Black Buffalo Woman « Thread Started on Aug 22, 2009, 4:42am »
The little I know about Black Buffalo Woman is mainly from what I have read in Kingsley Bray masterpiece: "Crazy Horse - A Lakota Life".
What I can gather is that Black Buffalo Woman was born in the year 1846 as an Oglala Lakota. Her father was a "brother" to Red Cloud. In the year 1862 Black Buffalo Woman married No Water. In the year 1870 she eloped with Crazy Horse and they traveled together for only 2 days before No Water ended the trip by shooting Crazy Horse in the face. Black Buffalo Woman had 3 or 4 children. The father to her last born child (a girl born in 1871) was perhaps Crazy Horse. Her oldest child was a boy born in 1863 which later on received his father name No Water. Black Buffalo Woman was said to be attractive and beautiful.
Since Black Buffalo Woman had such an influence on Crazy Horse life, I would like to know more about her, if possible. Therefore I would like to ask the following questions:
1. What was the name of Black Buffalo Woman parents ? 2. How was the father of Black Buffalo Woman related to Chief Smoke and Red Cloud ? (see the thread "Chief Smoke and his family" and the information from Wendyll Smoke (http://amertribes.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=oglala1&action=display&thread=239)) 3. Into which band/tiyoshpaye was Black Buffalo Woman born and raised in ?
4. Does there exists a description of Black Buffalo Woman looking or personality ? 5. Does there exists pictures of Black Buffalo Woman, No Water or their children ?
6. How many children did Black Buffalo Woman have (3 or 4) ? 7. What were the names of the children of Black Buffalo Woman ? 8. When were the children of Black Buffalo Woman born ? I am specially interrested to know in what month of the year her last child was born (the girl she perhaps owned with CH).
9. In what band/tiyoshpaye did the couple Black Buffalo Woman and No Water belong to most of the time ? 10. Why did Black Buffalo Woman and No Water not get along ? 11. After how many days after No Water shooting of Crazy Horse did Black Buffalo Woman go back to No Water ? 12. Did Black Buffalo Woman have any relationship or affair with other men than No Water and Crazy Horse ? 13. Did No Water start to drink an alcohol after settlement on reservation or perhaps before the elopement of Black Buffalo Woman and Crazy Horse ? 14. Did Black Buffalo Woman and No Water divorce later on ? 15. Did Black Buffalo Woman divorce No Water in a proper way according to the Lakota ways, before the elopement with Crazy Horse ?
I wonder why Black Buffalo Woman went back to No Water if she wanted to divorce. Okay, No Water could not tolerate that Black Buffalo Woman was with Crazy Horse, but he could not have anything to say about her living alone. If everything was in an order for her to divorce her husband and that having been done in a proper way and she wanted not to live with No Water, then she should have been able to live by her own and not having to return to No Water.
Miyelo: Does Broken Leg have anything about Black Buffalo Woman ?
Re: Black Buffalo Woman « Reply #3 on Nov 4, 2009, 3:22pm »
Yes there is a picture of No Water as an older man in a bonnet and I have it but I don't know where to send it anymore since this site switched from the littlebighorn site.
The Clown family who is currently the lone family that has a family tree that has passed the muster in the Rosebud Tribal court which is appointed to determine legally the proper heirs of the Crazy Horse estate have told me that No Water drank. He would go to the forts and trade for liquor and get drunk and then come home and treat Black Buffalo Woman roughly. No Water was also jealous of Crazy Horse's shirt. He felt he should have had one. Black Buffalo Woman also goaded No Water by comparing him unfavorably to Crazy Horse quite often. So obviously they were not a match made in heaven.
Crazy Horse would on occasion warn No Water to not treat Black Buffalo Woman so roughly. These kind of warnings did not go over well with No Water and he would give Crazy Horse warnings of his own. In the heat of their discussions Crazy Horse told No Water that he could take Black Buffalo Woman away from anytime he wanted (he knew that she liked him). No Water disagreed. So I think it would be safe to say that the two developed a kind of machismo rivalry prior to the incident.
