Remembering the fallen warriors of Greasy Grass

For decades, I’ve listened to my tȟuŋwíŋ, Mary Lee Johns, tell stories of our Minnconjou and Itazipcho relatives who eventually settled on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. Not only does she keep the stories alive, but she’s an avid collector of old family photographs. She’s the historian in the family, and she carries a great pride in who our relatives are and what they represented.

The author’s father, Carlin Rave Sr., far right, sits with his great-grandmother, Grows in Day, also known as Lucy Poor Buffalo, circa 1950. She went with her mother to search for her older brother Bear With Horns, after the Battle of the Little Bighorn. (Courtesy of Mary Lee Johns)

At the end of June, thousands of Native people will gather and camp in southeast Montana near the site of the Battle of the Greasy Grass — also known as Custer’s Last Stand or the Battle of the Little Bighorn — to commemorate its 150th anniversary. It’s a reminder not only of a military victory, but also of the importance of Natives staying united, one spirit.

On Memorial Day, my aunt, my family, and I went to the Green Grass Cemetery at Cheyenne River to clean the graves and lay colorful flowers on the burial sites. In that cemetery lie many of my relatives, who represent the spirit of the Lakota and those who did not want to retire to a reservation. They aligned themselves with Chief Sitting Bull to fight for a way of life that included following the buffalo to hunt rather than accepting government rations.

Fights the Thunder had three sons who fought in the Battle of the Greasy Grass on June 25, 1876. His family went to Canada after the battle and returned to the Cheyenne River Reservation in the spring of 1882. (Photo, date unknown, courtesy of Mary Lee Johns)

My family belonged to the Chief Spotted Eagle tiospaye, an extended kinship social structure that defined expected behaviors within the family circle and went beyond blood ties. Fights the Thunder was the brother of Spotted Eagle. Fights the Thunder was the father of my great-great-grandmother, Grows in Day, and her older brothers, Clown, Red Bird, and Bear With Horns. Cleans as She Comes was their mother. They were all in the peaceful camp in southeast Montana on June 25, 1876, when the tipi village was attacked by Gen. George Armstrong Custer’s 7th Cavalry.

The Poor Buffalo and Fights the Thunder family belonged to the Chief Spotted Eagle tiospaye, an extended family and kinship societal structure. Spotted Eagle, Itazipcho, was closely aligned with Chief Sitting Bull. (Photo, date unknown, courtesy of Mary Lee Johns)

My great-great-grandfather, Bear With Horns, died that day on the battlefield of the Greasy Grass. Unci Grows in Day, later known as Lucy Poor Buffalo, was about 7-years old at the time. She was old enough to remember going to the battlefield with her mother after the fighting was over to look for Bear With Horns. She later described the bodies of the cavalrymen as looking like sacks of flour laid out on the rolling hills.

I know this story, and many others, because my aunt Mary Lee and extended family members keep these stories and memories alive. In remembrance of our relatives who died at the Battle of the Greasy Grass, we invite everyone to pay tribute to their relatives who gave their lives that day. We invite those families to post their names on the Buffalo’s Fire Memorial Wall. We’ve created this section and will launch it June 11 in tribute to our relatives. Please share.

Red Bird with his wife, Her Door. Red Bird fought at the Battle of Greasy Grass on June 25, 1876. He is the son of Fights the Thunder and the younger brother of Bear With Horns, who died on the battlefield. (Photo, date unknown, courtesy of Mary Lee Johns)

As a Native journalist, I report on and write about our stories to ensure our voices and perspectives are remembered by future generations. The Buffalo’s Fire reporting team does that on a daily basis. Now we’d like to encourage descendants of the battle to remember in their own way on the Memorial Wall. Friends of the Little Bighorn Battlefield has compiled a list of warriors.

Clown with his wife Iron Cedar, a sister to Crazy Horse. He is the son of Fights the Thunder and fought at the Battle of the Greasy Grass on June 25, 1876. (Photo, date unknown, courtesy of Mary Lee Johns)

We are making the Memorial Wall free and accessible to create a dedicated digital memorial site on the 150th anniversary of this significant event, not only in Native American history but also in Indigenous global history.

We’re proud to share the names of our fallen relatives with the world.

Headstone at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument marks the gravesite of Bear with Horns, son of Cleans As She Comes and Fights the Thunder, who were Minniconjou and Itazipcho Lakota, respectively. Bear With Horns died in battle June 25, 1876. (Photo Buffalo's Fire/Jodi Rave Spotted Bear)

P.S. Our journalism is independent from government funding. Donate now to support Buffalo’s Fire.

Remembering the fallen warriors of Greasy Grass

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