Low
Dog (Sunka Kucigala) was a young
Oglala
at the time of his transfer to the Standing Rock Agency in the
summer
of 1881, giving his age as 34 [born ca. 1847]. William Garnett
refers
to him as an "upstart". He surrendered in 1881, he lived on the
Standing Rock Reservation (not Cheyenne River). He was still on
Standing Rock as late as 1920.
This powerful
and respected warrior, born in
1846, became a war chief at age 14. In 1876 he joined Sitting
Bull's
war party on the Little Bighorn. A Minicauju Chief; he fought
against
Reno and Custer; his full brother was killed in the battle. Low
Dog's
account of the battle is one of history's best known.
"At the time we Oglalas had no thought that we would ever fight
the
whites. Then I heard some people talking that the chief of the
white
men wanted the Indians to live where he ordered and do as he
said, and
he would feed and clothe them. I was called into council with
the chief
and wise men, and we had a talk about that. My judgement was ,
why
should I allow any man to support me against my will anywhere,
so long
as I have hands and so long as I am an able man, not a boy.
I said, Why should I be kept as a humble man, when I am a brave
warrior
and on my own lands? The game is mine, and the hills,and the
valleys,
and the white man has no right to say where I shall go, or what
I shall
do. If any white man tries to destroy what is mine,or take what
is
mine, or take my lands, I will take my gun, get on my horse, and
go
punish him."
“Why should I be kept as a humble man, when I am a brave
warrior and on my own lands? The game is mine, and the hills,
and the
valleys, and the white man has no right to say where I shall go,
or
what I shall do. If any white man tries to destroy what is
mine,or take
what is mine, or take my lands, I will take my gun, get on my
horse,
and go punish him.”
I called to my men:
“This is a good day to die. Follow me.”
Low
Dog's Story of the Battle of the Little Bighorn
We were
in
camp near Little Big Horn river. We had lost some horses, and an
Indian
went back on the trail to look for them. We did not know that
the white
warriors were coming after us. Some scouts or men in advance of
the
warriors saw the Indian looking for the horses and ran after him
and
tried to kill him to keep him from bringing us word, but he ran
faster
than they and came into camp and told us that the white warriors
were
coming. I was asleep in my lodge at the time. The sun was about
noon
(pointing with his finger). I heard the alarm, but I did not
believe
it. I thought it was a false alarm. I did not think it possible
that
any white men would attack us, so strong as we were. We had in
camp the
Cheyennes, Arapahoes, and seven different tribes of the Teton
Sioux a
countless number. Although I did not believe it was a true
alarm, I
lost no time getting ready. When Igot my gun and came out of my
lodge
the attack had begun at the end of the camp where Sitting Bull
and the
Uncpapas were. The Indians held their ground to give the women
and
children time to get out of the way. By this time the herders
were
driving in the horses and as I was nearly at the further end of
the
camp, I ordered my men to catch their horses and get out of the
way,
and my men were hurrying to go and help those that were
fighting.
When the fighters saw that the women and children were
safe they
fell back. By this time my people went to help them, and the
less able
warriors and the women caught horses and got them ready, and we
drove
the first attacking party back, and that party retreated to a
high
hill. Then I told my people not to venture too far in pursuit
for fear
of falling into an ambush. By this time all the warriors in our
camp
were mounted and ready for fight, and then we were attacked on
the
other side by another party. They came on us like a thunderbolt.
I
never before nor since saw men so brave and fearless as those
white
warriors. We retreated until our men got all together, and then
we
charged upon them. I called to my men, "This is a good day to
die:
follow me." We massed our men, and that no man should fall back,
every
man whipped another man's horse and we rushed right upon them.
As we
rushed upon them the white warriors dismounted to fire, but they
did
very poor shooting. They held their horses reins on one arm
while they
were shooting, but their horses were so frightened that they
pulled the
men all around, and a great many of their shots went up in the
air and
did us no harm. The white warriors stood their ground bravely,
and none
of them made any attempt to get away. After all but two of them
were
killed, I captured two of their horses. Then the wise men and
chiefs of
our nation gave out to our people not to mutilate the dead white
chief,
for he was a brave warrior and died a brave man, and his remains
should
be respected.
Then I turned around and went to help fight the other white
warriors,
who had retreated to a high hill on the east side of the river.
. . . I
don't know whether any white men of Custer's force were taken
prisoners. When I got back to our camp they were all dead.
