
Joe Medicine Crow, the Last Link to the Battle of Little Big Horn, Dies at 102 - protomyth
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/04/04/joe-medicine-crow-a-war-chief-historian-and-the-last-link-to-the-battle-of-little-big-horn-dies-at-102/
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peatmoss
The quote in there from Chief Plenty Coup really resonates with me. I grew up
in that part of the world, and attended high school with a member of the Crow
tribe. He was the nicest, hardest working kid I knew. His parents drilled the
idea into his head that he'd have to work twice as hard as the white kids to
be half as successful.

Even by the 90s, when I knew Crow kids, "second class" doesn't even begin to
describe the discrimination they faced. "Prairie nigger" is a term that got
thrown around--and wasn't objected to by a sitting US senator.

As far as I can tell, things haven't improved. My nephews' dad is native by
race, but was raised by adoptive white parents. Looking "half Indian" nets all
kind of assumptions--some innocuous but cringeworthy, others pretty ugly.

I don't know what the right answer is, but the US needs to figure out how to
be less shitty to its indigenous peoples. New Zealand is far from perfect, but
from my observations there, engagement with Māori is miles better than
anything here.

~~~
honua
It's pretty coarse to use the full N word, even in quotes.

~~~
peatmoss
I can understand where that word could be offensive even in this context. I
don't feel particularly comfortable using the word in any context. I
considered censoring, but in the end decided that "prairie n-word" was a bit
too euphemistic compared to the actual usage. These are northerners who, in
this century, understand the full context and ugliness of the term, and choose
to use it anyway. Apologies to anyone offended by my quoting it.

~~~
rybosome
Having given it considerable thought, I have come to the conclusion that I
will use words like that in academic or quotational contexts, but only if I'm
with company who will understand my intentions and not be offended. Although I
value clarity and the ability to have thoughtful, dispassionate discussion of
sensitive topics, I do not want to be an asshole, nor do I want to give the
impression that I think casual usage of these terms is acceptable. Some would
say that I have no right to use these terms at all, but I don't feel this is
reasonable (though I won't argue this point or attempt to use such words in
front of those who hold this view). The primary reason not to use these words
is to avoid inflicting pain and perpetuating intolerance, but if my wife and I
are having a private discussion about, say, homophobia, and I recant a story
that involves the quotation of a slur, I am hurting no one and perpetuating
nothing.

I would personally have elected not to use it in this case given the wide
audience, but I understand that the context was not hateful and it was being
used to illuminate a real situation and promote discussion. Just my opinion,
not a permission slip obviously.

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peter303
Historians call this "living memory", either direct witness of events up to
105 years ago, or had talked to a direct winess of events, up to 200 years
ago. anything more indirect is oral or recorded history.

For example I am old enough to have seen the last living Civil War veterans
and slaves talk about their experiences.

Ive read we tend tomonly know our ancestors up to the living history limit, an
no further, unless s/he was a very notable person. We might have heard our
grandparents stories about their grandparents.

Republican Rome held a living history party called The Jubilee. A new Jubilee
was held when last person who remembered the previous Jubilee died. (It
gradually got debased to celebration of a leader who ruled for a long time.)

Only two ladies are alive from the 1800s, but dont remember it.

~~~
sevenfive_
Source for Jubilee? Googling it yields nothing but the christian version.

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_lh7z
Reading stories about the life of a 102 year old man really evokes feelings of
inconsequentiality. I used to get the same feelings listening to my
grandfather talk about World War II (which he didn't do often, but enough that
I have memories of it), but not to this extent because I was younger and
didn't know what my life would hold. As more years pass, I realize how little
I've done... seen... and the smallness of impact my life has had.

This could make me sad, but instead I feel somewhat inspired by the character
and life course of a person like this.

~~~
anexprogrammer
You perhaps get less opportunity for heroism, but on the whole be thankful for
your small impact I think.

One common thread from both dad talking of WW2 and grandfather of WW1 was a
lifelong cynicism of all things political. My Uncle was in Burma and got to
see the River Kwai bridge as a prisoner. He _never_ talked of the war. I only
learned of this from dad, but was asked never to mention it. I wish I had
chance to talk more in my 30s and 40s when my perspective had matured.

I think I'm quite glad I never lived through events of that magnitude now I've
matured past "Oooh I could have flown a Spitfire" of childhood. Despite the
terrorism in the media constantly, we're in far safer times.

I am saddened to read in this thread that we seem to have still not figured
out how to treat indigenous people well.

~~~
_lh7z
I'm very grateful we live in safer times, in part because people like our
fathers, grandfathers, and Joe Medicine Crow participated in wars so that we
(hopefully) never again have to. I think the twinges of existential crisis
mostly come from the idea that I'm mostly just sitting and fiddling with bits
of code, many of which will not benefit the world in any great way.

Of course, it's stories like this one and others that serve to remind me that
maybe I could, or should, contribute to something more positive and
beneficial.

And I fully agree with your last point too.

~~~
hyperliner
We don't live in safer times. Times are as dangerous as before. The difference
is that there are a group of volunteers who fight the wars so that the rest
can pretend the world is safer.

The world would appear less safe to you if you, or someone close to you, were
required to serve and fight the wars.

