S
TEALING A HORSE FROM or running off the herd of an enemy, is both honorable and brave, traits to which all the Lakota aspire. From the earliest days I can remember, my father told me of the brave deeds and exploits of warriors, inspiring me to be diligent in all of my lessons, so when I finally became a man, I would do nothing to dishonor my father or my tribe. I was taught to fight and live with honor, making me wary and disdainful of cowards, liars, and thieves. Paha Sapa—The Black Hills—is the center of the world, as far as we are concerned. When I was a little boy, the white men invaded our sacred mountains, and the Lakota united as one in beating them back, chasing them out of Paha Sapa. We continued to punish the bluecoat soldiers until the government of the United States signed a treaty forbidding any white person from entering, mining, or attempting to settle in Paha Sapa. The treaty gave Paha Sapa to the Lakota forever. It was a lesson in infinity however, because forever only lasted a few years. Paha Sapa had become personal to me last summer when I went to find my spirit animal, which would
become my name as an adult male in my tribe, the Oglala Lakota. I’d been called Smiling Racoon since I was born, and my time had come to become a man. I went into Paha Sapa with my knife, a bow and arrows, and the clothes I had on. The medicine man had blessed me and given me my instructions. I did what every male adult of my tribe had done since the beginning of memory—a boy goes out into the wilderness alone and returns to the tribe as a man. It should have been a glorious and important occasion for me, but instead it was overshadowed by the doings of a thief. General Custer was known to us as Pahuska—Long Hair—and he was a proven thief, liar, and coward, traits which were despised by the Lakota. He’d led an expedition into Paha Sapa and reported to his government “there’s gold from the grass roots down.” He’d cut a road into Paha Sapa, which was known as The Thief’s Road and seekers of gold and riches soon inundated our sacred mountains, forcing us to fight when we could, and retreat when we couldn’t. I came to be a man at the wrong time. When I went off by myself, I ate only enough to survive, concentrating more on communing with
