Crazy Horse refused to recognize the authority of the whites’ Great Father, saying that his only father was the Great Spirit. He was a warrior and, unlike Red Cloud and Spotted Tail, he refused to acquiesce in the federal program for managing the Indians. He would not give up his identity to become a docile person living in a house on a reservation. Crazy Horse’s death is a tragedy for the Oglala Sioux, for whom he was an inspiring leader, and a discredit to the U.S. Government, which was systematically eliminating all troublesome Indians. Crazy Horse remains a legendary figure in the history of the American West.
