Custer Clan Site

[Sturgis]

for anyone interested in joining in on the Real Bird reenactment of Custer's Last Stand check out the 7th Cav HQ website site at www.custerclan.funtigo.com or e-mail myself or Colonel Keogh respectivley at [e-mail] and [e-mail]

[mwkeogh]

Sad to say, but the Real Bird event has lost a great deal of its once promising potential as a real reenactment of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Over the past several years, the event has degenerated greatly from its once lofty perch. A great many of our veteran Indian War reenactors will no longer participate in this event, due to the lack of historical accuracy, safety concerns and the unprofessional conduct exhibited by the organizers of the event. As a longtime veteran of this event (over a decade now) I have with great reluctance withdrawn my support for this event until significant improvements can be made there.

[Diane Merkel]

That's a shame. It seems that most groups -- especially those related to LBH -- have a few people who love to play control and power games. The rest of us just want to learn and enjoy history with people with similar interests.

I hope the Real Bird event can recover, but I remember some of what went on last year. It's a shame.

[Montana Bab]

Diane,

For those of us who were unable to be there for that event, can you explain what happened last year, if it's something you can do? I've never been able to make one of those re-enactments but always thought it would be something worth seeing. But I agree with Keogh, if it's not historically accurate- why bother?

Bab

[Diane Merkel]

It was behind-the-scenes stuff. Arguments, threats, that kind of thing. It didn't have anything to do with the actual "show" but has apparently affected the players.

There are two reenactments of LBH in late June. Real Bird is one, and the Hardin Chamber of Commerce sponsors the other. Neither is truly accurate; there's no way they can be. I think Keogh may mean the clothing and accessories worn by the reenactors, and perhaps he'll explain his comments a bit more.

[Melani]

My take, after viewing both: The Hardin reenactment has a more or less historically accurate script, but is otherwise pathetic. Their costumes were made from bath towels and bedsheets, and Lonnie Custer's wig fell off (he seems to be a very nice guy, by the way, but not much of an actor). The Realbird show was visually beautiful, everyone looking perfect, but the script was from Fantasyland. Walt Disney did a better job with Tonka. I really wish somebody could put the two together and create something that both looks good and presents at least semi-accurate history.

[tassiewolf]

The real bird show would have made Buffalo Bill cringe. It has been farb out. An attempt is being made by the serious reenactors to put the historical accuracy back into the LBH reenactment and perhaps some more public interest in the Indian Wars.
There are quite a few of us that would listen to the Hardin people if they wanted to portray a correct view on things, not something that has come out of a John Ford western. This would be mopre popular with the tourists and draw crowds .

[Jas. Watson]

I am a long time serious reenactor who used to attend, but haven't been to one of the LBH reenactments since the 1990's because of all what is spoken of here. I sure wish someone could come up with a workable plan to improve the situation there. To me the LBH reenactment should be a crown jewel event for that period...it is such a shame that it has disintegrated to what almost amounts to a laughingstock--if it wasn't for the fact that it is not at all funny that such a premier historical event has lost it's credibility with the more serious minded folks in the reenactment community.

Jas~

[tassiewolf]

Jas
Get in touch with Capt Keogh. He will give you the skinny on something new that is going on for the serious reenactor of the Indian Wars.
Garry Owen
Frank Varden
1st Sgt I Company 7th Ca

[mwkeogh]

(from Melani): My take, after viewing both: The Hardin reenactment has a more or less historically accurate script, but is otherwise pathetic. Their costumes were made from bath towels and bedsheets, and Lonnie Custer's wig fell off (he seems to be a very nice guy, by the way, but not much of an actor). The Realbird show was visually beautiful, everyone looking perfect, but the script was from Fantasyland. Walt Disney did a better job with Tonka. I really wish somebody could put the two together and create something that both looks good and presents at least semi-accurate history.

