Crazy HorseThe European colony in North America encountered its fiercest adversary, the Lakota, also known as the Western Sioux, who inhabited most of the Great Plains. The Oglala tribe, a branch of the Sioux nation, played a key role in the resistance against the white man. At the heart of their resistance stood Crazy Horse, a warrior without peer. Crazy Horse fought for the traditions of his people, until those same people grew tired of the war and, in some cases, turned against him. Chief Crazy Horse led an extraordinary life and will always be remembered. Crazy Horse was born in the fall of 1841 into the Hunkpatila Band of the Oglala Tribe of the Sioux Nation. At the time of his birth, his band was camped near a stream called Rapid Creek in the Black Hills. Sioux babies were often given names based on their physical appearance. Later in life, they were given an official name after an act of bravery or a spiritual experience. Crazy Horse was affectionately nicknamed Curly Hair. Curly hair was different from other Sioux children. He had a narrow face, fair skin, and soft curly light brown hair. It was said that he got his fair skin from his mother, a Brûlée who died when he was still young. The Brules were a tribe within the Sioux Nation. Crazy Horse, the boy's father, was the holy man of the Hunkpatila group, or subgroup, of the Oglala tribe. He was respected for his good advice and wisdom. It was common for a Sioux man to have two wives. When Curly Hair's mother died, Crazy Horse's second wife became his mother. “When Curly was eleven years old, he killed his first buffalo [by shooting] it with four arrows as he rode alongside him in rapid pursuit” (Hook 13). . When Curly was twelve years old, he and some other young Indians from his tribe went horse hunting...... middle of paper ...... images of Mount Rushmore could fit in Crazy Horse's head. The memorial depicts Crazy Horse on his horse, his arm outstretched in the direction he is looking. This is a reference to when he was asked where his land was. His response, as he pointed out, was “my lands are where my dead are buried” (DeWall 4). The piece is built without any government funding, all money comes from donations. New generations of Sioux Indians volunteer to contribute to the creation of this monument. Works Cited Ambrose, Stephen E. Crazy Horse and Custer. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1975. Cunningham, Chet. Chief Crazy Horse. Minneapolis: Lerner, 2000. DeWall, Robb. Carve out a dream. New York: Crazy Horse Foundation, 2002. Hook, Jason. Native American warrior leaders. New York: Firebird, 1989. McMurtry, Larry. Crazy Horse, a penguin's life. New York: Penguin, 1999.