Deep in the Black Hills of South Dakota, a colossal mountain carving is taking shape, honoring the legendary Lakota warrior, Crazy Horse. Unlike any other monument in the world, the Crazy Horse Memorial is a tribute not just to one man, but to the spirit, culture, and perseverance of Native American people.
Crazy Horse was the leader of the Oglala band the Lakota Sioux. He never signed any treaties and refused to live on a reservation. He took up arms against the US Federal government to try to stop further settlements of white settlers on Lakota land. Crazy Horse surrendered at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, along with 1100 of his followers, in 1877 because he knew that surrender was inevitable. He did this as to not cause anymore death to his people. He was killed, four months after he surrendered, at Fort Robinson, while resisting confinement. Crazy Horse pulled a knife on a friend of his that worked for the Army. A soldier saw him and stabbed Crazy Horse with a bayonet in the stomach. He died later that night.
The Crazy Horse memorial began in 1948 when Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear invited sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to carve the likeness of Crazy Horse into the sacred Black Hills. Zilkowski had to crave the memorial descriptions of what Crazy Horse looked like. There are no known pictures of him because he believed that to have someone take a picture of him was to have his soul stolen. Intended as a response to Mount Rushmore, which was built on land sacred to the Lakota, the memorial stands as a symbol of Native American pride and resilience. Though Ziolkowski passed away in 1982, his family continues his work, ensuring the memorial remains a labor of love and dedication.
Once completed, the statue will depict Crazy Horse atop his horse, pointing forward with a gaze full of defiance and strength. The scale is breathtaking—the head alone is larger than those of all four U.S. presidents on Mount Rushmore combined. Progress has been slow due to the decision to forgo government funding, relying instead on private donations and admission fees to sustain construction. Progress has also been slowed on the memorial is slow because no blasting can be done. There is a fear that the whole structure is in danger of collapsing so all work is having to be done by hand drills.
Many people think Crazy Horse killed General George Armstrong Custer on on June 25, 1876. The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer’s Last Stand, was fought by several Native American Tribes: Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors. This coalition was lead by Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and other Native Leaders.
Oral history from other Native Americans think that it may have been White Cow Bull, a Cheyenne warrior, who fired the fatal shot at Custer. Other Native American eye witnesses say that Buffalo Calf Road Woman, who was Cheyenne warrior, may have knocked Custer off his horse possibly with a club. Since all the soldiers with Custer were killed, there was noone to attest to who killed General Custer. Most historians think that with all the chaos during the battle and with what eye witnesses from some Lakota and Cheyenne warriors said that it was most likely several warriors that had a hand in the death of Custer. General Custer was stripped of his clothes. His body was not mutilated but he had been shot twice. He also had not been scalped. His hair was short and he was balding so there was not much to take.