I would tend to agree with this assessment of the 2 reenactments Melani, although I would question the level of accuracy of the Hardin script, unless they have changed it recently. For many years, it was my goal to make every effort to bring these 2 reenactments together, but the factions on both sides (both Hardin and the Real Birds) made this quite impossible to do. Neither side will have anything to do with the other. I can't really blame the Hardin people tho. Its practically impossible for any reasonable person to work together with the Real Birds for any length of time. Part of the difficulty in gaining cooperation lies in the ultimate motivations of each party for having a reenactment of Custer's Last Stand. The Hardin people do it primarily to generate tourist dollars for the local economy. The Real Birds do likewise, but with the added incentive of creating a platform to bash their percieved enemies. Thus, unfortunately, telling a historically accurate version of the battle is not a priority for either faction. This is where the serious reenactor falls out with both of them. If a true reenactment (as opposed to the 2 'pageants' that now go by that name) is ever to occur at LBH, it will have to come from the reenactors doing it themselves. They are the only ones truly interested in what we know of as HISTORY and in a position to do something about it.

[mwkeogh]

(Diane wrote:) It was behind-the-scenes stuff. Arguments, threats, that kind of thing. It didn't have anything to do with the actual "show" but has apparently affected the players.

There are two reenactments of LBH in late June. Real Bird is one, and the Hardin Chamber of Commerce sponsors the other. Neither is truly accurate; there's no way they can be. I think Keogh may mean the clothing and accessories worn by the reenactors, and perhaps he'll explain his comments a bit more.

There has been trouble brewing between the Real Birds and the reenactors for quite a number of years now. I detailed the entire history of this reenactment on my own message board/picture site at: groups.msn.com/TheCusterClan The 16 part series of articles is called 'The History of the Real Bird Reenactment'. As a result, nearly all of our most veteran units have departed from the reenactment and have not been back since 2001. I have been working hard to repair this damage and to secure the return of these units when I myself and several other reenactors were subsequently ambushed and assaulted by several of the Real Bird brothers last summer. In my case, they took issue with my efforts to uphold the standards and accuracy of the reenactment, which was clearly degenerating each year into more and more profiteering at our expense and attracting huge numbers of farbs. (note: farbs are reenactors who are not taken seriously by others of our trade due to their historically inaccurate impressions).

My series of articles critiquing their pageant also enraged them, as I gave much credit to the 'Frontier Army of Dakota' for helping to build the event into the successful attraction that it once became. At one point, between 1996 and 2001, it was truly something to be proud of (notwithstanding the horrendous script!). The Indian warriors there are truly a sight to be seen. And the location of the event was great. I made an effort to change some of the egregious errors in the script back in 2000 and had some success at this (I managed to introduce the Fetterman Fight scenario, and even portrayed the doomed Fetterman in the 1st year), but they refused to incorporate my suggestions for a more complete overhaul.

I was their Cavalry Coordinator from 1999 to 2001, and was responsible for bringing Steve Alexander to their event to serve as their General Custer in 1999. They fired me as Cav Coordinator after 2001 after I prevented them from making a major change to the script. They wanted to tell the audience that Custer was captured alive in MTC and taken into the village. He was then stripped and staked out on the ground. His heart would then be cut out and the show would end with all the warriors doing a wardance around his dead body (they would use the bloody heart of a pig impaled on a spear to wave over his body to simulate Custer's own heart). I told them I would have no part in this nonsense and threatened to withhold all of our Cavalry reenactors from their next show if they attempted to put this disgrace into their script. They quickly backed off and never did attempt to introduce it again (although this is exactly what they had been doing for during the early years before the arrival of the Frontier Army of Dakota). I managed to prevent this disaster and save Steve Alexander from the disgrace of having himself staked out on the ground after the show, but it cost me my position as Cavalry Coordinator for the event. Since then, the Real Birds have not allowed the Cavalry to choose its own leader.
The Real Birds have made sure to hand-pick their own coordinator who will not challenge their authority again. The Frontier Army of Dakota left in force after 2001 and has never returned to the event, which is sad, as it has been a great loss for all concerned. Needless to say, I have left the Real Birds as well after working with them for over a decade.

[Montana Bab]

Keogh,

Your post flaberghasted me! I can't believe that a re-inactment group would want to portray such garbage to be shown in front of visitors . Do these enactments take place on the actual battleground or elsewhere?

