Native Tribes Mark 150 Years Since Little Bighorn Victory

Thousands of Native Americans gathered at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Crow Agency, Montana, from June 25–27, 2026, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn — known to Indigenous peoples as the Battle of Greasy Grass. The commemoration, spanning nearly two weeks of events, featured horse rides, battle reenactments, tipi encampments, traditional songs and dances, and oral history sharing, drawing participants from more than 19 tribes and approximately 1,000 horses, according to AP News.

A Battle That Changed History

On June 25–26, 1876, allied Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors defeated Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer’s 7th Cavalry near the Little Bighorn River in present-day Montana. Custer and more than 200 of his troops were killed in a confrontation that stunned Americans celebrating the nation’s centennial. The battle was part of the Great Sioux War of 1876–1877, triggered by the discovery of gold in the Black Hills of South Dakota — a sacred area to the Lakota guaranteed by the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie.

For Native Americans, the victory represents a rare and significant military triumph against U.S. forces and a lasting symbol of resistance and resilience. For generations, it was memorialized in American popular culture as “Custer’s Last Stand,” but in recent decades there has been a deliberate shift toward recognizing the battle from Indigenous perspectives, including the addition of the Indian Memorial at the battlefield site.

Native-Led Commemoration

A defining feature of the 150th anniversary was Native-led planning and execution — a stark contrast to the 100th anniversary, which was largely government-run. Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out led planning meetings, declaring: “For the 100th anniversary, the government mostly ran the ceremony. For the 150th, we are going to switch that up. We’re going to rock the battlefield and do it in a good way,” as reported by Buffalo’s Fire.

The National Park Service partnered with tribal nations, descendants, historians, and cultural organizations for the event, which drew up to 10,000 visitors. The battlefield was closed to personal vehicles, with free shuttles transporting attendees from off-site parking.

Voices of Resilience

For many participants, the gathering was a powerful statement of survival. “Today I am celebrating the victory of our people, celebrating my life as a human being and my spot on this earth,” said William Good Bird, a traditional singer from the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation in North Dakota. Gathering at the battlefield, he said, means “we’re still here.”

Russell Eagle Bear of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe echoed 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.’ We want to honor those who lost their lives or helped maintain that battle.”

Jon Eagle Sr., a former Standing Rock tribal historic preservation officer from the Hunkpapa band of the Oceti Sakowin, reflected on the broader meaning: “That’s one of the things that we always tell our people when we come together, is they failed at their attempts to rub us out. We’re still here as ancient people deeply connected to our environment.”

A Contrast with America’s 250th

The 150th anniversary of the battle coincides with America’s 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence — a juxtaposition that many Native participants noted. “It’s just a mark to me of 250 years of injustice to the Native people,” said Jim Real Bird, a Crow tribal member and reenactment coordinator.

Cultural Preservation and Healing

The commemoration emphasized language preservation, oral history documentation, and intergenerational knowledge transfer. Families shared oral histories recorded by Buffalo’s Fire and Grey Willow Studios. The events also included workshops addressing historical trauma, equine therapy demonstrations, and community healing sessions.

“All the other things that are Native American don’t mean nothing if you don’t know your language,” said Real Bird, highlighting the centrality of language preservation to cultural survival.

Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th Keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Pipe, led the Pezishla Woksuya Memorial Ride — a 360-mile, 15-day journey from South Dakota that arrived at the battlefield on June 24. The ride honored ancestors who fought in the battle and underscored the enduring spiritual connection to the land.

Looking Forward

The 150th commemoration represents more than a historical milestone. It marks a reclamation of narrative control by Native communities and a powerful assertion of Indigenous identity and resilience. As historian Dakota Goodhouse, a descendant of Striped Face who fought at the battle, told AP News: “There’s this kind of energy there that still lives on because we have this direct narrative that was handed down.”

For the thousands who gathered on the wind-swept hills of Montana, the anniversary was not merely about remembering a battle — it was about celebrating survival, honoring ancestors, and ensuring that future generations carry forward the story of a people who, despite everything, are still here.