Pictograph of the Battle of the Little Bighorn by Red Horse (Miniconjou Lakota)

On the 150^th anniversary of the Battle of Greasy Grass, we honor the legacy of hope, perseverance, and dedication set by the warriors of several Native nations. Today, their memory guides tribal colleges and Native students fighting different kinds of battles to gain a better future for all.

The Other Side of History: Hope from the Victory at Little Bighorn

By The American Indian College Fund

“The victory at the Little Bighorn reflects the enduring strength, courage, and leadership of our ancestors. Their commitment to protecting their people and preserving their way of life serves as a guiding example for us today,” states Jule Buckman, interim president of Sisseton Wahpeton College. “Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) continue that work by providing culturally grounded education that strengthens our communities and prepares future leaders.” Buckman’s, words elevate and reframe what many might consider a tragic event in United States history, if they know of it at all.

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer’s Last Stand, saw the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho peoples unite to defeat Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and the 7th Cavalry on June 25, 1876. While many Americans mourn Custer and his men, far fewer have acknowledged the atrocities the man with a checkered military career and his men carried out against Native nations.

In 1867, the government convicted Custer of desertion and mistreatment of soldiers, who he abused for their own desertion attempts, and suspended his rank and pay for a year. His brutal assaults against Native peoples redeemed him in his superiors’ eyes, gaining the U.S. its first substantial victory in the Indian wars. Charging into poorly scouted camps and targeting Native women, children, and the elderly was said to be a key strategy for Custer. His success with the Battle of the Washita was in fact a massacre of a peaceful village located on reservation land that was flying a white flag. This battle alone saw Custer’s cavalry claim the lives of 103 innocent Cheyenne, mostly women and children.

Knowing these facts, perhaps it becomes easier to understand why many Native people, especially those nations who participated in the battle, consider June 25 Victory Day. They do not celebrate the demise of more than 200 men, but rather Native nations’ successful resistance against eradication from an outside aggressor.

Even as tribes were being forcefully relocated, starved, and otherwise pushed towards extermination, on that day, warriors protected their peoples and their land, giving all Native nations hope and the strength to persist.

Perhaps too, that day represents resistance to the limited views and narratives of their oppressors, which paint Native peoples as the villains and erase the heroic acts of Indigenous women. For example, contemporary accounts state a woman warrior of the Cheyenne, Buffalo Calf Road Woman, struck the fatal blow to Custer.

Today the fight for Native values and rights has moved from the battlefield to Congress, courtrooms, and the ballot box, where Native people must still continuously battle to be seen and heard.

Dr. Brad Hall, president of Blackfeet Community College, explains, “TCUs stand as modern expressions of those enduring victories, reflecting the adaptability, perseverance, and wisdom that have enabled tribal nations to thrive across centuries of change. Once described as walking in two worlds, today, we braid our histories, values, and futures together. TCUs empower students to achieve personal and professional success while strengthening the health, prosperity, and sovereignty of our communities. Every student who enrolls, every graduate who crosses the stage, and every community professional who serves their people represents another victory, not only for themselves, but for all of Indian Country.”

Those Native graduates represent victories over the horrors of the residential school system, forced adoptions outside of one’s tribe, the Termination era, and so many other government aggressions. Their dedication to their peoples keeps the hope and battle for better opportunities alive that started at Little Bighorn. And the defeat of an enemy bent on their eradication continues to inspire them on each Victory Day and every day in between.

“My ancestors fought in that battle. My ancestors fought the 7th Cavalry and won. I am here now, fighting for justice for our people because of that victory. I am a proud Hunkpapa winyan. I am descended from warriors that refused to capitulate,” states Memory Dawn Long Chase, an American Indian College Fund student ambassador. “I carry that strength now, in modern times, and I inherited their fight. While our battles are no longer fought on prairie, the battle continues to be fought in courtrooms, in the legislature and for the land, our mother. This victory lets us know we won before; we can do it again. When nations come together, as they did at the Battle of Little Bighorn, imagine what 575 tribal nations coming together to battle a common enemy can accomplish.”

We will keep dreaming of what such a victory would look like alongside our faculty, staff, and students.

Battle of the Little Bighorn as Part of Identity

By Patricia Whiteman

“These men with light eyes and hairy faces are here now. . . . We can kill them off, but more will come. They are like ants. Trample them and more will come out. My advice is that we, the Absarokee, treat these ‘light eyes’ kindly and give them protection from other Tribes. Some day they will reciprocate and be our friends. Give your daughters to them as wives. In time, their children will have their blood and ours; and they will be strong and wise and grow up to be our future leaders.”

This quote was told by one of my grandfathers, Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow. It is printed in the book, Little Bighorn Remembered: The Untold Story of Custer’s Last Stand, in which he is a contributor. The original source is unknown, but as my grandfather just mentioned, a Crow chief was known to say it; perhaps he mentioned it in conversation, but as a young child I may not have been paying attention.

As Little Big Horn College is located on the Crow reservation, where the battle occurred, the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Greasy Grass will be a greater remembrance than it has been. This anniversary is commemorated every year, no matter how much time has passed since that fateful day for Custer and his 7^th Calvary. This year in honor of the 150th anniversary, Little Big Horn College hosted a symposium dedicated to telling the battle from different perspectives, especially welcoming the Hidatsa and Arikara scout descendants, as well as the Crow scout descendants. And although Little Big Horn College does not have a specific event we host annually, we support other events in the community such as rodeos, powwows, and parades. There is also the famous Ultimate Warrior Competition that brings out the best Native athletes to prove their skills in competition with each other. The Real Bird family also reenacts the battle on the battle site that is part of their family land. We welcome the Cheyenne and Sioux warriors every year on the day of victory, as they ride on horseback from their lands to the site of the battle.

Although this historic site is Crow land, the Crow themselves were not in the battle to fight but to work alongside the “light eyes” and keep the claim to their land where the government had placed them. This quote is reality for me. I myself am part non-Indian but still able to be enrolled with the Crow tribe. I am a direct descendant of the Crow scout Whiteman Runs Him and have grown up in a great family that is known to be respectful and hard workers and to be leaders among our own people. Hard work is expected of us all and we pass the traditions and knowledge from generation to generation.

As a leader within Little Big Horn College, my vision is to unite everyone and be kind to all for the betterment of the future of our people. I am still a Crow Indian with much respect to those tribes that fought the battle to keep their livelihood and traditions alive, but approach the “light eyes” with the intention of creating partnerships for the betterment of our college and our people. This battle will forever be a part of my identity.

Patricia Whiteman is the interim president at Little Big Horn College.