Made and painted by John Groeneveld ( Non-Native
American ).
The meaning and owner of the
shield, see below.
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The meaning of the shield:
The general layout of the design conforms to
Wissler's informant's description of traditional
Lakota or Sioux shields ( Wissler, 1907 ). Some
symbols, however, such as the red and black power
motifs, are decidedly Cheyenne. Crazy Horse was
close associate of the Cheyenne Dog Soldiers.
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The owner of the shield:
Crazy Horse
( Tashunke
witko )
(1849-1877)
Crazy Horse was recognized among
his own people as a leader committed to
preserving the traditions and values of the
Lakota way of life.
Even as a young man, Crazy Horse was a legendary
warrior. He stole horses from the Crow Indians
before he was thirteen, and led his first war
party before he was twenty.
Crazy Horse fought in the 1865-68 war led by the
Oglala chief Red Cloud against American settlers
in Wyoming, and played a key role in destroying
William J. Fetterman's brigade at Fort Phil
Kearny in 1867.
Crazy Horse earned his reputation among the
Lakota not only by his skill and daring in battle
but also by his fierce determination to preserve
his people's traditional way of life. He refused,
for example, to allow any photographs to be taken
of him.
When the War Department ordered all Lakota bands
onto their reservations in 1876, Crazy Horse
became a leader of the resistance. Allied to the
Cheyenne through his first marriage to a Cheyenne
woman, he gathered a force of 1,200 Oglala and
Cheyenne at his village and turned back General
George Crook at the Rosebud Creek on June 17,
1876.
After this victory, Crazy Horse joined forces
with Sitting Bull and on June 25 led his warriors
in the counterattack that destroyed Custer's
Seventh Cavalry.
Following the Lakota victory at the Little
Bighorn, Sitting Bull and Gall retreated to
Canada, but Crazy Horse remained to battle
General Nelson Miles as he pursued the Lakota and
their allies throughout the winter of 1876-77.
This constant military harassment and the decline
of the buffalo population eventually forced Crazy
Horse to surrender on May 6, 1877.
Crazy Horse remained an independent spirit, and
in September 1877, when he left the reservation
without authorization, to take his sick wife to
her parents, General George Crook ordered him
arrested.
Crazy Horse did not resist arrest at first, but
when he realized that he was being led to a
prison, he began to struggle, and while his arms
were held by one of the arresting officers, a
soldier ran him through with a bayonet. He was
only about 35 years old.
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Used materials:
Willow hoop
Rawhide
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The original shield
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Museum:
unknown
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