| One of the wittiest and shrewdest of the Sioux chiefs was
American Horse, who succeeded to the name and position of an uncle,
killed in the battle of Slim Buttes in 1876. The younger American
Horse was born a little before the encroachments of the whites upon
the Sioux country became serious and their methods aggressive, and
his early manhood brought him into that most trying and critical
period of our history. He had been tutored by his uncle, since his
own father was killed in battle while he was still very young. The
American Horse band was closely attached to a trading post, and its
members in consequence were inclined to be friendly with the whites,
a policy closely adhered to by their leader. When he was born, his old grandfather said: “Put him out in the sun! Let him ask his great-grandfather, the Sun, for the warm blood of a warrior!” And he had warm blood. He was a genial man, liking notoriety and excitement. He always seized an opportunity to leap into the center of the arena. In early life he was a clownish sort of boy among the boys – an expert mimic and impersonator. This talent made him popular and in his way a leader. He was a natural actor, and early showed marked ability as a speaker. American Horse was about ten years old when he was attacked by three Crow warriors, while driving a herd of ponies to water. Here he displayed native cunning and initiative. It seemed he had scarcely a chance to escape, for the enemy was near. He yelled frantically at the ponies to start them toward home, while he dropped off into a thicket of willows and hid there. A part of the herd was caught in sight of the camp and there was a counter chase, but the Crows got away with the ponies. Of course his mother was frantic, believing her boy had been killed or captured; but after the excitement was over, he appeared in camp unhurt. When questioned about his escape, he remarked: “I knew they would not take the time to hunt for small game when there was so much bigger close by.” When he was quite a big boy, he joined in a buffalo hunt, and on the way back with the rest of the hunters his mule became unmanageable. American Horse had insisted on riding him in addition to a heavy load of meat and skins, and the animal evidently resented this, for he suddenly began to run and kick, scattering fresh meat along the road, to the merriment of the crowd. But the boy turned actor, and made it appear that it was at his wish the mule had given this diverting performance. He clung to the back of his plunging and braying mount like a circus rider, singing a Brave Heart song, and finally brought up amid the laughter and cheers of his companions. Far from admitting defeat, he boasted of his horsemanship and declared that his “brother” the donkey would put any enemy to flight, and that they should be called upon to lead a charge. It was several years later that he went to sleep early one night and slept soundly, having been scouting for two nights previous. It happened that there was a raid by the Crows, and when he awoke in the midst of the yelling and confusion, he sprang up and attempted to join in the fighting. Everybody knew his voice in all the din, so when he fired his gun and announced a coup, as was the custom, others rushed to the spot, to find that he had shot a hobbled pony belonging to their own camp. The laugh was on him, and he never recovered from his chagrin at this mistake. In fact, although he was undoubtedly fearless and tried hard to distinguish himself in warfare, he did not succeed. |
| It is told of him that he once went with a
war party of young men to the Wind River country against the
Shoshones. At last they discovered a large camp, but there
were only a dozen or so of the Sioux, therefore they hid
themselves and watched for their opportunity to attack an
isolated party of hunters. While waiting thus, they ran
short of food. One day a small party of Shoshones was seen
near at hand, and in the midst of the excitement and
preparations for the attack, young American Horse caught
sight of a fat black-tail deer close by. Unable to resist
the temptation, he pulled an arrow from his quiver and sent
it through the deer’s heart, then with several of his
half-starved companions sprang upon the yet quivering body
of the animal to cut out the liver, which was sometimes
eaten raw. One of the men was knocked down, it is said, by
the last kick of the dying buck, but having swallowed a few
mouthfuls the warriors rushed upon and routed their enemies.
It is still told of American Horse how he killed game and
feasted between the ambush and the attack. At another time
he was drying his sacred war bonnet and other gear over a
small fire. These articles were held in great veneration by
the Indians and handled accordingly. Suddenly the fire
blazed up, and our hero so far forgot himself as to begin
energetically beating out the flames with the war bonnet,
breaking off one of the sacred buffalo horns in the act. One
could almost fill a book with his mishaps and exploits. I
will give one of them in his own words as well as I can
remember them. |
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| “My friend was well up another tree and
laughing heartily at my predicament, and when the bear saw
that he could not get at either of us he reluctantly
departed, after I had politely addressed him and promised to
make an offering to his spirit on my safe return. I don’t
think I ever had a narrower escape,” he concluded. During the troublous times from 1865 to 1877, American Horse advocated yielding to the government at any cost, being no doubt convinced of the uselessness of resistance. He was not a recognized leader until 1876, when he took the name and place of his uncle. Up to this time he bore the nickname of Manishnee (Can not walk, or Played out.) When the greater part of the Ogallalas, to which band he belonged, came into the reservation, he at once allied himself with the peace element at the Red Cloud agency, near Fort Robinson, Nebraska, and took no small part in keeping the young braves quiet. Since the older and better-known chiefs, with the exception of Spotted Tail, were believed to be hostile at heart, the military made much use of him. Many of his young men enlisted as scouts by his advice, and even he himself entered the service. In the early part of the year 1876, there was a rumor that certain bands were in danger of breaking away. Their leader was one Sioux Jim, so nicknamed by the soldiers. American Horse went to him as peacemaker, but was told he was a woman and no brave. He returned to his own camp and told his men that Sioux Jim meant mischief, and in order to prevent another calamity to the tribe, he must be chastised. He again approached the warlike Jim with several warriors at his back. The recalcitrant came out, gun in hand, but the wily chief was too quick for him. He shot and wounded the rebel, whereupon one of his men came forward and killed him. This quelled the people for the time being and up to the killing of Crazy Horse. In the crisis precipitated by this event, American Horse was again influential and energetic in the cause of the government. From this time on he became an active participant in the affairs of the Teton Sioux. He was noted for his eloquence, which was nearly always conciliatory, yet he could say very sharp things of the duplicity of the whites. He had much ease of manner and was a master of repartee. I recall his saying that if you have got to wear golden slippers to enter the white man’s heaven no Indian will ever get there, as the whites have got the Black Hills and with them all the gold. It was during the last struggle of his people, at the time of the Messiah craze in 1890-1891 that he demonstrated as never before the real greatness of the man. While many of his friends were carried away by the new thought, he held aloof from it and cautioned his band to do the same. When it developed into an extensive upheaval among the nations he took his positive stand against it. |
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Presently all Indians who did not dance the Ghost Dance were ordered to come into camp at Pine Ridge agency. American Horse was the first to bring in his people. I was there at the time and talked with him daily. When Little was arrested, it had been agreed among the disaffected to have him resist, which meant that he would be roughly handled. This was to be their excuse to attack the Indian police, which would probably lead to a general massacre or outbreak. I know that this desperate move was opposed from the beginning by American Horse, and it was believed that his life was threatened. On the day of the “Big
Issue”, when thousands of Indians were gathered at the
agency, this man Little, who had been in hiding, walked
boldly among them. Of course the police would arrest him
at sight, and he was led toward the guardhouse. He
struggled with them, but was overpowered. A crowd of
warriors rushed to his rescue, and there was confusion
and a general shout of “Hurry up with them! Kill them
all!” I saw American Horse walk out of the agent’s
office and calmly face the excited mob. |