Fast Thunder (Oyuhpe)

[ephriam]

Interview with Fast Thunder:

Wounded Knee
Manderson, S.D. 19 July 1907
Joseph Pourier, Interpreter

Fast Thunder
Wa-kinn-Lu-za-ha
Ogalala
68 years old

19 years old when he went on the war party [for the] first [time]. Black Shield was the leader of the party. It was against the Crows, but they could not get to the village because the rivers were swollen but they met a party of three Nez Perces. They charged, killed two and only one got away.

He is not positive but he thinks he took part in twenty battles, mostly against white people.

He counted coup four time: First to Third -- A crowd of them were going to charge on a Shoshone camp. He and one other staid on a hill while the charge was made. A white man came towards them and told them there was but one camp and that they were Shoshones. They started down and went to the camp and got to the horses first which they got out of the way when they attacked the camp. There was only a squaw with a boy and a girl there. He counted coup on the three, being the first to touch them. Fourth -- The Shoshones came to an Ogalala village to steal horses. An alarm was given and the Ogalalas were on the alert and rushed on the Shoshones, shot one down, but the other escaped. Fast Thunder counted coup on the enemy after he was dead and he scalped him.

He fasted three times.

The first time he went in a sweat house and then climbed a hill near the Crow Agency early in the morning. A friend accompanied him to carry his offerings of tobacco, red flannel, and young buffalo robe, also some sage to lie on. He offered his gifts to the Great Spirit. He stood up erect all day and until midnight when he lay down. When he lay down he heard a noise like a voice. It was night but he could see the Big Horn Mountains and he saw a village and seven fellows started from the village. Five went off but two came towards him. When the two approached he saw others waiting for them. He saw them rise and shot down the two men.

He lay there all that night and the next day he went back to the camp and passed through the sweat house ceremony. Then he told the people what he had seen and warned them of danger.

This vision was fulfilled when the Shoshones came and he counted coup on the one killed.

He says he was not in the Custer Battle but he was in the Phil Kearney fight where "100" soldiers were killed. He was not in the Wounded Knee battle.

He considers Crazy Horse the greatest leader of his people but now Red Cloud is the greatest chief.


Fast Thunder. Oglala. By Edward Curtis.

[carlo]

"Black Shield was the leader of the party." This particular detail was not included in the Curtis biographical sketch of Fast Thunder.

This happened in 1858, and is significant if this was the Black Shield that was part of Lone Horn's Miniconjou contingent that were clinging to the (dying) peace pact with the Crows at this time. We know that this Black Shield started a large revenge expedition against the Crows in June 1859 for the killing of his sons (Big Crow and his brother) earlier that spring. But that he already assembled a war party against the Crows more than a year earlier would be fascinating new information re. the Miniconjou-Crow relations in 1858.

Note that there was also an Oglala man named Black Shield, who was later re-named Calico, a known headman of the Spleen band. Yet in Curtis' biography of Calico, it seems that he never fought the Crows in his warrior career. Maybe there is more in Meany's interview with Calico? Till then, I would suggest that the Black Shield that Fast Thunder mentioned is indeed the Miniconjou headman, father of Big Crow.

Carlo

[ephriam]

Biographical Summary:

Fast Thunder Wakinyan Luzahan (c1840-1914).

Fast Thunder was born about 1840 or 1841, probably in a camp along the Cheyenne River according to interpreter William Garnett. He appears to have been born into one of the bands of the Oyuhpe Oglala. Fast Thunder went on his first war party at age 19 against the Crow, with Black Shield serving as the war party leader. He married his first wife, Cane (later known as Wounded Horse) about March 1866.

Fast Thunder participated in a number of battles with the Oglala against U.S. troops in the Powder River region, including the Fetterman Fight in Dec. 1866 and in the Wagon Box fight in Aug. 1867. George Sword noted that he was considered the bravest in this fight "as he went nearer the wagons than any other man." He married a second wife, Louisa Eagle Feather about 1872, however, they separated about two months later.

