|
|
|||||||
Bruce Brown's 100 Voices... Thunder Tail's Memories
Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse)
When Crazy Horse's people were up north, he grew to be a young man. And the Oglalas went to war. So he joined in. It was then what would be his first occasion in doing so. He joined in when there was a fight at Arrow Creek. The Crows, yes! were cornered in a blue manner, and he was kept busy. And near the lower edge of a Crow Indian's tipi an enemy was struck down. So he opened an attack. He approached near, though there was much shooting, he went fearlessly and went very close. Then though they came out and struck his horse, he attacked fearlessly on foot, killed, scalped him, and so withdrew. And there was much shooting, but he was not wounded. So he came back, and there again when he was very near, when, yes, he was amidst all those brave young men, they spoke much of him. In that fight he performed his first feat. It happened on their way home and before they reached home. They came back then also horse-stealing, meeting opposition together, and besides, there were ten [Crows] we cornered who took refuge on a hill. At that time again the two, Crazy Horse and Bear Stops, attacked them. When they approached close to them, then they helped them, then Crazy Horse was the first to throw himself into the fray and paryed blows. So the Crows took flight and pretended to leave. And so they tried to grab them. There again Crazy Horse's name was talked. They then returned and arrived home; and soon afterward he went again with a war party, and they had to come in amidst the tents . There was then a very fierce battle and we came away in pursuit, Crazy Horse’s horse was killed. And so his two younger brothers were. And they came back. At the time, two Crow Indians crossed their path and they came back to them. So Crazy Horse rushed over and took them on a real chase, his younger brother helped, and they put the enemy to flight. One of them he shot, seized, killed, and scalped him. The Crows gave a real cry and really fled. From then on Crazy Horse's name was much spoken. They arrived back and settled down at the Rosebud River. There was much gladness and the people greatly touted Crazy Horse's name. Afterwards the leading men met and Crazy Horse was made a chief, and he was chosen to look after people. And he was made a war chief. He was a chief when tribal chiefs were living in the north, he watched after the people, and then these were indeed the head men: Red Cloud and Red Dog and Afraid of His Horse, American Horse, Knife Chief. When Big Road and Afraid of His Horse made Crazy Horse a chief; and when their band was in the north, he was very popular. The tribe was again encamped at the Powder River. At the time tobacco was brought out and Crazy Horse was called upon. He was asked to go to Washington. There was a meeting, he did not have confidence and said: Crazy Horse: This tribe will slowly be living with white men, but whereas I fear the land will be taken under duress without payment, you should go on home. Soon I shall come. If I were present I would not sell it to the whitemen. So take the message: I shall go slowly. [said he]. And Sitting Bull also said this: Sitting Bull: Since I did not want this people of mine to ridiculed white men, I shall make peace with whitemen slowly; and let him settle with them. They made ready tobacco they had brought. And again they went to war in which he took part. The Crows had encamped at the Sheep River, there they went to make an attack, and when some went to the shore and stopped, he joined up with High Breast. And they came back updraw. And when it was very close to noon, I do not know but we then saw them make the attack. We came back there heavily crowded about on a hill. And those who were Crows were now indeed carrying scalps, and we came back close to them; then they came out to attack and two ran close by. So right there we arrived back and we carefully painted ourselves with our charms. High Breast said: High Breast: When it is a day like this it is men who are brave. Get busy! These who are our relatives now have scalps. [he said]. We took flight, in the end we pursued them downhill, and a [Crow] riding a grey horse went back and there stopped, but High Breast killed on sight, then Crazy Horse killed him, took his horse, and finally we went about chasing them. And again there was one mostly trapped. But Crazy Horse who held a gun went to attack, and though he stood ready to strike, he killed him. And so it was High Breast that next killed him; and we continued the pursuit of them. From there we chased them in two directions and there well I joined in chasing them to the north. We killed 25 of them. And when it was late afternoon we left them alone and came home. At the time the enemy we pursued southward fell there where there was a dry creek. And there in a bit of creek water and older brother of his lay scalped and pierced through and through. Then again there nearby lay a person, but he was a Hunkpapa (a Lakota band), and these were big war parties, but at night and secretly some of us who left got lost. And since this was a large war-party some were killed, and we met on the way those who were going home and gave them a very bad time by our chasing them. And when they all went after them we went along and the people intended to go from Rosebud Creek to Tongue River. At the time we went unseen and arrived back worn out; and in what we did here, we were thirty-two men and were like courageous young men; for it was precisely this way they did things; and soon afterward they came and set up camp on Tongue River. At the time the soldiers were stationed on Rosebud Creek. Four Shoshones and Cheyennes came together to make an attack. They again joined battle, and we chased them back to where they came. And in that place two fell in battle. A man and a boy too said to be nine, and right there the two enemies were killed, a:nd the white men were many. So, we left them, and there again Crazy Horse was very brave. After the attack they made their way home. When they arrived back, the people came back from there toward Powder River. And there they again brought out tobacco. And the people held a meeting so they might come to a whiteman's town, and dressed themselves so they might come. They came and broke camp, came by way of Pumpkin Butte, and there at Smoky Butte when they had encamped they had a meeting. Crazy Horse said: Crazy Horse: Yes, yes, I would not be ready to endure just anything; still, since you Lakotas make me feel unsure of myself, I am going; but I am aware that I will not live. [said he]. In the morning they came to break camp, and the people came to a site upstream where they encamped, and when orders were given to pitch tents, tents were set up there in a bend of a river. At night the leading men had a meeting and Crazy Horse was asked whether he would go to Washington. So he said: Crazy Horse: Alright, I will go. [he said]. Then he was asked how angry they would become if they went after him, but he did not have regard for them, saying: Crazy Horse: No. I live with people up north, and I cherish the land, but since the enemy are inviting me, when I come they will kill and eat me, or somehow though I be alone, when I am to be alone my people will not become angry. [he said]. Thus they concluded their business. And in the moming they went to the commanding officer's (C.O.'s) tent with some of the leading men and said: Chiefs: Now, since you have been asking we have brought him to you [they said] and this is the way he responded to them: C.O.: Since the President wants to see him, will you go to him? [he said. And so] Crazy Horse: Yes. [said he].
Lakota Tales & Texts, Volume II, collected by Eugene Buechel, S.J. and Paul I. Manhart, S.J., The Tipi Press, Chamberlain, SD 1998 pp 627 - 633
See Crazy Horse In Action for more info on Crazy Horse. |
|
||||||
Narrator: Thunder Tail 
C.O.: Well, but first let him be brought over there, and two days from now he will go and will be there I guess for a while. [he said half serious.] Two soldiers holding bayonets brought him to a guardhouse. And when they were about to put him inside when he took a step inside, at this moment one of the solders carrying a bayonet lunged at him, jabbed him in the back with it, and came and withdrew outside. And so he suddenly groaned, and though he drew a knife the Lakota soldiers were holding him, and so they did not go retaliating. This was a leading man who had come near to creating a real disturbance, and accordingly it is said as Crazy Horse had said; they were stopping him and so it did come about. The next morning they had a talk with the commanding officer, and they stated that this was not right [to do] and told him to make reparations. And so he said he would do so; that the soldier who had done [the killing] would be thrown into prison and indeed he threw him in, and "Because of this the President in the future will grant you reparations." And that evening Crazy Horse died, and great sorrow came over his people. Now this is as I have known it. I have gone on many war campaigns with Crazy Horse. I am Thunder Tail. 
