This book review was written by Eugene Kernes
“The Sioux peoples in the time of Crazy Horse were spread across the northern and central plains in many loosely related tribes of bands, each governed, for the most part, not by one leader but by councils composed of tribal elders, men of skill, experience, and wisdom.” – Larry McMurtry, Chapter 3, Page 14
“Red Cloud and Spotted Tail both recognized quickly that the whites were too powerful to oppose directly – much too powerful. Whatever might be said in the parleys, and whatever was written on the papers, the whites meant to win; they were going to take what they wanted, which, in the end, was all the country that the native peoples had once inhabited.” – Larry McMurtry, Chapter 3, Page 26
“That the whites were willing, almost casually, to destroy a
whole village was a new fact that the Sioux would have to come to terms
with. In the warfare between tribes such
a thing did not happen; there was no such imbalance of weaponry.” – Larry McMurtry,
Chapter 5, Page 40
Is This An Overview?
For the Sioux, names are not permanent but earned. Crazy Horse earned the name after being
recognized for the risky behavior taken during confrontations with the
opposition. Crazy Horse was a force of
resistance to American expansion. Crazy
Horse and others understood that the Americans intended to conqueror all their
land. Made possible by American power
and a willingness to destroy their adversaries.
Over time, various Native Indians changed their strategy of resistance,
to being part of the American administration system.
Crazy Horse was someone who tended to defect from cultural
obligations, and was often isolated in thought and behavior. A mysterious person even to those close to
Crazy Horse. Crazy Horse retained a
connection to the community because there were those who were dependent on
Crazy Horse, with Crazy Horse having a sense of responsibility. Crazy Horse was one of the last Sioux
warriors who resisted American expansion, but joined the American
administration to protect those who depended on Crazy Horse.
The Sioux were composed of
various related tribes. Tribes which
were governed by a council. Native
Indian governance was misunderstood by the American negotiators. The negotiators thought that Native Indians
were governed in a similar manner as the American system, with a single
individual who held authority to speak for all people. For the Native Indians, they did not obey other
leaders unless their own interests were aligned with the other tribes.
Governance misunderstanding was only part of the negotiation
failures. Another negotiation problem was
that no treaty made by the Americans, was expected to be upheld. There were American negotiators who made
genuine claims and treaty terms that respected the local conditions to gain the
trust of Native Indians. Treaties that would
have enabled cooperation and improved the political situation, but were denied
by distant government officials. Leading
to further distrust of the Americans.
Caveats?
The focus of the book is on a single individual. There are various references to the culture,
politics, and events that affected Crazy Horse, but to understand the era would
require more research.
There are various references to data gaps on what is known
about Crazy Horse. The author refrains
from speculating on unverified details, but shares how others have thought of
the details.
