Crow Dog
Crow Dog was a prominent Brule Sioux war chief, born at Horse Stealing Creek in the Montana Territory into a lineage of esteemed warriors. He is historically noted for his involvement in significant events during the late 19th century, including being present at the killing of Crazy Horse at Fort Robinson in 1877, where he played a role in preventing a retaliatory attack on soldiers. Crow Dog became police chief at the Rosebud Reservation from 1879 to 1880, during which he assassinated fellow chief Spotted Tail, whom he accused of corrupt practices related to tribal land sales. Following this act, Crow Dog was convicted of murder but was ultimately exonerated by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that the territorial government lacked jurisdiction over his crime.
In addition to his contentious political actions, Crow Dog was instrumental in the spread of the Ghost Dance religion among the Lakota, which he learned from Short Bull. He was a vocal opponent of U.S. military occupation of reservations and remained a steadfast figure until after the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890. In his later years, Crow Dog lived peacefully on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, leaving behind a complex legacy intertwined with the struggles and resistance of the Lakota people.
Crow Dog
- Born: c. 1835
- Birthplace: Horse Stealing Creek, Montana
- Died: 1911
- Place of death: Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota
Category: Warrior chief
Tribal affiliation: Brule Sioux
Significance: Crow Dog, a Sioux, was an important figure in the Ghost Dance phenomenon of 1890
Crow Dog was present when Crazy Horse was killed at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, in
1877; he helped prevent a retaliatory attack on soldiers at the fort. He was
police chief at the Rosebud Reservation in 1879-1880, during which time he
assassinated Spotted Tail.
Crow Dog was born at Horse Stealing Creek, Montana Territory, into a family of esteemed warriors. Before submitting to reservation life, he made his reputation in battle. As the Sioux were confined on reservations following the Battle of the Little Bighorn, dissension rose between some of their leaders. On one occasion, Red Cloud accused Spotted Tail of pocketing the proceeds from a sale of tribal land. Crow Dog heard rumors that Spotted Tail was selling Lakota land to the railroads and building himself an enormous white-styled mansion with the proceeds. In mid-July of 1880, Spotted Tail was called before the general council by Crow Dog’s White Horse Group, where he denied the charges. The council voted to retain him as head chief, but Crow Dog continued to assert the chief’s complicity in various crimes against the people. Crow Dog carried out his own sentence on Spotted Tail, executing him on August 5, 1881. Blood money was paid in traditional Brule fashion for the crime. Crow Dog was convicted of murder in a Dakota Territory court, but he was later freed on order of the U.S. Supreme Court when it ruled that the territorial government had no jurisdiction over the crime (Ex parte Crow Dog, 1883).
Later, Crow Dog was one of the leaders in spreading the Ghost Dance religion among the Lakota; he had adopted the religion from Short Bull. Crow Dog vociferously opposed army occupation of South Dakota Indian reservations and was one of the last holdouts after the massacre at Wounded Knee during December of 1890. He spent the last years of his life in relative peace on the Rosebud Sioux reservation in South Dakota.