Spelled also as Tashuncahuitco, Chief Crazy Horse was born on Rapid Creek, East of the Blackhills. He was a Lakota or Teton Sioux. He was known as light haired boy or "Curly" and his fathers name was Crazy Horse. His mother was a Brule, sister of Spotted Tail. She died when he was young and his sister took her place in the lodge. As a boy he would hang around trading posts on the Oregon Trail where he was mistaken for a captive white boy.
In 1858 Crazy Horse, with High Back Bone, Lone Bear and his brother Little Hawk, rode into central Wyoming where they fought the Arapaho, and Crazy Horse proved his bravery by charging into them and counting coup. Two warriers rode out to meet him and he killed them and took their scalps. He became a popular leader of war parties and respected by his people.
He became a chief of the Oglala tribe of Sioux. He fought the US troops in Wyoming under chief Red Cloud of the Oglala in the Sioux war of 1866-68. He led raids against the Crow in the summer of 1869 east of the Bighorns. Crazy Horse had several wivese, including a male-wife (berdache, or Two Spirited man).
In 1875 he lead the Oglala and Cheyenne resisting being forced to a reservation. The same year he joined forces with Sitting Bull, chief of the Hunkpapa Sioux. Together they fought settlers trying to hold the Black Hills of South Dakota from white occupation. In 1875 he repelled General Crook at the battle of Rosebud Creek in Montana. On June 25 he and Sitting Bull wiped out a column of the 7th Cavalry commanded by Lt. Col. George A. Custer in the Battle of Little Bighorn.
Crazy Horse was captured in 1877 and forced to surrender to troops in Nebraska. He was killed in a scuffle with his captors.
