Monday, July 14, 2008

Little Big Horn Battlefield

Now I am going backwards, but I am sure you all can handle it. This is just the way the photos come up in my photo catalog, so work with it. You are all grown ups. Mostly.

On Friday morning, as we left Montana (which I did not get to experience in any of the ways I was supposed to, I think), we passed Little Big Horn Battlefield. My dad is a fool for a battlefield, so it is instinct to pull over. And it was right there, so what the hell. It is on the Crow reservation just north of the Wyoming border.

It was actually pretty cool. First of all, there is also a national cemetery there. I LOVE a national cemetery. Something about the organization does my heart good. I just love them, but I will save my artsy fartsy photo efforts for another post.

This one is about some dead soldiers.

Little Big Horn is where Custer's Last Stand occurred in 1876. Now probably this makes me a bad American, but honest to God---what did they think would happen? You get too big for your britches, ultimately you will get your ass whipped. 210 US Cavalry were killed by Sioux and Cheyanne warriors, who lost very few.


This is the monument, and below is the inscription next to it.


This is the small cemetery near the monument. One of the cool things about this battle field is that they have determined where each soldier or warrior died and put a headstone there to mark it. You can look out over the hills and see them dotted with these white markers. Red granite ones are there for the Indians.


"We did not ask you white men to come here. The Great Spirit gave us this country as a home. You had yours...We did not interfere with you. We do not want your civilization!" Crazy Horse, Lakota


I never really understood why some Native Americans helped Custer and his troops, but this made it clear to me--now I get it.

"Our leading chiefs saw that to help the white men fight their enemies and ours would make them our friends... We had always fought the three tribes, Sioux, Cheyanne and Arapaho...Our decision was reached...we could plainly see that this course was the only one that might save our beautiful country for us." Chief Plenty Coup, Crow

2 comments:

Holly said...

I've often wondered too, what were they thinking? Talk about an overload of confidence....the North American Indian tribes had made a whole society based around warfare.....did these egotistical idiots think they knew .nothing. about strategy?

Jamik said...

Thanks for posting all the pictures of your travels Paige. I really enjoy this stuff!

Photo of the Whenever I feel like changing it

Photo of the Whenever I feel like changing it
Playtime

Followers



SITS Network