An Indian Memorial to remember and honor ancestors who fought and died at The Battle of the Little Bighorn, June 25~26, 1876

"If this memorial is to serve its purpose, it must not only be a tribute to the dead; it must contain a message for the living ...I earnestly suggest to you that power through unit!:} would serve us well as an interpretive theme for this Memorial." - Enos Poor Bear Sr. Oglala Lakota elder "An Indian Memorial will &e dedicated at the Little Bighorn, forever changing the physical memory of the place and introducing in a permanent way other American voices and stories." - Edward Linenthal Dedication Indian Memorial

Today we honor Indian participants who fought and died in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, June 25-26, 1876, defending their families and their traditional way of life.

Sunrise - 9 a.m.: Traditional & Religious Ceremonies I 0 a.m . - 12 p.m.: Official Dedication Program I p.m. - Sunset: Open Forum with Other Speakers & Presentations

Hosted by tribes historically affiliated with the world-famous Battle of the Little Bighorn - Tsistsistas - , Lakota - , Hinono'eino' - , Sahnish - Arikara, and Apsaalooke - Crow, and the National Park Service.

Superintendent Darrell J. Cook Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

1 In Remembrance of our ancestors who fought and died in The Battle of the Little Bighorn, June 25 -26, 1876

War Leader Chief Black Moon Black Wasichu War Leader Young Black Moon Elk Stands On Top Chief High Eagle High Eagle Bear With Horns Cl oud Man Guts Chief Elk Standing High - ~ Flying Charge Deed Hawk Man Eagle Hat Red Face Elk Bear , c. 1885 White Buffalo Bull Kills Him White Bull Chased by Owls Dog With Horns Young Bear Dog's Backbone Long Dog Bear With Horns Long Road High Horse Two Bear Swift Bear Young Skunk Three Bears White Eagle Bad Light Hair Plenty Lice We also remember those unknown Sioux men, women, and children who died in the battle.

Encampment at Little Bignorn Valley by Big Beaver, Cheyenne, 1930 Gall and Nephew, c. 1820

2 In Remembrance of our ancestors who fought and died in The Battle of the Little Bighorn, June 25 ~26, 1876

Lame White Man Roman Nose Black Bear Hump Nose Noisy Walking Hair Lip Limber Bones Black Cloud Full Beard Black Fox Closed Hand Little Whirlwind Old Man Left Hand Two Moons. Northern Cheyenne, Owns Red Horse Black Coyote on the battlefield. 190 I . Cut Belly Swift Cloud Flying By All the unknown Young Bear "Forty years ago I fought Custer all day till all were dead . I was then the enemy of the wnite man. I am now the friend and brother living in In Remembrance of our ancestors who fought in The Battle of the Little Bighorn, June 25 ~26, 1876 peace together under the flag of

Yellow Eagle our country." Yellow Fly -Two Moons, 1916 Waterman Left Hand Well Knowing One

Left Hand, c. 1920

3 ...) In Remembrance of our ancestors who fought and died in The Battle of the Little Bighorn, June 25 ~26, 1876

U.S. Arikara Scouts

Soldier Goose Black Calf Little Sioux Boy Chief Lying Down Bull One Feather Bull in the Water Red Star Bloody Kn ife Black Fox Stab Bush Strikes the Lodge Bear Strikes TWo "I shall not see you 'sun' go down Bear Comes Out White Cloud Bear Running In Timber White Eagle behind the mountains tonight. .. Bull in Water William Baker Head Young Hawk I am going home today, not the Foolish Bear * * Sergeant Bobtailed Bull Forked Horn * * Bloody Knife way we came, hut in spirit, home Good Face * * Little Brave to my people." * *Arikara scouts killed in the valley fight at Garryowen were buried by military personnel where they fell. In 1879, their remains were reburied with deceased 7th U.S. cavalrymen in - Bloody Knife, June 25, 1876 the mass grave at Last Stand Hill.

"These old scouts, today, we remember them"-Arikara song

4 In Remembrance of our ancestors who fought in The Battle of the Little Bighorn, June 25 ~26, 1876

U.S.

Corporal Half Yellow Face Curly Ha iry Moccasin Curly, c. 1890 (wounded) ". .. my heart is glad that I can shake hands with these chiefs, some of whom I fought against with Custer on that great battlefield ... as I look into the faces of these great chiefs who were once my enemies ... I will never lift the coup stick again, I will live as a brother to all the tribes , and at peace with all men ..." Crow Scou.ts on horseback, 1908 White Swan, c. 1920 -Curly, 1909

5 rnf BAlHf ~f rnf l lllf Bb ~~R~ - one of the most famous battles in American history

On June 25-26, 1876, approximately 7,000 Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho, were camped in the valley of the Greasy Grass along the . The village was attacked on June 25th by Lieutenant Colonel with over 600 7th U.S. Cavalrymen and attached civilian personnel, accompanied by 35 Arikara and six Crow Indian scouts.

