Crazy Horse With His Wife example essay topic

Crazy Horse, the English name for Tashunkewitko, was born near Black Hills, South Dakota on the Republican River sometime between 1841 and 1845. However, to the Hunk patil band of the Oglala tribe, he was known as "Curly". The name Curly was a reflection of his fair complexion and light wavy hair. Travelers would mistake Curly for a captive white boy. Even his facial features weren't typical of his native people. The Sioux considered him unusual and sacred.

He was quiet and somewhat distant, which added to his mystery. His father also known as Crazy Horse, was a healer, dreamer, and a holy man. His mother was a sister of Spotted Tail, a prominent leader of the Brule. His mother was tender and watchful over her boy. However, she never stood in the way of his father's severe physical training.

Curly loved horses. His father gave him a pony of his own when he was very young. He became a fine horseman. He would go along with his father on buffalo hunts. During the hunts, he would hold the pack horses while the men would chase the buffalo. From these experiences, he learned the art of hunting.

At the age of ten, he killed his first buffalo and rode a wild horse. After this, his father announced that his new name would be His Horse on Sight. One of the most important events in a young warrior's life was Hanblechyapi - "Crying for a Vision". During this event, a warrior would need to seek the guidance from the Sacred Powers. Curly's vision came to him after three days of fasting and sleepless nights. He was a warrior, himself riding his horse and wearing a simple shirt and leggings.

In his hair was a single hawk feather and a brown stone tied behind his ear. He visioned he was not to wear a war bonnet, paint or to ever take anything for himself in battle. He was to dust his horse before battle and to leave its tail loose as well. When he told his father of his vision, he told Curly he must dress as he was in his vision and always be first in battle.

As long as he followed his vision, he would be protected from his enemies in battle. At the age of sixteen, he joined a war party against the Gros Ventures. Once he established his bravery, he followed a powerful Oglala warrior, High Back Bone, known as Hump, drawing the enemy's fire and circling around their advance guard. Hump's horse was shot out from under him. Crazy Horse charged in and rescued Hump just as the enemy was about to capture him. Crazy Horse rode Hump to safety.

For the heroic act, Hump pronounced Crazy Horse the coming warrior of the Teton Sioux. He loved Hump, and the two became close friends. At the age of seventeen, he joined a band of warriors in a raid on an Arapaho camp. They were discovered before they reached the camp.

After nearly two hours of being held at bay by the group of Arapaho warriors, Curly charged into the middle of the Arapahos camp. He did this three times. The Arapahos were unable to stop him. He was able to kill two of the Arapaho warriors. When he returned to his own camp, his father announced that from that day forward his son would be known as Crazy Horse and his father would take the name Worm for himself.

While he was still under twenty, he came back from a great winter buffalo hunt, with ten buffalo's tongues which he sent to the council lodge for the councilors' feast. Crazy Horse was still single when he was made a "shirt wearer". A few years after this he began to pay attention to the wife of a man named No Water. No Water did not want to let the woman go. However, Crazy Horse started off on a smaller war expedition and No Water's wife went along with him.

No Water followed them. He enter a tipi belonging to some friends of Crazy Horse to find him and his wife sitting by the fire. No Water shot Crazy Horse through the face. The bullet entered just below the left nostril. That is how Crazy Horse got his scar. No Water took his wife back.

Because of all this, Crazy Horse couldn't be a "shirt wearer" any longer. Shortly after this, he married Red Feather's sister. They had one child, a little girl they called "They Are Afraid of Her". She died when she was about 2 years old. Much later, when he had surrendered at Ft. Robinson, he married a young half-breed girl.

For several years, after his first battle, the Oglala people lived in peace and plenty. Crazy Horse had become a highly respected member of the tribe with his continued exploits in raids against the Shoshone and Crow. There were many battles and raids including Greasy Grass and Last Stand Hill, that Crazy Horse took part in as a warrior and leader. Like Osceola, he rose suddenly; like Tecumseh he was always impatient for battle; like Pontiac; he fought on while his allies were suing for peace; and like Grant, the silent soldier, he was a man of deeds and not of words. He won from Custer and Get terman and Crook. He won every battle that he undertook, with the exception of one or two occasions when he was surprised in the midst of his women and children, and even then he managed to get himself and the others to safety.

As food became scarce and many bands returned to the agencies as a way to survive, Crazy Horse fought desperately to keep his people together and free. Repeated attempts by his former allies to convince him to surrender failed until Spotted Tail told him that General Crook promised him his own agency if he would surrender at Fort Robinson. Seeing the needs of his people, he agreed to come. Upon arrival at Fort Robinson in early May 1877, Crazy Horse was treated with respect and admiration by the white men. This attention made leaders of other bands jealous, even his uncle Spotted Tail. By September, Crazy Horse was completely exasperated by the affairs at Red Cloud's agency.

He never did get his own agency as promised earlier. He wanted to take his people North again to get away from the hypocrisy. This was seen as a threat and General Crook told the rest of the Sioux leaders that they must maintain order. He even offered one hundred dollars and a horse to the Indian that killed Crazy Horse. On September 4th, Lt. Clark led 400 Indians and eight companies of infantry to capture Crazy Horse and moves his people back onto the agency. By the time they arrived, his people had scattered and Crazy Horse with his wife sought the protection of the seven foot tall chief, Touch the Clouds.

With the promise of being able to settle on Spotted Tail's agency, Crazy Horse went to Fort Robinson to meet with Officer Bradley. Upon arrival, he was warned by He Dog "to watch his step, he was entering a bad place". When Bradley would not meet with him, he was led by four Indian policemen and Captain Kennington to the stockade. Seeing the bars on the windows, Crazy Horse feared a trap and tried to escape.

He drew his knife and slashed Little Big Man's arm. Little Big Man, then grabbed around Crazy Horse's arms and both American Horse and Red Cloud yelled "Shoot to kill". Private William Gentles bayoneted him twice in the back. As Little Big Man let him fall to the ground, He Dog came and Crazy Horse asked him to see where he was hurt. Touch the Clouds came and picked him up and carried him to the adjutant's office. His father, Worm and Touch the Clouds stayed with him through the night.

Crazy Horse told them he was hurt bad and to tell the people it was no use to depend on him now. He died early on the 6th of September, 1877. It was only after his death that the Lakota realized they had killed a great leader. His young body was placed on a scaffold on Spotted Tails agency, but when they were moved to a place on the Missouri River, Worm went and gathered his son's remains and placed them on a scaffold in an unknown place near Wounded Knee Creek. A mysterious ending to a mystical life..