Amelia Schafer
ICT and Rapid City Journal
PINE RIDGE, South Dakota — It’s been 147 years since the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho Nations defeated Gen. George Custer and the Seventh Cavalry in a historic win at the Battle of Greasy Grass, also known as Little Bighorn.
Although it is believed to have been the first time an Indigenous nation ever captured the U.S. flag in battle, the victory is more than a battle for Indigenous people. It was an historic win that guaranteed their sovereignty for generations to come.
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The first-ever Pine Ridge Greasy Grass Victory Day, as it’s known locally, on Sunday, June 25, brought more than 100 community members out for a special parade as well as hand games, bouncy houses, a cornhole tournament, golfing, a community meal and fireworks.
“Our ancestors did a lot for us to survive to this day, and that needs to be honored and recognized,” Oglala Lakota President Frank Star Comes Out told ICT.
For Pine Ridge community members, traveling to the annual celebration at the battle site in Montana can be tough, Star Comes Out said.
“We’ve never had an event like this as a tribe,” he said. “For years I’ve wondered why we never celebrate the greatest victory of our people in our own homelands.”
The Star Comes Out administration decided that this year would be the first local celebration of the victory at Little Bighorn, allowing community members to celebrate their ancestors without traveling.
It was officially named the Battle of Little Bighorn Commemoration 2023.
“Even though we’re poor financially, we are rich in tradition, spirituality and we’re strong to this day and it shows,” Star Comes Out said. “We’re always drawn back… Social gatherings just bring us all together.”
A legacy of resilience
The Battle of Little Bighorn, fought on June 25,1876, took place in what is today southeastern Montana, about 350 miles from Pine Ridge.
The battle itself lasted about an hour, and Custer’s forces of about 210 men were overwhelmed by the force of the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho Nations. All of the Seventh Cavalry, including Custer, were killed, according to the National Parks Service.
Celebrating the victory had been a priority for the Star Comes Out administration, but the past six months since Star Comes Out took office have been hectic. In late January the Oglala Nation issued a state of emergency after severe winter weather left citizens stranded in their homes, some without heat or electricity. In March, a bill to establish a taskforce for addressing the welfare of Native children was killed by the South Dakota House of Representatives.
Nonetheless, officials pulled together the event.
“It’s been one heck of a rollercoaster,” Star Comes Out said.
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Now, nearly six months later, the community was able to come together and celebrate their resilience.
“We’d like to tell our story today, this day, to the rest of the world,” Star Comes Out said. “We were able to put up the greatest fight and we were victorious in fighting for our way of life and we want to honor our ancestors.”
Honoring the warriors
In the afternoon on June 25, a dozen floats lined up by the Pine Ridge Indian Health Service building to prepare for the first-ever parade.
Community members, from elders to toddlers, lined up along Main Street starting at 3 p.m. in anticipation of the parade, with bags to store the candy they’d receive. All of Main Street from IHS to the powwow grounds were lined with families waiting for the floats to pass by.
“Today is a victorious day,” Pass Creek district representative Anna Holverson said. “It’s a proud day to be Lakota.”
In addition to the games and other events, an Indian horse relay race at Three Moccasin Park had been planned for the celebration but had to be canceled after heavy rainfall the night before. The races have been rescheduled for the park south of Pine Ridge on Saturday, July 1, at 1 p.m. Mountain Time.
Officials are already looking ahead to next year.
“It’s going to be bigger and better every year from here on out,” said Wakpamni district representative Don Roy “Cubby” Ghost Bear, who orchestrates the Indian races.
This story is co-published by the Rapid City Journal and ICT, a news partnership that covers Indigenous communities in the South Dakota area.
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