Post by ephriam on Mar 27, 2014 6:42:59 GMT -5
Meany's Interview with Good Lance:
Wounded Knee
Manderson S.D. 19 July 1907
Joseph Pourier, Interpreter
Good Lance
Wa-hu-ke-za-wash-te
61 years old
Ogalala
13 years old when he first went on war party. It was against the Pawnees. The chief was Good Lance, his brother, whose name he took after his death. Four women and one man of the Pawnees were killed and no Sioux.
He was in ninety battles mostly against the Pawnees. He was against the whites in 1878. He was south at the Custer Battle. He was mostly at the agency at the time of the Wounded Knee fight.
He counted coup five times on the Pawnees; first at the age of 22 years by striking a Pawnee with the lance he still carries. The enemy was armed with arrows but he was excited and so Good Lance rushed up and speared him with his lance; second -- he himself was leading the party at age of 25 years when they sighted Pawnee on horseback and charged them and Good Lance struck the leading Pawnee with his lance, unhorsed him, took his horse and went on; third, he was again leader and they sighted a Pawnee camp. Seeing a Pawnee going for horses they charge an he was first to strike him, this time with another lance; fourth one in the same battle with Iron Crow. They killed one Pawnee and the enemy became panic stricken. They charged on the scattered retreating enemy. One Pawnee boy was behind and Good Lance struck the boy with his stick when the boy's father armed with a Spencer rifle returned to rescue the boy and Good Lance charged on the father who fired at close range but missed and Good Lance struck him with his sword which counted double coup. The others came up and killed the boy and man. There was abut 100 men, women and children of the Pawnees but no Sioux killed in this battle.
He got his medicine from a famous Cheyenne medicine man living across the Platte River. The medicine was pulverize roots tied in buckskin. It was a harm for the warpath. The Cheyenne had a buffalo robe with hos and tail attached. This he put on the warrior an rubbed the medicine on him from which he would be brave. He told the warrior that no bullet or arrow would go through him. To prove it he shot at the warrior with a pistol and made a slight wound on the arm the scar of which shows on the arm. The Cheyenne then stabbed him in the back with a bayonet but the wound was not fatal. Whenever there was to be a battle he rubbed on this medicine and put on the robe made by the medicine man. For this he gave the Cheyenne a horse.
Five times he fasted. The first time he fasted two days and nights. The second day at dawn he saw a crow sitting near him and he noticed the crow had a white breast. At daylight the crow was transformed into a hawk, a thunder storm was coming, and the hawk flew on a knoll and he could see a horse going toward the thunder storm. The hawk seemed to be transformed into a horse and as the lone horse went over a ridge he hard many horses nickering. He watched for the horses but the noises died away and he heard them no more. When the thunder storm came he head a strange noise. When the storm approached he took his pipe covered his head with his buffalo robe and waited while the rain and hail fell. After the storm abated he removed the robe and he saw it was dry all around hi. He then looked around and he saw four men with lances stuck in them. He watched closely and soon saw that they were only ridges of hail.
He concluded that this vision meant that he would kill four men with his lance and this turned out to be true.
The second tie he saw nothing and tried only one day because the camp was being moved and he had to go on.
The third one he started in the evening on a hill with his buffalo robe. The next day he slept under his robe and felt something crawling on him toward his face. He saw it was a rattlesnake. He was [so] badly scared he could not move and he shut his teeth and he thought that this ought not to happen to one who had made his offerings. Then the snake began to leave. He jumped and saw the snake coiled. He returned and went into a sweat house and his body swelled and he was stiff. He almost died.
They always went in the sweat house before going to fast and always on returning.
Good Lance ad Iron Crow on being asked whom they considered the greatest war leader of the Sioux discussed and then replied that there was much difference of opinion but he thought Crazy Horse the bravest. Red Cloud, Sitting Bull [Oglala?] and others went to see the Great Father in Washington and in that way got great. Red Cloud was elected chief. The reply was made by Iron Crow as Good Lance was mostly with southern Sioux at those times. There were always many sub-chiefs all this time but Crazy Horse was looked on as a general leader and chief.