An estimated l, 500 warriors fought to protect the village, their families, and their traditional way of life.

Battle of Little Bighorn by White Bird, Cheyenne

6 The wounded and dead bodies of 54 kn own Sioux and Cheyenne, and several unnamed women and children, were recovered from the battlefield by relatives. Remains of the deceased were laid to rest in tipis and atop burial scaffolds in the village, and in ravines in the foothills in the Little Bighorn valley.

Stone cairns were placed on the battlefield by relatives of deceased Sioux and Cheyenne to indicate where relatives were killed or wounded during the Battle of Stone cairns like the one pictured above Little Bighorn. A few historic stone cairns are still located on the battlefield. were placed by the Sioux and Cheyenne people to mark the sites where their ancestors were killed or wounded. Today, these original cairn sites are being identified with red granite markers.

Red Granite Marker

7 ~AHlf Vf HRM~ Cheyenne, Sioux, Crow, and 7th Cavalry - reconcile through peace, unity, friendship, and exchange of gifts ...

I 913: Crow scouts & Cheyenne veterans cross the Little Bighorn River at Medicine Tail Ford .

1916: "Peace & reconciliation" was theme of ceremonies attended by five Cheyenne battle veterans, another 200 Cheyenne from Lame Deer, and four Crow scouts. Battle survivor Brig . General E.S. Godfrey led a mounted procession of veterans of the Indian Wars, the Battle of Little Bighorn , and the Spanish~American War, to the monument.

8 1926: Lt. Edward Godfre11 and White Bull exchanged gifts & shook hands to celebrate peace and friendship .

1926: About 241 7th U.S. Cavalrymen ride horses along the west side of Battle Ridge. At Last Stand Hill the11 met White Bull . nephew of Sitting Bull , and a group of Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne battle veterans .

1926: Reunion of 7th Cavalr11 with Crow and Cheyenne Indians.

9 1925: Nellie Beaverheart, daughter of Che11enne Lame White Man killed in the battle, wrote to the War Department and requested a marker to show where her father died and was buried.

In her letter to the battlefield Superintendent, dated July 27, 1925, she wrote:

. nnes who was near Sir: aroong the Cheye enxne ...was . f and ...... Y father Ve h o Cheyenne Chie ' .JllJ. l He was a ll ;;­ killed at the Custer Batt e. living who kn.OW where he fe ll :3 there are two Cheyenne men uld be glad if you could helP i b ied We wo b emem- ::<' and where he was ur . o that the place might e r ;;;­ ~ us to get the places marked, s xt anru.versary. arkers we a.;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;.m8 bered on the ne . atter and get the m · t us in the m In case John Stands In Timber at If you can ass1s . finding the exact places. Lame White Man's wooden marker. shall be glad to cooperate ~ to do that, will you please tell us do not have the authority t this matter tended to you ·te in order to ge to whom we rnaY wr1 properly. RespectfullY yours,

Thomas Beaverheart Mrs. Busby, Mont.

The Army never responded to Mrs. Beaverheart. In 1956, the National Park Service placed a wooden marker along Battle Ridge for Lame White Man.

In June 25, 1999, the wooden marker was replaced by a red granite marker.

10 WOWASAKE KIN SLOLYAPO WOWAHWALA HE E June 25, 1976: On the I OOth Anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. mem bers of "KNOW THE POWER THAT IS PEACE" the American Indian Movement (AIM). and Black Elk descendants of battle participants , attended sunrise ceremonies on battle ridge , and participated in the official program.

Plaque read: In honor of our Indian _. Patriots who fought and Defeated the U.S. ll'lllllliil~ Cava lry. In order to save our women and children from mass-murder. In doing so, preserving ri ghts to our homelands, treaties. and sovereignty.

Oglala spiritual man Frank Fools Crow and June 25, I 988: In protest of the lack of an Indian Memorial at the national monument, AIM members cemented a metal plaque near the 7th U.S. Cavalry mass grave at Last Stand Hill. others prepare to lay a wreath on the battlefield "to honor and palJ homage to the dead of all wars, and to re-dedicate this sacred site as a shrine for those who died here."

11 "Peace Through Unity" was the theme identified by respected elders Austin Two Moons and Enos Poor Bear Sr., and adopted by an Indian Memorial work group in "The way our elders made things 1989 and by the Indian Memorial Advisory Committee in 1994. better was through unity. Unity of Both Austin and Enos offered wisdom, guidance, and prayers, toward peace and the purpose ; unity of dedication; and development of an Indian Memorial unity of effort .. .. we observe that all June 25, 1985: American Indian Internation al Peace Day was declared by Cheyenne elder major accomplishments of Indian Austin Two Moons and former Governor Ted Schwinden . people were brought about when unity was present ... Major progress among Indian people will come about only where there is unity of effort ... " - Enos Poor Bear Sr. Oglala Lakota elder "Honor the Creator's gifts ... pray for World Peace."

