One Decked Out Dude

Crazy Horse was many things—fearless warrior who led a war party to victory at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June of 1876; admired Oglala Sioux leader who was honored in 1982 by a Great Americans series postage stamp; subject of the giant mountain sculpture being carved in the Black Hills to honor all Native American Tribes. He’s noted for his words of wisdom: “One does not sell the earth on which the people walk.” Or “My lands are where my dead lie buried.” Born about 1840, he died in1877 and his body was given to his elderly parents, who secretly buried him somewhere in the wilds. But anyone who ever saw Crazy Horse in battle would never forget how he looked. He routinely painted a lighting streak on his face and hailstones on his chest. He tied a small stone behind one ear and pinned a stuffed red-backed hawk to his hair.