CRAZY HORSE AND HIS LEGACY | BY: BRADLEY JONES

May 12, 2020

“My lands are where my dead are buried”, said one Native American man from the Lakota tribe based in and around North, and South Dakota. This Native American was no ordinary man nor were his actions and values. He went by the name of Crazy Horse and has had his legacy pinned in a controversial state since his death. Crazy Horse has been estimated to have been born around 1840 and through his actions, he has engraved his name in history and culture as an American icon. People around America today look towards figures of the past for inspiration, through his unending determination for humility and prosperity for his people, Crazy Horse has proved himself to be one of these figures. Through this article, I will address the iconicity of Crazy Horse and how his actions as a leader of a Lakota tribe group and inherent values as a person, changed the cultural context of the time in which he lived as well as how his legacy continues to alter the context of today. 

Crazy Horse had been characterized by some of his own people as someone who “everybody liked...and they would do anything he wanted and go anywhere he said” ( Neidhart pg. 54), this kind of appraisal from the people within his tribe helps us as we view his legacy to understand how he was able to unify his people under a shared cause. Crazy Horse’s ability to mediate between tribes for the purpose of unification towards a common goal is often overlooked and under-discussed. Your next pressing question may be, what was this shared issue that different tribes of Lakota people needed to rally together for, and that would be white encroachment and is based off the fact that “white men drove the Sioux from lands which they held as sacred” ( Downes pg. 1) which was highlighted in a New York Times article, “Waiting For Crazy Horse” by Laura Downes. The Lakota tribe that Crazy Horse was born into just happened to lie on land rich in minerals and other resources valuable to the new and growing American government. 

Through the cultural context being of patriotism and manifest destiny, many people during this time felt it was the government’s duty to obtain and control the land from the Pacific to the Atlantic ocean which set up an ideology in America allowing the citizens to believe their actions of encroachment on Native Americans to be part of their destiny. These ideas are highlighted in “Tragedy at Red Cloud Agency: The Surrender, Confinement, and Death of Crazy Horse.” by Jeffrey V. Pearson. After reading this article I felt when looking back on these times and the things that occurred between the military and the Lakota people many people today feel much more strongly about the unfair nature of the government’s actions. It is because of the cultural context of today that when we think of the signifier that is the word “government” the ideas signified is that of protection of the people within our nation no matter their race, religion, or cultural ideas. This idea of the difference between understanding the contexts of the time works when explaining government through denotation as a system or group that governs a larger organized community. However, when you look at it connotationally its culturally specific meaning is more geared towards its fundamental principles as a group which is looking out for the better nature of its people working towards the overall improvement of life. Once this is understood, looking back towards the white encroachment we see that during this time the government portrayed actions hegemonic to the cultural ideas of the time but counter-hegemonic towards those of today. This is because of Crazy Horse and the issues he dealt with during his time as a leader in the Lakota nation of people. 

The historical context of the time is that the American government saw this land as theirs for the taking and the resources available in this land were very valuable to them. With this in mind, the government looked to seize the land from the Lakota people and move them onto a reservation. This is where we begin to understand some of the reasons why Crazy Horse is important as an icon in American history and culture. During his time in the Battle of Platte Bridge and the Battle of Red Buttes, Crazy Horse solidified himself as a warrior and was made to be the war leader of the Lakota Tribe after banding the Oglala and Minneconjou tribes together for these battles. It was stated in Ron McCoy’s article “Custer, Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and the Little Bighorn.” that as War Leader, Crazy Horse then gave his word to his people that he would stand up for their rights as a people and protect their interests from those who wished to denounce them. This article helped explain defining moments of his life through a form of dominant-hegemonic reading with the explanation of the Battle of Little-Bighorn and how George Custer’s attempt to massacre the Lakota people ended in the loss his own life and that of the majority of his soldiers. 

Crazy Horse united the surrounding tribes for the purpose of protecting their livelihood and culture, through this, people today revel Crazy Horse as an iconic figure of American history, culture, and values. In an essay written about “Minority Achievers”, “Crazy Horse: A Minority Achiever” by Gary K. Clabaugh, when asked why he wrote about Crazy Horse he said because of the fact that he “admired how Crazy Horse led his people in resisting white encroachment” (Clabaugh pg. 1). During the lifetime of Crazy Horse his reputation as a leader was somewhat tarnished and he was not celebrated as an iconic figure immediately after his death because Americans were busy “grieving” the loss of American soldiers and General Custer who would have otherwise massacred the Lakota people because they did not want to leave their homeland. 

Considering these facts, we can better understand why Crazy Horse is considered an icon today. He represented modern American values such as equality, humility, and personal liberty. This idea of personal liberty is especially important because in this day in age, Americans will not allow others to infringe on their freedom which is exactly what Crazy Horse was doing, the only difference is during his life Americans held a flawed interpretation of the Constitution when considering anyone other than European settlers. Our view of the world today helps us see Crazy Horse for who he was, a leader, a civil servant for his people, and lastly an icon of American history and culture.