Fast Thunder's name first appears in the Red Cloud Agency records in 1874 when he is recorded in the census/issue list. He is the first name under a band labeled "Stabber No. 1". During this period, Stabber was a member of the Wajaje, suggesting that Fast Thunder had moved from the Oyuhpe to the Wajaje by this time. Not having apparently come from a well connected ("honored") family, Fast Thunder had earned his reputation through his akicita connections. Kingsley has suggested that he was among the warrior society Wichiska (White Packstrap) that supported Indian Agent J. J. Saville during the 1874-75 period; this seems likely though I have not found any documents that specifically mentions his name. He was selected to travel to Washington, D.C. in 1875 to discuss the Black Hills issue.

During the Sioux War of 1876-77, Fast Thunder remained at the Red Cloud Agency. He is listed in Col. Merrit's March 1876 list of families at the agency. A recently published book states that he was present at the Little Bighorn, however, this was a misunderstanding of the secondary sources. Fast Thunder himself stated that "he was not in the Custer Battle."

In October 1876, Fast Thunder and his band of 40 people transferred to the Spotted Tail Agency together with the other Wajaje bands, including Old Stabber. Several weeks later, he enlisted in the Indian Scouts and accompanied the Army on the expedition that struck Dull Knife's village on the Powder River in Nov. 1876. Two of Fast Thunder's speeches have survived from the expedition. He reenlisted in March 1877 and again in July and October of that year.

Fast Thunder's "father," Lance Owner, surrendered at the Red Cloud Agency in March 1877 as part of No Water's band; they then joined the family at Spotted Tail Agency.

According to a grandson, Fast Thunder was part of "the third group" of peace delegates (probably referring to the Spotted Tail delegation) that traveled out to visit the northern bands in the spring of 1877 in an effort to persuade them to surrender. In September 1877, Fast Thunder was among those who accompanied Crazy Horse back to Camp Robinson where he was fatally bayoneted that evening.

Fast Thunder reenlisted in the Indian Scouts at Camp Sheridan/Spotted Tail Agency in October 1877 just as they agencies were being moved, however, he does not appear in the Dec. 1877 Spotted Tail Agency census, suggesting that he had returned to the Oglala/Red Cloud Agency during this period of the move. He appears in several Pine Ridge Agency census and issue records for the 1878, 1879 and 1880 period, all listed in Daylight's band of Wajaje.

By the time we glimpse Fast Thunder again in the 1886 census, he appears to be living among the Oyuhpe, judging from the names of other families around him in the document. This suggests that some time between 1880 and 1886, Fast Thunder had returned to his original or home tiyospaye. He is listed in the Makaha or Skunk Hide Band in the 1890 census; I suspect that this is his original parent band into which he had been born.

Fast Thunder married another wife, a cousin of his first, about 1888. He made the trip to Washington D.C. again in 1888 and he participated in the 1889 Crook land negotiations. He was apparently instrumental in settling the boundary between the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations. Fast Thunder was among the progressive band leaders who attempted to tap down the excitement during the Ghost Dance period and was part of the 1891 delegation to D.C. to discuss conditions on the reservation.

In 1895, Fast Thunder's son, Luke Plenty Birds, killed an Oglala tribal policeman named John Red Hose near Rushville in which Fast Thunder apparently had some role. Both Plenty Birds and Fast Thunder were arrested and then released on bail pending the trial. Ultimately, Fast Thunder was cleared but his son was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to five years in the Nebraska Penitentiary.

By 1904, Fast Thunder had been selected as a tribal judge. That year, he accompanied a small delegation to Washington D.C. for the fourth time.

Fast Thunder died at Manderson, SD, on March 4, 1914.

[Dietmar]

Thank you Ephriam.