12 Indian Memorial Approved: Congress finds that "the public interest will best be served by establishing a memorial at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument to honor the Indian participants in the battle."

I R EN~ 3t _MJ}J(j rtJc HATT[EF/ ElP l Public Law I 02~20 I Ii ·---··--·- redesignated Custer Battlefield National Monument as Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument , and approved the establishment of a memorial to recognize Indian participants in the Battle of the - Little Bighorn. The law was approved by former President George Bush on Decem ber I 0, 1991.

INDI A~ M F. J\IORJAL D E SIG . C OMP E TITIO K l.ltll• 11 11•••• lhllhf1ol• lfai l ee•I ,..••••• •t ., . ... ••• ~· •• u.,1,- Memorial drawing submitted by June 1994: An eleven~member Indian Memorial Advisory Committee appointed by Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan was responsible for overseeing the Indian Memorial design competition and John Collins and Allison To wers selecting a design.

June 26, 1996: Indian Memorial design competition was announced . Distributed nationwide were I 0,000 entry forms. Registrations received numbered 1,082; and actual designs submitted totaled 554.

March 21, 1997: The winning design selected was submitted by John Collins and Allison Towers of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The design was approved by Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt.

13 ~10 - ~~~j Indian Markers & Memorials to remember ancestors who fought and died...

June 1876: Stone cairns erected to show where Sioux and Cheyenne killed or wounded.

1925: Nellie Beaverheart requested a marker for her father Lame White Man who died and was buried along Battle Ridge.

1956: A wooden marker for Lame White Man was erected &y the National Park Service .

June 1988: An iron plaque was cemented near the 7th U, S. Cavalry mass grave at Last Stand Hill by the American Indian Movement who protested the lack of an Indian Memorial. Iron Plaque May 1989: Indian Memorial work group formed which selected site of future memorial.

November 1990: 101st Congress hearing and HR848 proposed establishment of a monument commemorating Indian participants of Little Big Horn and to redesignate the name of the monument from Custer Battlefield to Little Big Horn National Monument Battlefield .

December 1991: 102nd Congress renamed Custer Battlefield National Monument as Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument , and approved establishment of an Indian memorial to honor Indian participants in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

November 1999: Groundbreaking at site of Indian Memorial.

14 June 2000: Fund raising campaign initiated for Indian Memorial by NPS.

March 2002: Congress & Interior appropriations bill approved $2.3 million to build Indian Memorial.

Spring 2002~2003: Construction completed.

June 25, 2003: Dedication Indian Memorial.

Red qranite markers placed near cairn sites :

June 25, 1999: Lame Whiteman and Noisy Walking on Custer Battlefield . Long Road's Marker June 26, 2001: Long Road, Lakota Sans Arc, on Reno-Benteen battlefield.

June 25~26, 2003: Unknown Lakota Warrior on Custer Battlefield and Dogs Backbone on Reno-Benteen Battlefield .

"I shall appear again in my land, the , and reveal my visions and dreams, so that my people will live."

- Tasnunke Witko ( ), 1877

15 The National Park Service gratefully acknowledges those who aided and supported the development of the Indian Memorial: Northern Cheyenne Tribe Oglala Sioux Tribe Fort Peck Tribe Sioux & Assiniboine Rosebud Sioux Tribe Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Northern Arapaho Tribe Three Affiliated Tribes Crow Tribe (Arikara, Hidatsa and Mandan) Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes

U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell CO Former U.S. Representative Pat Williams MT U.S. Senator Max Baucus MT Former U.S. Representative Ron Marlenee MT U.S. Senator Conrad Burns MT Former U.S. Secretary of the In terior Manuel Lujan U.S. Representative Dennis Rehberg MT Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt Governor Judy Martz MT Former President George Bush President George W. Bush Former Governor Ted Schwinden MT United States Congress

Austin Two Moons Enos Poor Bear Sr. and Jr. Barbara Sutteer Clifford Long Sioux Logan Curly Caleb Shields The finished sculpture, "Spirit Warriors," is Chauncey Whitright Ill Lionel Bordeaux Gerard Baker Neil Mangum hoisted into position as final preparations of Dr. Edward Linenthal Craig Feldman Lorna Thackery Russell Means the memorial are made. Tom Fenske Tim Lone Woman American Indian Movement National Press Club Indian Memorial Advisory Committee Billings Gazette The Burley Foundation National Parks Association Friends of Little Bighorn Battlefield Travel Montana CTA Architects & Engineers Roybal Inc. Harry Caine & CCM Construction Bernard Pease Masonry Inc.

Indian Memorial Designers - John Collins & Allison Towers "Spirit Warriors" Sculpture Artists - Christopher Collins & Colleen Cutshall

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LITTLE BIGHORN BATTLEFIELD NATIONAL MONUMENT

National Park Service

Interstate 90 & Highway 212 P.O . Box 39 Crow Agency, Montana 59022-0039

www.nps.gov/libi Email: LIB! [email protected] (406) 638-3204