Wounded Knee
Manderson S.D. 19 July 1907
Joseph Pourier, Interpreter
Good Lance
Wa-hu-ke-za-wash-te
61 years old
Ogalala
13 years old when he first went on war party. It was against the Pawnees. The chief was Good Lance, his brother, whose name he took after his death. Four women and one man of the Pawnees were killed and no Sioux.
He was in ninety battles mostly against the Pawnees. He was against the whites in 1878. He was south at the Custer Battle. He was mostly at the agency at the time of the Wounded Knee fight.
He counted coup five times on the Pawnees; first at the age of 22 years by striking a Pawnee with the lance he still carries. The enemy was armed with arrows but he was excited and so Good Lance rushed up and speared him with his lance; second -- he himself was leading the party at age of 25 years when they sighted Pawnee on horseback and charged them and Good Lance struck the leading Pawnee with his lance, unhorsed him, took his horse and went on; third, he was again leader and they sighted a Pawnee camp. Seeing a Pawnee going for horses they charge an he was first to strike him, this time with another lance; fourth one in the same battle with Iron Crow. They killed one Pawnee and the enemy became panic stricken. They charged on the scattered retreating enemy. One Pawnee boy was behind and Good Lance struck the boy with his stick when the boy's father armed with a Spencer rifle returned to rescue the boy and Good Lance charged on the father who fired at close range but missed and Good Lance struck him with his sword which counted double coup. The others came up and killed the boy and man. There was abut 100 men, women and children of the Pawnees but no Sioux killed in this battle.
He got his medicine from a famous Cheyenne medicine man living across the Platte River. The medicine was pulverize roots tied in buckskin. It was a harm for the warpath. The Cheyenne had a buffalo robe with hos and tail attached. This he put on the warrior an rubbed the medicine on him from which he would be brave. He told the warrior that no bullet or arrow would go through him. To prove it he shot at the warrior with a pistol and made a slight wound on the arm the scar of which shows on the arm. The Cheyenne then stabbed him in the back with a bayonet but the wound was not fatal. Whenever there was to be a battle he rubbed on this medicine and put on the robe made by the medicine man. For this he gave the Cheyenne a horse.
Five times he fasted. The first time he fasted two days and nights. The second day at dawn he saw a crow sitting near him and he noticed the crow had a white breast. At daylight the crow was transformed into a hawk, a thunder storm was coming, and the hawk flew on a knoll and he could see a horse going toward the thunder storm. The hawk seemed to be transformed into a horse and as the lone horse went over a ridge he hard many horses nickering. He watched for the horses but the noises died away and he heard them no more. When the thunder storm came he head a strange noise. When the storm approached he took his pipe covered his head with his buffalo robe and waited while the rain and hail fell. After the storm abated he removed the robe and he saw it was dry all around hi. He then looked around and he saw four men with lances stuck in them. He watched closely and soon saw that they were only ridges of hail.
He concluded that this vision meant that he would kill four men with his lance and this turned out to be true.
The second tie he saw nothing and tried only one day because the camp was being moved and he had to go on.
The third one he started in the evening on a hill with his buffalo robe. The next day he slept under his robe and felt something crawling on him toward his face. He saw it was a rattlesnake. He was [so] badly scared he could not move and he shut his teeth and he thought that this ought not to happen to one who had made his offerings. Then the snake began to leave. He jumped and saw the snake coiled. He returned and went into a sweat house and his body swelled and he was stiff. He almost died.
They always went in the sweat house before going to fast and always on returning.
Good Lance ad Iron Crow on being asked whom they considered the greatest war leader of the Sioux discussed and then replied that there was much difference of opinion but he thought Crazy Horse the bravest. Red Cloud, Sitting Bull [Oglala?] and others went to see the Great Father in Washington and in that way got great. Red Cloud was elected chief. The reply was made by Iron Crow as Good Lance was mostly with southern Sioux at those times. There were always many sub-chiefs all this time but Crazy Horse was looked on as a general leader and chief.