News on Crazy Horse Trial and Spotted Tail

[brock]

Last week members of the Rosebud Preservation Office journeyed up to Cheyenne River to pay a visit to Doug War Eagle, a member of the Clown family. They had been doing an independent study on Crazy Horse descendants, using the public documents submitted in the Crazy Horse Malt Liquor case. What it has turned into, is a fight to determine the true heirs. Members of the Rosebud, Pine Ridge, and Cheyenne River Rezs are involved. It's been going on for years. It is now in appellant court. The judge at Rosebud (Judge Whiting) ruled in favor of the Clown family as being the only legitimate tree with the verifiable probates and ration records, etc. Judge Whiting retired and now the presiding judge is Judge Jose Marshall at Rosebud Tribal Court. The Appellant Judges consist of two from Pine Ridge and one from off the rez (non-native). The current challenge is from one of the Pine Ridge judges asking for more study on whether the Lakota are a paternal society or a maternal society. In the first ruling it was ruled that they were a paternal. According to the court, nobody but the Clowns had proof of being related to Waglula's side. So those related to Crazy Horse's mother, Rattling Blanket Woman, become in-laws and not bona fide relatives. But if it changes to the mother's side then Waglula's relatives become in-laws. The Clown family is related on both sides (mother's side through Talks About Him who was Lone Horn's youngest son)...so they have no danger of losing their status...this is for others to gain status now.

However getting back to the visit. The Rosebud Preservation folks came to the conclusion that the Clowns were the true family and wanted to know who on the Rosebud rez was a bona fide relative. In the course of the conversation they happened to say they had done an extensive search among all their records (probates, etc) and family members on Spotted Tail and found out he was mixed (half white). He apparently was hunka'd (adopted) by a headman named Spotted Tail who had two daughters. He hunka'd Spotted Tail to have a son and gave him his name. By the way one of the daughters was the mother of Crazy Horse's wife, Black Shawl. I think when I go back there I'm going to look these folks up. Doug said they had the paperwork. They said the prime reason Crow Dog killed Spotted Tail was not over a woman nor to break the power of the chiefs...it was because he wasn't a pure bred...yet he was making all the decisions for the tribe.

[jinlian]

Jul 10, 2008 3:53:43 GMT -5 brock said:

they had done an extensive search among all their records (probates, etc) and family members on Spotted Tail and found out he was mixed (half white). He apparently was hunka'd (adopted) by a headman named Spotted Tail who had two daughters. He hunka'd Spotted Tail to have a son and gave him his name. By the way one of the daughters was the mother of Crazy Horse's wife, Black Shawl. I think when I go back there I'm going to look these folks up. Doug said they had the paperwork. They said the prime reason Crow Dog killed Spotted Tail was not over a woman nor to break the power of the chiefs...it was because he wasn't a pure bred...yet he was making all the decisions for the tribe.

...Sorry Brock, but this sound....pretty weird, to say the least, and I suspect this "discovery" is as made up as it may be (don't want to speculate on the reasons behind it, even if I've some ideas). By the way, what does the Spotted Tail family say about this?

[clw]

Brock

In the course of the conversation they happened to say they had done an extensive search among all their records (probates, etc) and family members on Spotted Tail and found out he was mixed (half white).

Jillian

By the way, what does the Spotted Tail family say about this?

Well Jillian, it may sound weird, but I also sounds like there may be some documentation. You'll note Brock says the Spotted Tail family members have been consulted.

Be interesting to see what develops.

[jinlian]

What I found strange is that such an information about an important character in Lakota history has been "hidden" that long without anybody, Lakota and non-Lakota scholars (not to mention relatives - btw, I understood that a search on Spotted Tail was made among the Clown family members), mentioning it anywhere and the statement about Spotted Tail's assassination being caused by his being not of "pure breed" (I 'm not crazy about this expression but, not being an English native speaker, am not able to find a better one). As far as I know, mixed marriages and children of those marriages were never a problem among the Lakota tribes. Do I miss something?

[clw]

Yes, it's odd, I'll grant you that for sure! I think you're right about those things not being much of a problem too. But considering the emotions and the general turmoil of the times, I can also see the issue raising it's ugly head. As to nothing having been said -- until relatively recently, we've had very few scholars (you can count them without running out of fingers) who cared. Personally, I think there's a lot of NDN history waiting to be discovered by the outside world.

