Life with Justin, Betsy & Dave (& Baby!): Part 13: Crazy Horse

To start at the beginning of our trip, go here.

The last time Dave and I came to the Black Hills we did not visit Crazy Horse. It is the Native American's version of Mount Rushmore. It is still being completed, and we thought it was ridiculous that after all this time (it was started in 1948), it still wasn't done.

This time, however, we had a new appreciation for it. After learning more about how unjustly the Indians were treated, and how many times they were betrayed, lied to, and forced to give up their homes and way of life just so the U.S government could exploit the resources of their lands, we came to a deep respect for their capacity for forgiveness and pride.

Not only did the U.S. steal the Black Hills from the Indians after revoking a previous treaty entitling them to the land once gold was discovered (good old Custer was responsible for that), but then the U.S. proceeded to deface the natural--and to the Indians, sacred--rock by carving huge faces of our country's leaders into the hillside. It really must have seemed like one more slap in the face to the Indians.

Crazy Horse is 100% privately funded. They have turned down multiple offers of federal assistance and grants. Crazy Horse is one of the Sioux warriors who saw what the end result would be of continuing to give in, sacrifice, and agree to peace with the U.S. government (who time and time and time again broke treaties and promises and used outright deception with the Indians). He rallied his people to take a stand and fight back. He was a key leader in the Little Bighorn battle. To the Native Americans, he stands for the pride of their nation and lost way of life.

Below is the original carving the sculptor created. You can see the progress in the mountain beyond. The head and outstretched are are finished.

Crazy Horse is pointing in response to the question of where his land is. He replied by saying, "My lands are where my people lie buried."

There is an amazing Native American museum below the monument. It holds the largest collection I've ever seen of artifacts from centuries of Indian life. Below is an actual teepee. Justin, of course, loved it. The creators of the building did a fantastic job in keeping with the natural surroundings, light, and space. It reflects the spirit of sacredness with which the Native Americans regard the earth.

One of the displays in the museum was a centuries old Indian translation of the 23rd psalm. It says:

The Great Father above is a Shepherd Chief. I am His, and with Him I want not. He throws to me a rope, and the name of the rope is love, and He draws me to where the grass is green and the waters not dangerous. I eat and lay down satisfied. Sometimes my heart is very weak and falls down, but He lifts it up again and draws me onto a good road. His name is wonderful. Sometime, it may be very soon, it may be longer, it may be a long, long time, He will draw me into a place in the mountains. It is dark there, but I'll draw back not. I'll be afraid not, for it is in there between the mountains that the Shepherd Chief will meet me. There the hunger that I have felt in my heart all through this life will be satisfied. Sometimes He makes the love rope into a whip, but afterwards He gives me a staff to lean on. He spreads a table before me with all kinds of food. He puts His hands upon my head and all my "tired" is gone. My cup He fills until it runs over. What I tell you is true. I lie not. Those roads that are away will stay with me through this life, and afterwards I will go to live in the big teepee and sit down with the Shepherd Chief forever.

Native American version of the 23rd Psalm

From here we went to Mount Rushmore. The contrast between the goal of the two monuments and what they represent stood out starkly when seen back to back. While Crazy Horse emphasizes the interconnectedness of the spirit and physical worlds (of which humans are a part) Mount Rushmore is a tribute to the might of man and how we have attempted to triumph over nature.

But, still, the four leaders chosen to be memorialized in the mountain face were truly great leaders for our country. Justin quickly and enthusiastically completed his junior ranger tasks and was sworn in as a Mount Rushmore Junior Ranger.