A review by inquiry_from_an_anti_library
Crazy Horse: A Life by Larry McMurtry

adventurous informative inspiring tense fast-paced

5.0

Is This An Overview?

For the Sioux, names are not permanent but earned.  Crazy Horse earned the name after being recognized for the risky behavior taken during confrontations with the opposition.  Crazy Horse was a force of resistance to American expansion.  Crazy Horse and others understood that the Americans intended to conqueror all their land.  Made possible by American power and a willingness to destroy their adversaries.  Over time, various Native Indians changed their strategy of resistance, to being part of the American administration system. 

 

Crazy Horse was someone who tended to defect from cultural obligations, and was often isolated in thought and behavior.  A mysterious person even to those close to Crazy Horse.  Crazy Horse retained a connection to the community because there were those who were dependent on Crazy Horse, with Crazy Horse having a sense of responsibility.  Crazy Horse was one of the last Sioux warriors who resisted American expansion, but joined the American administration to protect those who depended on Crazy Horse.

 

The Sioux were composed of various related tribes.  Tribes which were governed by a council.  Native Indian governance was misunderstood by the American negotiators.  The negotiators thought that Native Indians were governed in a similar manner as the American system, with a single individual who held authority to speak for all people.  For the Native Indians, they did not obey other leaders unless their own interests were aligned with the other tribes. 

 

Governance misunderstanding was only part of the negotiation failures.  Another negotiation problem was that no treaty made by the Americans, was expected to be upheld.  There were American negotiators who made genuine claims and treaty terms that respected the local conditions to gain the trust of Native Indians.  Treaties that would have enabled cooperation and improved the political situation, but were denied by distant government officials.  Leading to further distrust of the Americans.  

 

Caveats?

The focus of the book is on a single individual.  There are various references to the culture, politics, and events that affected Crazy Horse, but to understand the era would require more research. 

 

There are various references to data gaps on what is known about Crazy Horse.  The author refrains from speculating on unverified details, but shares how others have thought of the details.