I would think that the first priority in a re-enactment would be accuracy and historically correct script. But then, I suppose it is just like any other thing that involves people portraying historical figures==egos. Someone HAS to be the STAR. It truly is a shame because I would think that the re-inactments involving horses, Indians and their ponies and the soldiers etc. would be an exciting thing to see. (I realize that it would be close to impossible to have it be completely accurate, but to have Custer staked to the ground is about as ludicrous as it gets. Shades of Disney and Hidalgo.)

Montana Bab

[Melani]

Bab--don't insult Disney. They really did do a better job on Tonka. Col. Keogh--I did say "more or less"--I guess that's in comparison to the Real Birds. At least it wasn't perfectly ridiculous (the script, that is. I have seen better costumes at a fourth-grade Halloween party.) Just rather sloppy, and the view of the parking lot from the bleachers didn't help. I enjoyed them both for different reasons, none of which were historical accuracy.

What I can't figure out is the reason the Real Birds are insisting on this baloney. I mean, these guys are Crows, aren't they? If I recall, they were on Custer's side--why are they so determined to cut him into little pieces and throw him in the river, or rip his heart out, or whatever weirdness they come up with next? They are certainly aware that that's not what actually happened, and that most of the people in the area and half the tourists as well will also know it. (As Diane once pointed out, we are tourists.) Strangely enough, the Lakota people I ran into out there seemed pretty happy and cheerful--well, they know who won, after all. Are the Crows still mad at Custer for losing? Or do they really believe this stuff? The most charitable theory I have come up with is some sort of garbled oral history, perhaps based on the three heads found in the village--"My grandpa said it, so it must be true." But ya know, my grandpa told a few whoppers in his time!

But don't put down attracting tourist dollars--they pay for the events, after all, and are usually happy to do so. The point of living history is to educate people in an entertaining way, and we all owe it to them to see that they get as accurate information as can be managed. The problem comes when people lose sight of that goal and just start doing any old thing that will make money. If you do a good job, you can attract enough people to make enough money to keep going, and give an accurate impression at the same time.

I have worked for many years at the Northern California Renaissance Faire, where the motto was "We trick into learning with a laugh." Every year, everyone who works faire is required to take a certain number of workshops to make sure they know what they are doing as Elizabethans. That is every year, even if you've done it before. The costumes must be approved by the official costume mistress. If she doesn't like it, you get to go home and fix it until she does. Every year. If these conditions are not met, you can't work faire. Oh, and we all have to fork over $10 for insurance, and sometimes pay for parking and camping as well, depending on the venue. And nobody gets paid, with the exception of principles like the Queen and Sir Francis Drake, who are professional actors. And they don't get scale. And then we have the fun of getting asked questions like, "What were the Elizabethans' favorite TV shows?" And we must try to answer in first person. After somebody asks me something like that, I realize why I am there--it's obvious they weren't paying attention in school, so it's up to me to get their attention now.

I realize that in the case of this reenactment, or any battle reenactment, for that matter, the purpose is also to do honor to the people who really died there, and didn't get to go home and shower and change their clothes afterward. It's kinda hard to do that successfully in a circus atmosphere.

I am very much encouraged by the red markers cropping up on the battlefield. It's about time LBH is characterized as what is was--a battle, not a massacre. All the warriors on both sides should get their due.

[mwkeogh]

(Melani wrote:) What I can't figure out is the reason the Real Birds are insisting on this baloney. I mean, these guys are Crows, aren't they? If I recall, they were on Custer's side--why are they so determined to cut him into little pieces and throw him in the river, or rip his heart out, or whatever weirdness they come up with next? They are certainly aware that that's not what actually happened, and that most of the people in the area and half the tourists as well will also know it....Strangely enough, the Lakota people I ran into out there seemed pretty happy and cheerful--well, they know who won, after all. Are the Crows still mad at Custer for losing? Or do they really believe this stuff? The most charitable theory I have come up with is some sort of garbled oral history, perhaps based on the three heads found in the village--"My grandpa said it, so it must be true." But ya know, my grandpa told a few whoppers in his time!

