Ephriam

[Don Blake]

Are you still writing a book on Crazy Horse? Just curious.

Thanks.

One other question: Good Weasel (Pretty Weasel) is referred to as a follower of Crazy Horse and even some kind of 'lieutenant' in one book (Ambrose? Sandoz?). What happened to him?

[shatonska]

here are the source of the books

www.wintercount.org/archives/crazyhorse/ch8.txt

"So it wasn't long until we had a fight with Crook on the Rosebud and
pushed him back. The Crows, Shoshones, and Crook together made up a
strong force. In the Rosebud fight the soldiers first got the Sioux and
the Cheyenne on the run. Crazy Horse, Bad Heart Bull, Black Deer,
Kicking Bear and Good Weasel rallied the Sioux, turned the charge and got
the soldiers on the run. Good Weasel was a kind of lieutenant for Crazy
Horse, he was always with him. When these five commenced to rally their
men, that was as far as the soldiers got.
Crook moved back to Goose Creek after the fight."

and

www.wintercount.org/archives/crazyhorse/ch12.txt

They fought all the same, but the Shoshones had the best of it.
Pretty soon the Oglalas were on the run with only three men left who were
doing any fighting: Good Weasel, Crazy Horse and High Back Bone. It was
a running fight, with more running than fighting, only these three were
fighting at all. Crazy Horse charged one side of the Shoshones and High
Back Bone the other. When they came back, High Back Bone's horse was
stumbling. He said, "We're up against it now; my horse has a wound in
the leg."
Crazy Horse said, "I know it. We were up against it from the start."
Both made charges. When Crazy Horse got back he found only Good
Weasel left. High Back Bone had fallen from his horse and the Shoshone
surged over him. That was the last seen of High Back Bone. Good Weasel
and Crazy Horse got away.

[Ephriam Dickson]

Hi Don:

Yes, I have nearly completed my manuscript on Crazy Horse. It is not a biography of him; rather a narrative about the Oglala during the Sioux War of 1876-77, with emphasis both on the northern Oglala like Crazy Horse who remained away from the agencies as well as the many Oglala who remained at the Red Cloud Agency through the war. This includes the surrender and death of Crazy Horse. Thanks for asking! I have another manuscript that I am submitting soon called "Crazy Horse's Contemporaries: D. S. Mitchell's Native Portraits from the Red Cloud Agency, 1877" which I hope will be accepted for publication.

In regards to Pretty Weasel (Itunkasan Waste), he was a long time member of He Dog's band called the Cankahuhan (Soreback) Band where he was a prominent member of that band's akicita. His age varies widely in the agency census records, but he appears to have been born sometime between 1845 and 1850. Agnes already included several references to him from the Hinman interviews. Pretty Weasel was at the Little Big Horn. He probably surrendered at the Red Cloud Agency with Crazy Horse in May 1877, though his name does not appear in the Crazy Horse surrender ledger (possibly gave a different name). He escaped into Canada with He Dog in January 1878 and eventually returned to surrender at Fort Keogh either 1879 or 1880. He was transferred to Standing Rock in 1881 where he is listed in the census. Transferred to Pine Ridge Agency in 1882, Pretty Weasel settled in the White Clay District. One of his warrior stories is preserved in Beckworth (1930). According to Colhoff, Pretty Weasel died about 1938 on Grass Creek, though I have not yet confirmed that in agency records.

That's about all I know. Can you add anything?

[Don Blake]

Not really. Thanks. I really appreciate this. Does a photo exist - especially one of him in his prime?
Was he member of that warrior society Crazy Horse seems to have initiated? The Last Born? Something like that. I don't have it in front of me, but I'm sure it's referred to in DeMallie's Neihardt interviews.

I'm looking forward to your book - both of them, rather! Keep us informed. I'm also looking forward to Kingsley Bray's biography of Crazy Horse. I've read articles etc by him and he's a sympathetic and knowledgeable researcher and writer.

[Don Blake]

Do the Mitchell photos include those of leaders next to a windbreak of bushes or branches? Spotted Tail and Two Strikes come to mind.

[Ephriam Dickson]

Don:

No, the photographs you are thinking of are part of a series done by S. J. Morrow from Yankton, probably at the Spotted Tail Agency on the Missouri River in 1878.

Here is a web link to several of the D. S. Mitchell portraits preserved in Captain John G. Bourke Collection at the Nebraska State Historical Society.

www.nebraskahistory.org/lib-arch/research/treasures/bourke_photos.htm

Enjoy!

Ephriam

[Don Blake]

Thanks. I am familar with some of these, especially Little Crow/Iron Crow.

[shan]

Hello Ephriam,

I have just joined the message board, and on reading through some of the entries, I notice that you seem to be rather knowable about matters to do with the Sioux and Crazy Horse in particular. I was about to post a general question on the message board asking if anyone could help me find out what happened to Low Dog the Oglala after his surrender in1881, but maybe you can be of help,
Shan.