I think the term your looking for is 'full blood'.

[jinlian]

Jul 10, 2008 10:27:45 GMT -5 clw said:

I think the term your looking for is 'full blood'.

Thanks Clw, that sounds better - the other term made me think of Hogwarts, Harry Potter and the half-muggle wizards...

[grahamew]

This should be interesting. When Decost Smith first met Crow Dog (1884?), he was wearing black hat, shirt and trousers that he tucked into his cowboy boots; he had a thin beard and curly hair, "an unusual thing in an Indian." By the time of the ghost dance, he was beardless and wearing ablanket, leggings and moccasins. I've heard several 'reasons' for the killing of Spotted Tail, but not this one. Looking forward to reading more...

[brock]

Yes, it does sound pretty strange. But this came from a member of the Spotted Tail family. I may have come out with this a little preliminary but because of its source and the fact they do contract work for the Rosebud preservation office told me this story probably could last through some pretty heavy questioning. However, this is just what came out. I'm anxious to follow it up. So far my inclinations have served me fairly well. I got flack for supporting Ernie LaPointe's story early on and now his band wagon is pretty full. I still get flack on the Clown family but it has subsided greatly and with their continued success in tribal court on their ancestry, I suspect it will continue to subside. On this new info from a member of the Spotted Tail family, it has all the earmarkings of the previous mentioned.

Why no info on this? From a political viewpoint why on earth would the government or military want anybody to know? The Native sympathizers back east would be up in arms. And why would Spotted Tail say anything? He had it good. He had the government behind him which meant he had power. And many mixed don't look white at all. And I'm not so sure our culture's field work was that great back then.

Here's a true story on how info gets messed up from the Clown family:

When their grandfather Amos Clown was asked who he was when he came into the rez by the government, he told him he was a thunder dreamer (a heyoka) but the name he wanted to go by was his grandfather's, Red Thunder. The name for thunder is wakiyan in Lakota. The translator decided that he was emphasizing that he was a heyoka...so he received the name Amos Heyoka. A heyoka heals people through laughter, in English the closest we get is 'Clown'...hence Amos Clown. So why would one think this is only exclusive to the lesser knowns?

I know initially I had a hard time accepting these oral histories as I had a lot of time invested in books and study on the conventional stories that we all grew up with. But many of these were born of putting together a jigsaw puzzle of quotes from places like the Ricker tablets, etc. Just because a piece of the puzzle is blue doesn't always mean it was meant for the sky. In hearing these oral histories you get a full lineal picture of the story. Many have lived with these stories since they were children...they are an enormous part of their identity...and maybe they just might want their complete identity known...no more half truths.

I don't know 100% if the Spotted Tail story is correct yet or not...but my gut tells me yes. To their family this would be a skeleton. But just maybe they just want to know who they are for themselves and not go by who people tell them they are and are willing to spend precious gas money to do it. And for this I applaud them and if they feel comfortable, I would work with them.

By the way I should have said full bred rather than pure bred. ;-)

[clw]

Wow. Now that's a tale. Shall I send you a flak jacket?

[brock]

CLW,

I already have one. (LOL) But it's a lovely thought!

[brock]

But then again I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I've had healthy acceptance and encouragement too. Some of it coming from folks on these message boards.

[Gary]

Are any of the judgements or transcripts of the evidence etc from this trial available on line?

Gary

[brock]

Gary,
Nothing on-line to my knowledge. My recommendation would be to call the judge or the Rosebud Tribal court and then probably negotiate to have copies sent.

Once this case is decided in totality it will be kicked back to Federal Court. This is being done at the Fed's behest to help decide who the real Crazy Horse family members are for the Crazy Horse Malt Liquor case so the Federal Court can proceed. Many claims have been made...and as stated above...this where we are currently at.

[miyelo]

Brock this is very interesting.I think I am with u on this.spotted tail was not liked by the full bloods. I am on rosebud today at sinte gleska(!)and will ask around.Leonard crow dog is down here in valentine right now if I see him I will ask him what he thinks

[grahamew]

Yeah, I wonder what the Crow Dog ortal tradition is about this.