The family tells me that Crazy Horse was on his way to Slim Buttes for their normal fall buffalo hunt when he was approached by Black Buffalo Woman. She told him that No Water had gone to get drunk and she wanted protection. He agreed to take her along. The family insists that they never became husband and wife or sexual lovers. (I know, that takes some of the air out of the juicy part of the story).
After Crazy Horse got shot Touch The Cloud and others chased No Water. No Water rode his horse to death and somehow eluded Touch The Cloud and the rest as he made his way back to one of the Loafer Camps on foot.
Tribal elders saw a dangerous rift forming and decided to take Crazy Horse's shirt. They also got Crazy Horse to send word to ask Black Buffalo Woman go back to No Water as long as No Water did not abuse her anymore. No Water sent Crazy Horse horses to pay for what he had done. Red Cloud suggested that they give the shirt to No Water which I don't think any of the elders took seriously and they decided to not reissue it at all so as to keep peace.
Spotted Tail brought his niece Black Shawl to help heal Crazy Horse. Black Shawl was known to be a good 'nurse' up to that time. Crazy Horse was embarrassed by his appearance with the scar on his face and felt deeply humbled by her attention. So he became his woman for the rest of his life.
I don't get the impression that the family thinks that this was one of Crazy Horse's shining moments and the story certainly isn't as romantic and certainly exposes him as more flawed.
Personally I think Black Shawl gets shorted by how she is treated in his life. I think it stems from Sandoz's book. She comes across as a second banana to Black Buffalo Woman. But from my discussions with the family that's clearly not how things were in his real life. Black Shawl was with him the rest of his life. Black Buffalo Woman was with him for a couple of days and it is left for people to guess in what capacity. As far as whether Black Buffalo Woman's next child was Crazy Horse's, the family laughs and says no.
Some of the No Water descendants today are named Star.
Yes there is a picture of No Water as an older man in a bonnet and I have it but I don't know where to send it anymore since this site switched from the littlebighorn site.
Hi Brock,
if you (or anyone else) want to have a photo uploaded here, just send it per e-mail to me or Diane (SchMoehring@aol.com or DDMerkel@cox.net). WeŽll be glad to post it for you.
Some interesting details, btw, hope thatŽll be part in the book.
Re: Black Buffalo Woman « Reply #6 on Nov 25, 2009, 9:45pm »
Brock: Thanks for a detailed reply. Great to see a picture of No Water. It is obvious from what you say, that the intermingle of Crazy Horse, Black Buffalo Woman and No Water had a long history. I look forward to read the book by the Clown's family (not because of the intermingle of Crazy Horse, Black Buffalo Woman and No Water). As expected, the DVDs from the Clown family has been very interesting and hopefully they add even more information in the book.
I agree that Black Shawl deserves a respect. Black Shawl had a very positive income in Crazy Horse's life and brought a happiness into Crazy Horse's life.
Interesting the chasing of No Water by Touch the Cloud and others. Also interesting was No Water riding his horse until the death of the horse, after shooting of Crazy Horse. This is exactly the same as No Water did when he was chasing Crazy Horse + Black Shawl + Shell Boy + Kicking Bear 7 years later in the year 1877. [K.M. Bray; Crazy Horse - A Lakota Life, pages 364 - 365] [R.G. Hardorff; The Death of Crazy Horse, page 43 and 187] This is in a striking contrast to what Crazy Horse did when his horse played out under a life threatening circumstance when many Shoshones were chasing Crazy Horse and other Oglalas. Crazy Horse was in the rearguard of the flight of the Oglala's, when Crazy Horse noticed that his horse was almost exhausted. So Crazy Horse turned the exhausted horse loose (I assume the horse was alive), even though that meant a fight for his life with Shoshones. [K.M. Bray; Crazy Horse - A Lakota Life, page 130] But No Water did not do that. He used the horses he rode, until they were fatally exhausted. This underlines the difference in character of Crazy Horse vs. No Water. Crazy Horse being more considered and not as selfish.
