NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/417216
had planned to get rid of him. And when he saw what they were doing, he turned around and took a knife out of his robe and started out against all those soldiers. Then Little Big Man, who had been his friend…took hold of Crazy Horse from behind and tried to get the knife away. And while they were struggling, a soldier ran a bayonet into Crazy Horse from one side at the back and he fell down and began to die. Of the 17 eyewitness accounts from that day, all but one point to his murder by a soldier at the guardhouse. In an interview years after the incident, Little Big Man (Wicasa Tankala) claimed Crazy Horse stabbed himself in the struggle. After the injury, Crazy Horse was taken to the adjutant's office and tended by assistant post surgeon Dr. Valentine McGillycuddy. Crazy Horse's father and stepmother had immediately traveled from the Pine Ridge after hearing the news and, together with his cousin, Touch the Clouds (Mahpíya Iháhtagya), were with their son at the time of his death. As word of his death spread, the sound of drums and cries of mourning could be heard throughout the land. A procession, led by his parents, took his body on a travois and traveled out of Fort Robinson the next morning, returning to Beaver Creek. His body was scaffolded in the traditional manner and later buried by his father in an undisclosed location. It is speculated his body was moved numerous times in order to evade the destruction of his final resting place. To this day, reconciling the effects of a tumultuous history between nations is ongoing. Beyond the controversy that continues to surround the details of his birth and death, efforts in Nebraska continue to honor the legacy of his life. A museum at Fort Robinson includes a detailed history and Plains Indian artifacts from the era, as well as items found during the reconstruction of buildings by the Nebraska State Historical Society in the 1980s. Aside from the 1865 Soldier's barracks, the original cabins surrounding the parade grounds, including the adjutant's office where Crazy Horse died, were destroyed in the early 1900s. A stone marker, usually found adorned with prayer ties, tobacco and other offerings from visitors, now stands near the site where the warrior was slain. From a humble beginning with a handful of riders to the largest gathering of the Lakota horse nation, the Crazy Horse Memorial Ride is a growing tribute to the Oglala Lakota war chief, as well as warriors of yesterday and today. "Crazy Horse never got to ride out of Fort Robinson," said ride organizer Bamm Brewer, an Oglala Lakota from Pine Ridge. "We ride out of here for him." Riders camp overnight at Fort Robinson State Park and gather the next day, forming a circle at the Parade Grounds for a moment to honor his legacy before embarking on an 80-mile ride from Crawford to Pine Ridge, South Dakota. "There is a spiritual level to the ride," said Brewer. Before the journey, he smudges, or purifies, the participants with the smoke of sage, a plant sacred to the Lakota people. Now in the 17th year, riders traverse part of the Crazy Horse Memorial Highway, a designation of U.S. Highway 20 from Hay Springs to Fort Robinson that was dedicated in November 2010 by Nebraska Governor Dave Heinemann. As those in front carried flags and eagle staffs, Brewer and more than 200 riders traveled through the Pine Ridge escarpment led by the "spirit horse" – a designated riderless horse to honor the spirit of the warrior. Native filmmakers have partnered with The Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs and Platte River Pictures NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, RG2063.PH000018-000006 42 NEBRASKAland • DECEMBER 2014 Several Lakota chiefs gathered at the dedication of the Crazy Horse monument at Fort Robinson circa 1934.