~~~
protomyth
Reflected in: _handwritten sign in a US military facility in Ramadi, Iraq. The
sign read, "America is not at war. The Marine Corps is at war; America is at
the mall."_ from a Boston Globe article in their paid archive.

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strictnein
> After a moment’s tussle, he grabbed the man’s neck. “I was ready to kill
> him,” he said.

> And then the German yelled, “Mama.”

> “That word ‘Mama,’ opened my ears. I let him go.”

Stuff like this really gets to me, for some reason.

~~~
pchristensen
Hey, it worked on Batman too.

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fapjacks
I married a woman who was raised on the Crow reservation. Her and her brother
were mostly white, but they were members of the tribe. Interestingly, at the
time we married, I was a Cavalry Scout with the US Army (19D secondary MOS,
11B primary). Anyways, stories still pervade that culture. Everybody knows
what it takes to become a war chief. I believe there will be another in the
future at some point. The circumstances get more difficult to fulfill, but I
do think there will be another one day. Also interesting is the "generally
known, accepted fact" of Custer having been killed while wading through the
river by himself and with one other soldier (bearing the standard), apparently
leading the charge into the village. He did not die on the hill. Also, it's
told that he was mighty drunk when that happened.

~~~
protomyth
1/4 blood quota is what most tribes require to be tribal members. If you have
children, its worth the effort to make sure the kids are listed by the tribe
even if they don't make the blood quota. Some schools get extra money on
decedents for certain programs.

~~~
fapjacks
I believe for the Crow tribe, it's 1/8 blood to enroll. If I had had children
with my ex-wife, our kids would have been able to enroll, and I would have
enrolled them. You're absolutely right, that there are some good benefits to
being enrolled in a tribe.

~~~
protomyth
Interesting, the Chippewa go with the 1/4 rule, and I'm 1/8 so I got all the
"fun" of the Rez and not much of the upside. Plus, it was a Dakota rez instead
of home country. Sorry it didn't work out.

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tyh
I will always remember the episode in the Ken Burns' documentary "The War",
when he describes his service during the Second World War and how somewhat
unbeknownst to himself, he became the last war Crow chief.

~~~
zhemao
His retelling of the incident in which he stole 50 horses from some SS
officers was especially memorable.

~~~
protomyth
And if you saw it in a movie most would say how full of BS it was. I do love
the world because some truths are weirder than fiction. Plus, a Crow war cry
echoing in Europe makes me giggle.

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deadowl
I don't understand why they're calling him the last link to the Battle of
Little Big Horn. He was born in 1913, well after the Battle of Little Big
Horn.

~~~
protomyth
He heard the stories directly from the participants in the battle and was the
last Crow war chief thus breaking the line with his death. The Herman Viola
quote is fitting, but probably should have something about him seeing quite
clearly what was needed for his tribe in the future.

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Nutmog
How can they glorify war so much without making a clear distinction of which
side is right and which side is wrong? If you're on the wrong side of a war,
then stealing a horse, invading someone else's territory or killing soldiers
are absolutely wrong things to do and having a tradition of violence and crime
doesn't somehow make it OK. We don't give ISIS soldiers that same kind of
respect because we feel they're on the wrong side. How can we expect to be
capable of judging every ancient Indian war and knowing that the Crow family
was always on the right side? Even in WWII it wasn't clear at the time.

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davedx
I finished reading "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" a few days ago. It was
emotionally draining reading the history of the native Americans'
extermination by the colonialism of the USA in the 19th century. It's
surprising there are any left living today given how they were treated.

There are some books that I believe everybody should read, this is one of
them.

R.I.P.

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bluejekyll
The requirement of the horse in the requirement is odd: "The last prehistoric
North American horses died out between 13,000 and 11,000 years ago, at the end
of the Pleistocene, but by then Equus had spread to Asia, Europe, and Africa"
[1]

For a significant portion of the Native Americans existence in America, there
were no horses. They were introduced back into the environment by Europeans.

Which means this rule for becoming chief hasn't always been part of the
requirements. It was added sometime in more recent history, and implies that
the definition is probably being followed too strictly.

This is like translating holy books literally, when they were written in
completely different contexts. I'm sure the tribe could vote to change the
definition to bring it up do date, yet still maintain the ideal.

[1][http://m.livescience.com/9589-surprising-history-america-
wil...](http://m.livescience.com/9589-surprising-history-america-wild-
horses.html)

~~~
protomyth
You read a bit too much into an English translation of a set of rules that
predates their use of English. I'm pretty sure the words for a lot of 4 legged
animals are related by root word in Crow the same way they are in Dakota.
There wouldn't be any vote, the tribal elders would decide, and I am guessing
camels or yaks would qualify if it came up.

~~~
bluejekyll
Fair enough. Do you know what other domestic animals would have qualified as a
replacement in the language at the time?

~~~
protomyth
Dog comes to mind first, stealing those would tick someone off a lot. Like the
horses later, it was what you brought hunting and was a companion animal.
Horse and dog are 1 word difference in Dakota: sunka (dog) vs. sunka wakan
(horse). S is a sh sound, emphasis is 2nd syllable.

[edit: of course I'm not Crow, I grew up with their rivals]

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sunstone
Wow, so he would have been born about a year before Einstein discovered
General Relativity.

