He was the Lakota’s greatest warrior, and he is thought of by many to be the quintessential symbol of resistance. He never signed a treaty. He never allowed his picture to be taken, and he never quit. Even when soldiers were leading him into a cell, he refused to be held and was stabbed in the back by a bayonet to teach him what happens to those who question authority. But it was Crazy Horse that taught us the lesson.

Yet, Crazy Horse was far from perfect. He wore a gruesome scar across his cheek where a bullet exited, a daily reminder of the price for sleeping with another man’s wife. And in the latter days of his life, he was often blamed by many of his own people for bringing punishment on them by his refusal to lay down his arms.

He lived through the most turbulent, terrifying, and uncertain time of his people’s history. Everything they knew was changing or disappearing. The buffalo on which their survival depended was being hunted to extinction. The other once powerful tribes had been reduced to poor dependents on reservations and most of those who resisted had been killed. It would have been easy and understandable for Crazy Horse to follow the example of John Ross (Cherokee), Red Cloud and Spotted Tail (Lakota), Dull Knife and Little Wolf (Cheyenne), Chief Joseph (Nez Perce), even the great Sitting Bull (Lakota), so many chiefs who relented to the inevitable. But he didn’t.

Now, we find ourselves in turbulent times, ourselves, questioning many of the fundamental principles we were built on. We are fighting an enemy most of us can’t understand, and even the best military commanders can’t figure out how to defeat. Just as it was for the Lakota, we find even the future of our very environment and all we depend on at risk. And as in Crazy Horse’s time, our own people are deeply divided as to what to do. Whether it’s because I teach history or because of my own heritage, I find myself looking backward for some answers and examples.

So, I share with you one of my favorite stories from the life of Crazy Horse and the lessons, I believe, it holds for us:

After the Battle of the Little Bighorn, when Custer and his men were wiped out, the massive Indian encampment of Lakota and Cheyenne split up. Most were fully aware that their stunning victory would be followed by unending pursuit. Sitting Bull fled to Canada but Crazy Horse headed into the Powder River, believing he could be more elusive in the country he knew so well. But the cavalry’s use of Indian scouts took away his advantage.

One morning, Crazy Horse's village was camped in a valley. The Sun and the people were not yet up, and as they slept they were unaware that they had been spotted the night before and were now surrounded. The order had been given to sound the bugle and attack at the first sight of the Sun. The people awoke, some to the sound of the bugle, some to the thundering of hooves, and others to the buzzing of the bullets ripping through their lodges.

As quickly as they could manage, half dressed and half awake, the men ran out into the snow to gather their horses. As was the custom in battle, they formed a protective line between the soldiers and the escaping women and children. The soldiers took a heavy toll, and many brave men died in this line. The firing was so intense that many of the men began to melt away in retreat. But it was at this point, so the witnesses say, that they heard Crazy Horse begin to yell, “Brave men to the front! Keep firing! It is a good day to die!”

With that, Crazy Horse turned his horse toward the soldiers and charged straight at them, firing. Seeing his bravery, the other warriors turned their horses, as well, and charged. The soldiers never expected this kind of resistance and halted in fear. The memory of Custer's fate was still fresh, and that day their feelings of fear won out over their desire for revenge. Before the day was through, the warriors had not only saved their families but had pushed the soldiers back over the mountains, thus saving their village, as well. It was one final victory before the sad end that was to come.

I think of this story often and believe there are three very important lessons that Crazy Horse teaches us:

±      To achieve great things, we must have the help of others. They must believe it is possible, turn their horses, and charge together.

±      However, we must also be ready to lead by example. If the cause is worthy, we must be willing sometimes to be the one to charge alone.

±      Finally, Crazy Horse taught us that winning is not the goal…having the will to continue is. If we can do that in the face of all that is thrown against us, we’ve already won.

I flinched at posting this, for fear that some might relate its meaning to some of the misquided self-righteous acts we've seen lately in the news.

So, I add this one important qualifier that I believe more people need to remember:

 Being right puts you in the minority, but being in the minority does not mean you're right. Those who would confuse this to justify their violent acts should remember this.