservation. As they took him in saw the jail and as he tried
to get free and was stabbed in the kidney with a bayonet and he died on
September
5, 1877 with his father by his side. He was a great warrior and he did not want
to do what the white government also known as the “white man” wanted them to
do. he was a rebel and he knew what was right. The settlers wanted to take
their land from them and they believed that the white man should pay. He was
fighting for a good cause and all he wanted was for his people to have the land
they deserve and to make them happy.
After Columbus- The Smithsonian Chronicle of the North
American Indians: 970.004