Hi Melani. This is a very good question you ask. I have had this very discussion a number of times with the Real Birds (I have had many debates with them on this subject). The fact is that they consider the US Govt and most whites as their enemy and oppressor. They refuse to admit they were on our side during the Indian Wars. They say that the Lakota are just as great an enemy to them and that they were merely serving as some sort of machiavellan manipulators who successfully brought two of their most hated enemies together to kill each other off. They merely used us to gain their lands back from the Lakota.

Because of their actions, the Lakota and many other native tribes consider the Crow as traitors. There seems to be some sort of guilt among certain Crows about this (esp. the Real Bird clan), thus they tend to be the most virulently anti-US and anti-white. It is as if they are trying to prove to other Indian tribes that they really do hate the white man more than anyone else. There's my psycho-analysis for what its worth...lol.

Now, why do they tell such tall tales to their audiences? Because part of their culture allows them to freely lie to anyone not a member of their tribe. They once told me this. Their culture does not permit them to lie to each other, but to you and I it is perfectly acceptable. In fact, it is not considered lying to them. So, in this light, Custer's death simply becomes a matter of propaganda. Custer is to them a symbol of the Grant Administration's Indian policy. They know not and care not that Custer and Grant were political enemies. It is the symbol of Custer that counts here, not the historical truth.
Custer is also a symbol of all white atrocities ever committed against American Indians. You know, Custer died for our sins, etc. To this end, this symbolic manifestation of evil---this symbolic Hitler, if you will---must be given an appropriately disgraceful and dishonorable death. Its almost like a classic fable....the evil villain gets him just deserts at the end. Sort of like they portrayed in the movie Little Big Man (which btw, is their favorite Last Stand movie and the way they envision the battle being fought).

The Real Birds have learned long ago that there are plenty of ignorant and naive people out there who will swallow whatever they tell them, hook, line and sinker, simply because it comes from their mouth. Many naive tourists believe it would be such a rascist attitude to not believe them when they claim that this story was handed down to them from their great-great-grandfather so and so.

Of course the Real Birds know it is all bunk. That's why they often change the scenario of his death each year. One year I heard Richard tell a tourist that Custer was smothered to death by a fat squaw who hitched up her skirt and sat on his face. Another time he claimed that Custer was actually captured alive and given as a slave to a Cheyenne woman to replace her husband who had been killed. He was forced to do all the women's work in the camp for the rest of his life (and provide her with a number of Cheyenne babies as well to make up for all the warriors he had killed. lol. Sometimes I think they spend many nights around the campfire thinking up various disgraceful exits for Custer.

BTW, they also conduct a "Custer look-a-like" contest each year before their show. This gives them the opportunity to choose a winner who usually ends up being either a woman or a fat bald headed guy, all for a good laugh at Custer's expense. Needless to say, there are no "look-a-like" contests for the Indian participants of LBH. That would not do at all! lol.

And you are very right about the Lakotas. I have met many of them up at LBH and I have found them to be very straightforward and honorable people. I saw several Lakota teenagers watching the RB show back in 2005. I walked over to them and said "you guys should be out there riding as the warriors, not the Crows!" They looked at each other and then back at me with huge smiles on their faces and nodded their heads up and down, then they started to laugh. I laughed with them....but we both knew it was true.

Its sad that the Lakota and Cheyenne warriors who fought that day do not have a reenactment of their own to participate in. Perhaps one day they will.

[Melani]

They merely used us to gain their lands back from the Lakota.

That seems to have worked! I can understand why Native American people all over the country would still be mad, but it seems a shame not to call them on untruths in the name of political correctness. (Spoken from the SF Bay Area, birthplace of PC. )

Right after they got through talking about turning Custer into hamburger, they proudly informed us that they have more guys in Iraq than any other group. I was beginning to wonder what planet I was on--it seems like mutually exclusive attitudes. Or am I crazy?

Its sad that the Lakota and Cheyenne warriors who fought that day do not have a reenactment of their own to participate in. Perhaps one day they will.

Well, you know the drill...