10 Facts You Should Know About Crazy Horse Lakota Warrior

Crazy Horse is a legendary Lakota Man who walked this earth in the late 1800s. His name is still very well known as his legend lives on through the years after his demise.

Let’s get into the Legendary Crazy Horse and find out the top 10 things you should know about this Lakota Warrior.

1. Crazy horse is not his original name.

In fact he was born with the name Čháŋ Óhaŋ (Among the Trees) and took on the Pȟehíŋ Yuȟáȟa (Curly) or Žiží (Light Hair) as nicknames because of his lighter complexion.

His grandfathers name was Crazy Horse and the name got passed down to his dad. After showing great deeds as a fine young man his dad passed down the name to Crazy Horse and took on the new name Worm.

2. Crazy Horse Father – Crazy Horse (the elder), also known as Waglúla (“Worm”)

Crazy Horse’s father was a healer/medicine man. He lost his wife shortly after Crazy Horse was born and after saving a camp from an invasion he was gifted 3 wives from a chief. Their names were  Iron Between Horns (mother of half-brother Little Hawk), Kills Enemy, and Red Leggins

3. Crazy Horse’s Mother – Rattling Blanket Woman or Tȟašína Ȟlaȟlá Wiŋ 

Crazy Horse’s mother passed away when he was just a child. The woman in his tribe stepped in to help take care of Crazy Horse. This was how kinship worked with tribes.

4. Love for Black Buffalo Woman

Black Buffalo Woman was a lady from a prominent family within the Lakota Tribe. Many men lined up outside of her lodge to be put forward as potential suitors.

Crazy Horse put himself within the line of many potential men who would become her husband. Crazy Horse was growing in reputation as a fine young warrior who is brave and courageous.

Black Buffalo Woman was not given to Crazy Horse but instead given to another high family within the tribe to a man named “No Water”.

Crazy Horse was devastated from the decision.

5. Shot in The Jaw from Jealousy

Crazy Horse took Black Buffalo Woman on a Buffalo Hunt and brought her back to his camp.

It was common for many wives to leave their husbands for new husbands in this time. Some of the ways is that the woman would take all the man’s belongings from the lodge and leave them outside.

Another way is that they woman would leave and start residing with the new man in his lodge and with the new family.

“No Water” found out about Crazy Horse and rode to his camp and when he found him he shot him in jaw and ran off.

The Elder’s urged Crazy Horse not to take revenge as it would cause fighting between their own people as many people followed Crazy Horse.

“No Water” offered Crazy Horse 3 horses as an apology but he also got his wife back.

6. Great Mentors

Crazy Horse had a great mentor by the name of “High Backbone”. He taught him a lot about battle and strategy.

He also sat down with Black Elk who is a famous Native American as Well and Chief Sitting Bull. There are a lot of famous Indigenous people he had crossed paths with who’s names are living on through the ages.

7. Visions and Dreams

Crazy Horse had many visions through his dreams.

He had a vision of a modest warrior with no war paint with his hair down and a simple feather in his hair. He was riding a horse into battle and a thunderstorm came over him.

As he rode into battle no harm was done to him as bullets missed him and his horse.

The man got struck by lightning which lead to a lightning mark on his cheeks and white hail marks on his body.

He didn’t take no scalps as trophies as well.

His father interpreted his dream saying that he should be like this man in his dream and the thunder spirit will protect him.

For the most part Crazy Horse didn’t get hurt in battle and lived modestly. He didn’t talk about his victories like other warriors.

8. Shirt Wearer – High Honour to Lakota People

There was an old tradition of giving a person within the tribe the honour of being a “Shirt Wearer”.

Basically if you got this honour it represented that you were a person who set a high example of being a Lakota Person.

You took care of the families within the tribe, you were a protector, a mentor, a teacher, and set a high example of humilty.

They gave this honour to Crazy Horse as he was self-less and always helped his people and kept the Lakota ways and traditions alive.

He lost this honour when he took in a married woman by the name of Black Buffalo Woman and there was a conflict between him and “No Water”, which lead Crazy Horse to being shot in the face.

9. Last Sun Dance

A year after the Battle of Little Bighorn, Crazy Horse took part in a Sun Dance Ceremony. It was a ceremony they put on to honour Crazy Horse for his accomplishments and also to pray for time’s ahead.

During this time many of the Lakota tribes were going into Reservations or Agencies. Crazy Horse did not want to give up his Lakota ways and be in control of the white man.

He also did realize that more and more white man were coming onto the land with an abundance of weapons and bullets while his men were dwindling in numbers and resources were becoming thin.

10. Death

Just as Crazy Horse was going to take on a Reservation for his people, he was escorted to the Guardhouse. There he was double crossed and stabbed with a Guard Bayonet.

He died September 5, 1877.

There was never any pictures taken of Crazy Horse and one has come up which is very questionable. They said that he never did trust the white man to sit there to get his picture taken.