150 Years After Little Bighorn, Tribes Reclaim the Narrative
CROW AGENCY, Mont. — Thousands of Native Americans from across the Northern Plains gathered at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument this week to commemorate the 150th anniversary of one of the most famous military engagements in American history — the Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to many Indigenous people as the Battle of Greasy Grass. But unlike past commemorations, this year’s three-day event marked a significant shift: tribal nations, not the federal government, led the way.
“For the 100th anniversary, the government mostly ran the ceremony,” said Frank Star Comes Out, president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, as reported by Buffalo’s Fire. “For the 150th, we are going to switch that up. We’re going to rock the battlefield and do it in a good way.”
The Battle and Its Legacy
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, fought on June 25–26, 1876, pitted combined Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho forces against the U.S. 7th Cavalry under Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer. The conflict erupted after the discovery of gold in the Black Hills — land sacred to the Lakota and guaranteed by treaty — triggered a wave of U.S. expansion and a government ultimatum ordering all Native peoples onto reservations. Custer divided his regiment and attacked a massive encampment along the Little Bighorn River, only to be overwhelmed and killed along with more than 200 of his men.
It was a stunning victory for the allied tribes, but it came at a terrible long-term cost. The U.S. government intensified its military campaign, and within years, the resistance was crushed. Crazy Horse was killed in 1877, Sitting Bull was killed in 1890, and starvation forced the surrender of the remaining free tribes by 1881.
As historian Dakota Goodhouse told the Associated Press, the battle gained outsized national attention not because of its scale, but because “the commanding officer was killed.”
A Commemoration on Native Terms
The 150th anniversary, held June 25–27 in partnership with the National Park Service and 19 affiliated tribal nations, featured horse rides, battle reenactments, traditional ceremonies, oral history sharing, and cultural demonstrations. Up to 10,000 visitors were expected, with approximately 1,000 horses brought to the site. The event was organized with tribal leadership at the forefront — a deliberate departure from the 100th anniversary in 1976, which was largely government-run.
Russell Eagle Bear of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe captured the sentiment: “It was a major victory for us. Since that time, we’ve been hunted and put down. We are going back 150 years later to say, ‘Hey, we’re still here,’” he said, as reported by Buffalo’s Fire.
William Good Bird, a traditional singer from the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation, put it simply: “Today I am celebrating the victory of our people, celebrating my life as a human being and my spot on this earth.” Gathering at the battlefield, he said, means “we’re still here.”
For Jon Eagle Sr., a former Standing Rock tribal historic preservation officer, the commemoration was about passing knowledge to the next generation. “It’s just an opportunity for us to share with the generations coming behind us that they’re descendants of a very powerful nation and ancient people that are still here despite everything that was done to us,” he told the AP.
Reclaiming the Story, Centering Indigenous Voices
A central theme of the 150th commemoration was the reclamation of narrative control. For decades, the story of Little Bighorn was told primarily through a white American lens — as “Custer’s Last Stand,” a tragic defeat of a heroic cavalry officer. But over the past half-century, that narrative has shifted dramatically. Congress renamed the site from Custer Battlefield National Monument to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in 1991, and an Indian Memorial was dedicated in 2003.
Eugene Little Coyote, assistant to the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Vice President, emphasized the importance of bringing hidden histories to light. As he told the Northern Broadcasting System, “The Cheyenne role in the battle has been buried for various reasons, and we want to bring that part of the story forward.” He added: “A lot of our youth may not know about this history. We want them to feel proud of being Northern Cheyenne and understand the strength that comes from our culture and our ancestors.”
A Complicated Anniversary in America’s 250th Year
The 150th anniversary of the battle fell during the same year as America’s 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence — a coincidence that did not go unremarked. For many Native Americans, the celebration of American independence is inseparable from centuries of broken treaties, forced displacement, and cultural erasure.
Jim Real Bird, a Crow tribal member and reenactment coordinator, told the AP: “It’s just a mark to me of 250 years of injustice to the Native people.”
Yet the dominant mood at the gathering was not anger but resilience. Ernie LaPointe, the great-grandson of Sitting Bull, offered a message of healing. As he told the Philadelphia Inquirer, “It happened many years ago. I think we have to heal from that.”
What Comes Next
The 150th commemoration demonstrated that the story of Little Bighorn is no longer a single, government-approved narrative — it is a living history carried forward by the descendants of those who fought there. Tribal leaders hope the momentum from this event will lead to greater Indigenous leadership at other historical sites and a deeper reckoning with the full scope of American history.
As Jon Eagle Sr. concluded: “They failed at their attempts to rub us out. We’re still here as ancient people deeply connected to our environment.”
The horses have returned to the battlefield, the drums have fallen silent, and the tepees have been packed away. But the message from the 150th anniversary is unmistakable: Native voices are not just part of this history — they are now writing its next chapter.