Everything
was in confusion all the time of the fight. I did not see Gen.
Custer.
I do not know who killed him. We did not know till the fight was
over
that he was the white chief. We had no idea that the white
warriors
were coming until the runner came in and told us. I do not say
that
Reno was a coward. He fought well, but our men were fighting to
save
their women and children, and drive them back. If Reno and his
warriors
had fought as Custer and his warriors fought, the battle might
have
been against us. No white man or Indian ever fought as bravely
as
Custer and his men. The next day we fought Reno and his forces
again,
and killed many of them. Then the chief said these men had been
punished enough, and that we ought to be merciful, and let them
go.
Then we heard that another force was coming up the river to
fight us .
. . and we started to fight them, but the chief and wise men
counseled
that we had fought enough and that we should not fight unless
attacked,
and we went back and took our women and children and went away.
This ended Low
Dog's narration,
given in the hearing of half a dozen officers, some of the
Seventeenth
Infantry and some of the Seventh Cavalry—Custer's regiment. It
was in
the evening; the sun had set and the twilight was deepening.
Officers
were there who were at the Big Horn with Benteen, senior captain
of the
Seventh, who usually exercised command as a field officer, and
who,
with his battalion, joined Reno on the first day of the fight,
after
his retreat, and was in the second day's fight. It was a strange
and
intensely interesting scene. When Low Dog began his narrative
only
Capt. Howe, the interpreter, and myself were present, but as he
progressed the officers gathered round, listening to every word,
and
all were impressed that the Indian chief was giving a true
account,
according to his knowledge. Someone asked how many Indians were
killed
in the fight, Low Dog answered, "Thirty—eight, who died then,
and a
great many—I can't tell the number>—who were wounded and died
afterwards. I never saw a fight in which so many in proportion
to the
killed were wounded, and so many horses were wounded. "Another
asked
who were the dead Indians that were found in two tepees five in
one and
six in the other—all richly dressed, and with their ponies,
slain about
the tepees. He said eight were chief killed in the battle. One
was his
own brother, born of the same mother and the same father, and he
did
not know who the other two were.
The question was asked, "What part did Sitting Bull take in the
fight?"
Low Dog is not friendly to Sitting Bull. He answered with a
sneer: "If
someone would lend him a heart he would fight." Then Low Dog
said he
would like to go home, and with the interpreter he went back to
the
Indian camp. He is a tall, straight Indian, thirty-four years
old, not
a bad face, regular features and small hands and feet. He said
that
when he had his weapons and was on the war-path he considered no
man
his superior; but when he surrendered he laid that feeling all
aside,
and now if any man should try to chastise him in his humble
condition
and helplessness all he could do would be to tell him that he
was no
man and a coward; which, while he was on the war-151;path he
would
allow no man to say and live.
He said that when he was fourteen years old, he had his first
experience on the war-path: "I went against the will of my
parents and
those having authority over me. It was on a stream above the
mouth of
the Yellowstone. We went to war against a band of Assiniboins
that were
hunting buffalo, and I killed one of their men. After we killed
all of
that band another band came out against us, and I killed one of
them.
When we came back to our tribe I was made a chief, as no Sioux
had ever
been known to kill two enemies in one fight at my age, and I was
invited into the councils of the chief and wise men. At that
time we
had no thought that we would ever fight the whites. Then I heard
some
people talking that the chief of the white men wanted the
Indians to
live where he ordered and do as he said, and he would feed and
clothe
them. I was called into council with the chief and wise men, and
we had
a talk about that. My judgment was why should I allow any man to
support me against my will anywhere, so long as I have hands and
as
long as I am an able man, not a boy.
Little I thought then that I would have to fight the white man,
or do
as he should tell me. When it began to be plain that we would
have to
yield or fight, we had a great many councils. I said, why should
I be
kept as an humble man, when I am a brave warrior and on my own
lands?
The game is mine, and the hills, and the valleys, and the white
man has
no right to say where I shall go or what I shall do. If any
white man
tries to destroy my property, or take my lands, I will take my
gun, get
on my horse, and go punish him. I never thought that I would
have to
change that view. But at last I saw that if I wished to do good
to my
nation, I would have to do it by wise thinking and not so much
fighting. Now, I want to learn the white man's way, for I see
that he
is stronger than we are, and that his government is better than
ours."
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Indigenous Peoples' Literature
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