On the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Little Bighorn, Native American youth gathered at the site of the battle to mark the historic victory and celebrate the resilience of their cultures.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
One hundred and fifty years ago this week, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer launched an attack on an encampment of Native tribes in what is now Montana. Often called Custer’s Last Stand, the Battle of Little Bighorn was a decisive victory for Plains tribes. It was also a significant moment in the nation’s history as the U.S. government moved to force Indigenous peoples onto reservations. NPR’s Kadin Mills takes us to the site of that historic battle.
KADIN MILLS, BYLINE: Much like their ancestors did 150 years ago, members and descendants of over a dozen tribes charged on horseback onto the historic battlefield.
(SOUNDBITE OF HORSES WHINNYING)
MILLS: They race across the dry landscape, kicking up clouds of dust before circling at the top of a hill at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED RIDERS: (Ululating).
MILLS: It looks like a scene from 1876, except in addition to headdresses and war paint, many of the riders are also wearing tank tops and T-shirts. And they pose for pictures in front of the crowds that have gathered here.
UNIDENTIFIED RIDER: (Whooping).
MILLS: The riders are also carrying the flags of their numerous tribal nations in a show of unity – the same unity that led to Custer’s demise in what many Native people call the Battle of Greasy Grass.
CHAMPION MARQUEZ: And we were ready to charge until Custer then came and tried to sneak attack us.
MILLS: That’s 18-year-old Champion Marquez.
MARQUEZ: We, like, fought back and basically beat them. Kind of like the “Avatar” movie.
MILLS: He’s Cheyenne, and he’s been volunteering here this week, working security, helping elders and setting up tepees. Plus learning a lot more about this battle than he has in school.
MARQUEZ: I learned that we just fought them. I didn’t know that we actually, like, gathered up as a tribe, like, of 2,000 people and then we fought.
MILLS: When Custer and his troops were tasked with dealing with, quote, “hostile Indians,” they thought disbanding the camp would be easy.
CHRISTOPHER EAGLE BEAR: It was the biggest victory that our people had against the United States government.
MILLS: That’s Christopher Eagle Bear. He’s Sicangu Lakota of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. He said the allied tribes hoped this would be the final blow to the U.S. military and that the government would leave them alone.
EAGLE BEAR: They realized that they couldn’t destroy us head-on. So after that, they did the next best thing that you could do to tear apart a nation. And that was take away their children.
MILLS: Just three years later, the first federal Indian boarding school opened in Pennsylvania. Hundreds more followed, beginning a century of abuse that attempted to erase Native ways of life.
EAGLE BEAR: A couple of my grandfathers, my grandmothers, my uncles and aunties – they were all products of boarding schools. And over the course of that, we lost one thing. And that was our identity. That was our spirit.
MILLS: Eagle Bear is here today with his grandfather, reclaiming that identity. Together, they’re the main event organizers for their tribe’s camp, where they’re surrounded by the sounds of drumming and kids playing traditional games like lacrosse.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: Four. Five.
ASHLEN BONSHIRT: We’ve been planning this for roughly eight months now. So it’s very heartwarming to see everyone that actually showed up and that’s here.
MILLS: That’s Ashlen Boneshirt. She and her friend Mylah Gabriel are both 18 and members of the Sicangu Youth Council.
MYLAH GABRIEL: You know, this is us telling people we’re still here, you know, and we’re proud. And we’re not just, you know, hiding.
MILLS: They’re here with Dominique Harris (ph). She’s the youth council’s project coordinator.
DOMINIQUE HARRIS: The fact that they’re so young and they’re here now – it just gives them the perfect opportunity and space to learn about the history of this battle, why it’s important to our people and the effect that it has on us to this day.
MILLS: As we walk through the encampment, we weave between tall canvas tepees that stretch to greet Montana’s big sky. That’s when we meet Gaby Strong. She’s Sisseton-Wahpeton and Mdewakanton.
GABY STRONG: This camp is full of youth and young people. I think one of the important messages here is this is a commemoration of a victory from 150 years ago, but our victories are still possible today.
MILLS: As important as it is for the young people to be here, Christopher Eagle Bear says he’s grateful that his grandfather can be here, too, surrounded by a new generation learning and celebrating their cultures.
EAGLE BEAR: I wanted my grandpa to see this before he made his journey so that whenever he goes to the spirit world, he’ll be able to tell all those leaders, like Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, that we’re still here. And you guys did a great job.
MILLS: Eagle Bear says he feels a duty to set that same example for future generations.
Kadin Mills, NPR News, Crow Agency, Montana.
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