With full respect on my behalf, I want to make comments on 2 points on what Brock says above that the Clown family tells him, that is: 1. "The family tells me that Crazy Horse was on his way to Slim Buttes for their normal fall buffalo hunt when he was approached by Black Buffalo Woman." 2. "The family insists that they never became husband and wife or sexual lovers." My comments are based on a contemporary source regarding this matter.
First, the time of the year of the Crazy Horse and Black Buffalo Woman incident. If it is correctly understood that Brock is talking about when Crazy Horse and Black Buffalo Woman went together and Crazy Horse got nearly killed by No Water. Then a contemporary source says this happened in late spring or early summer, but not during fall (autumn).
He Dog said that Crazy Horse was healing from the wound which No Water made, when Little Hawk (Crazy Horse's brother) was killed. [Hinman Interview with He Dog, Oglala, S.D. July 13, 1930] "When Red Cloud went to Washington, Crazy Horse went south and found his brother's body and buried it." [Hinman Interview with He Dog, Oglala, S.D. July 13, 1930] Red Cloud was on his way to Washington at Fort Fetterman on May 16th 1870. Red Cloud returned to Fort Laramie on June 26th 1870. [R.W. Larson; Red Cloud - Warrior-Statesman of the Lakota Sioux, pages 129-139] So the No Water's shooting of Crazy Horse happened before the return of Red Cloud and therefore before July 1870. So according to this, the trouble regarding Crazy Horse + Black Buffalo Woman happened in the time frame May to June 1870, but not during fall 1870.
Second, the wife vs. not wife and sexual lovers vs. not sexual lovers.
I think it is more to it than a romantic idea that Crazy Horse and Black Buffalo Woman had some intimate relationship (although not lasting long). That is based on what a contemporary of Crazy Horse said, that is He Dog.
He Dog said: "Crazy Horse was married three times. The first time was to No Water's wife, but she only stayed with him a few days." [Hinman Interview with He Dog, Oglala, S.D. July 7, 1930]
He Dog should know what he was talking about, because: 1. He Dog was a contemporary to Crazy Horse 2. He Dog was a friend of Crazy Horse, both as a boy and an adult. 3. He Dog was a blood brother of Little Shield 4. Little Shield was one of the few who were with Crazy Horse and Black Buffalo Woman during their few days together.
So it seems to be obvious that they were a couple for a short period of time. No one really knows whether they were sexual lovers or not. But based on the circumstances and the understanding of their contemporaries that they were a couple, it is just natural to assume that they were sexual lovers. It is more likely than not, that they were sexual lovers. Based on the reaction of No Water, he obviously did not consider Crazy Horse and Black Buffalo Woman to be just friends.
In general in every field, a contemporary source usually has more weight than a later source. Although contemporary sources are not above critical judgment. But to overrule a contemporary source, the later source or someone else has to be able to explain reasonable why/how the contemporary source is wrong and explain why the difference arises between the contemporary source and the later source. Otherwise people prefer to take notice of the contemporary source instead of the later source.
The family insists that they never became husband and wife or sexual lovers.
If Crazy Horse was only protecting Black Buffalo Woman against her husband. If Crazy Horse was only giving Black Buffalo Woman a moral comfort. If Crazy Horse and Black Buffalo Woman were only on a short travel together and had no plans for the future. If Crazy Horse and Black Buffalo Woman were neither husband and wife of any sort nor sexual lovers. Then it was a huge overreaction of the contemporary Oglala society to the travel of Crazy Horse and Black Buffalo Woman together.
The reactions which followed were: 1. No Water along with some supporters hunted down Crazy Horse and Black Buffalo Woman 2. No Water shot Crazy Horse 3. Horn Chips (Crazy Horse's hunka) was casted out from No Water's band 4. Crazy Horse lost his status as a Shirt Wearer (for what ? for letting another person shoot him ? for not revenging himself ?)
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