Read Crow Dog : Four Generations of Sioux Medicine Men (9780062200143) for Free Online Page B

angry, because Medicine Bear was a relative and friend of his. When Crow Dog and Spotted Tail next met, they quarreled. They dared each other, ‘Go ahead and shoot!’ In the end they walked away from each other. This is one of many such stories about them, and it’s hard to tell which of them are true. The anger between the two men had grown so hot that it became a matter of life and death.
    “On August 5, 1881, Crow Dog and Spotted Tail met for the last time. On this day Crow Dog took the seats and wagon box from his buggy to load it up with firewood for the agency. That’s how he made his living. He was then no longer chief of the tribal police. He and his wife delivered the wood and started driving home. Near the council house Crow Dog stopped and got down from the wagon and knelt to tie his moccasins, whose strings had come loose. At this moment Spotted Tail came out of the council house. There had been a meeting, and hot words had been exchanged. Spotted Tail was so angry he jumped on his horse and took off. Two Strikes, He Dog, and Ring Thunder followed a little behind the chief. Farther back, at the tail end, came Turning Bear.
    “Spotted Tail came riding down the road and saw Crow Dog tying his moccasins. He said, ‘This is the day when Crow Dog and I will meet as men!’ Grandma called out to warn Crow Dog. Crow Dog got up and drew his gun, which was hanging at the side of the wagon. It was a Winchester. Spotted Tail went for his six-shooter, but Crow Dog was faster. He hit the chief in the chest above the heart. Spotted Tail fell from his horse. But he got up and walked a few steps toward Crow Dog. He was still holding onto his six-gun. But then he fell down once more—dead. My grandmother stood up on the wagon frame and Turning Bear shot at her. He missed. In Rosebud they heard the shots and some of Spotted Tail’s men mounted up to go after Crow Dog. My grandma told Crow Dog to ride one of the team horses, so she had just one horse to pull the wagon. Crow Dog whipped the other horse and made it back to his place. His wife soon came back with the wagon. They hadn’t laid a hand on her. Nobody bothered them for a while. Nobody wanted to go to Crow Dog’s home, because they were afraid he might try to kill somebody.
    “It was all very sad. Crow Dog and Spotted Tail were related. As young men they had fought side by side. Without the wasichu coming in, maybe they could have remained friends, instead of becoming enemies.
    “The Spotted Tails are still around, just as we are. They have their own way of telling this story. That’s their right. We don’t fight anymore. When we meet we shake hands, talk about the weather or who will be the next tribal chairman. We speak the same language and have the same problems. We are friends now.
    “While the killing of a Crow Indian or a white soldier was a brave deed, killing a man of one’s own tribe was the worst thing a man could do. Black Crow, a member of Spotted Tail’s band, was Crow Dog’s close friend. When he heard about the killing he rode to Crow Dog’s place, offering to help. He said to Crow Dog, ‘Cousin, before the white man’s law does anything to you, you must purify yourself.’ So he made a new sweat lodge and the two of them went in. But before they did, Black Crow loaded up Crow Dog’s gun and made Crow Dog shoot it four times into the sacred rocks as they were being heated up for the sweat. That way the spirit of Spotted Tail wouldn’t bother Crow Dog. Then they had a real hot sweat and purified themselves.
    “Spotted Tail’s relations painted the dead chief’s face red and put some buffalo fat into his mouth so that he would have plenty to eat on his journey along Tacanku Wanagi, the Spirit Trail. Then they put him on a scaffold after the traditional manner. The agent didn’t like it and told them to take him down and bury him in the Christian way. So they took him from the scaffold and buried him on that hill overlooking the agency