Here are some portraits of Fast Thunder:












Fast Thunder, standing far right

[Dietmar]

... more portraits of Fast Thunder:



Fast Thunder by F. A. Rinehart


Fast Thunder by F. A. Rinehart



This 1875 photo by W. H. Masters is identified as Grey Cloud, but I believe he is rather Fast Thunder, who was indeed a delegate that year:

[Dietmar]

see also here:
amertribes.proboards.com/thread/2006/fast-thunder

[grahamew]

Great call on Grey Cloud, Dietmar. I would never have noticed that!

[ephriam]

Absolutely. Great eye, Dietmar! I agree with you that the 1875 delegate photograph is of him. This is exciting!

[Dietmar]

I´m still hoping that more pictures by Masters will be discovered... sigh.

Remember we discussed a photo of Sitting Bull (the Oglala) and Without Meat? This could be a second one by W. H. Masters.

Sorry, I have to correct my latest post. I´ve gone through some older private mails and found that it is uncertain, that the portrait of Sitting Bull the Oglala and the other Lakota was taken by Masters.
Also, it is likely that the latter man is the Oglala Face aka Scalp Face.

[Dietmar]

I´ve been asked if we know anything about Fast Thunder´s father Lance Owner?

Thanks for any reply.

[frenchman]

hi Dietmar ,

here is what I have found about Lance Owner  the supposed father of Fast Thunder :

On march 1871- 14 th , he surrendered at the Red Cloud agency  with the No Water 's band ;In his teepee were Fire Thunder and Stinking Foot  and they were assigned to the Red Cloud's band !

On march 1877-30th , without authorization , he left the Red Cloud agency with Bad Ree and their families to join the Spotted Tail agency .

On october 1877 he was not on the list of the Oglalas transferred at the Red Cloud agency but in décember of the same year he was in the Loafer band's census of the Spotted Tail agency ! Best regards .

[Dietmar]

Our member delaneyapple believes that the photograph identified by the photographer (Gus Trager or Clarence Morledge, according to the Denver Public Library) as "The Misses Few Tails", is instead a portrait of the two daughters of Fast Thunder. He made the following comparisons:



Stella Fast Thunder



Fannie Fast Thunder



"The Misses Few Fails"

[Dietmar]

...some more portraits of Stella Fast Thunder:





Stella Yellow Shirt (Fast Thunder) by Herman Heyn



Stella Yellow Shirt (Fast Thunder) by Herman Heyn



Stella Fast Thunder


Stella married Yellow Shirt, a Buffalo Bill performer, who later took the name Jefferson King. According to his descendant Mathew King, King is a white mis-translation of the Lakota name for Noble Red Man.
More on him later...

[gregor]

Hi,
delaneyapples idea seems to make sense.
The Few Tails affaire caused some excitement, even in the press.
Maybe Moreledge wanted to provide (sell) some pictures.
And the attractive ladies were just right.

A Happy New Year to all from Germany

gregor

[natethegreat]

Crazy Horse gave Fast Thunder his sacred Medicine bundle on the day he was murdered. Fast Thunder gave it to somebody, who gave it to somebody, and shortly before World War 1 it was stashed away in a family storage and never talked about outside of the family. IT remained there until 1946 where under fear of being found during World War 2, Fast Thunder's family took a tent and pitched it under a Cottonwood Tree. They buried it there in 1946 next to the tree about two feet down, so they would always know where it was. Twenty years later in 1966 the old woman who was there the night it was buried suddenly begged her daughter to drive her to the tree so she could dig it up.

Much had changed in twenty years and they could not find the tree. The buildings were gone, the farms were gone. The old woman was deeply saddened on the way back home. A lasting memory that the old woman has is the night they buried the bundle, they had an urge to open the bundle over took them. Under the blanket was three layers of cloth, under the cloth was a small bag made of deer skin. Inside the deerskin was the sacred items that Crazy Horse always carried with him. As they went to open the deerskin pouch a massive wind nearly blew over the tent and the sound of Owls started flapping their wings in the trees very hard like thunder. TO the Lakota, the Owl is the sign of death. So they closed the bag and buried it.


So, somewhere out there to this day buried in the ground is the Sacred Medicine bundle of Crazy Horse! Happy New Year from Western Kentucky.