One of the most iconic Native American warriors, ‘Crazy Horse’ – Tasunke Witco – is famous for his role in fighting the US federal government as part of the Sioux resistance to the encroachment on the northern Great Plains by white American settlers.
Crazy Horse’s fighting skills and participation in several famous battles earned him great respect from both his enemies and his own people. In September 1877, four months after surrendering to US troops, Crazy Horse was fatally wounded by a military guard while allegedly resisting imprisonment at Camp Robinson in present-day Nebraska.
Here are 10 facts about this fearless warrior.
1. He wasn’t always called Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse was born a member of the Oglala Lakota near present-day Rapid City in the Black Hills of South Dakota, c. 1840. He had a lighter complexion and hair than others, and very curly hair. As boys weren’t traditionally permanently named until they had an experience earning them a name, he was initially called ‘Curly’.
Following his bravery in a battle with Arapaho warriors in 1858, he was given his father’s name ‘Crazy Horse’, who then took on a new name, Waglúla (Worm) for himself.
