Crazy Horse and Black Buffalo Woman
No Water and Oglala's Strange Man Grapple to Marry Red Cloud's Niece
Jul 10, 2008
Like many other young warriors, Crazy Horse had courted Black Buffalo Woman according to the Sioux tradition. However, he did not possess the political/family ties that she possessed.
Sioux Tribal Politcal Ties and Red Cloud
Red Cloud held chief status of the Bad Faces, a Sioux warrior group. He was also gaining popularity as a statesman with the white enemy, and Black Buffalo woman was his niece.
No Water was a man of standing within the Bad Faces Sioux circle--a known warrior, owner of many ponies and closely associated with Red Cloud. Crazy Horse did not possess the same relationship with Red Cloud that No Water possessed.
No Water's Treachery and Black Buffalo Woman
Several Sioux warriors formed a hunting party against their enemy, the Crows. No Water and Crazy Horse participated. As they approached the Crow camp No Water held his hand to his jaw claiming he suffered from a severe toothache:
...for his medicine was the two fierce teeth of the grizzly, and this was a warning.
Everyone knew that he needed to return to the village for another warrior, in a different battle, had...pain in his hand, and his medicine was the forefoot of the spotted tail, racoon. This particular warrior ignored the warning and was killed in battle. Therefore, it seemed appropriate for No Water to return to camp.
Crazy Horse heard about the marriage between Black Buffalo Woman and No Water after the Crow raid. He shunned the war celebrations of the evening to reflect upon the nature of the day's events.
Crazy Horse and Black Buffalo Woman Elope
Sioux women could divorce their husbands. Black Buffalo Woman chose to do this. Along with Crazy Horse they left the village to participate in a buffalo hunt. Crazy Horse was thrilled that finally she was his wife.
No Water had other plans. On the second evening of the hunt, when Crazy Horse and others were resting beside a fire, No Water shot him in the face just under his nose. Though a painful recovery, Crazy Horse survived the shooting with a noticeable scar.
Black Buffalo Woman Returns to No Water
No Water believed he had killed Crazy Horse. He fled the area fearing revenge from Crazy Horse's friends and Little Hawk, Crazy Horse's brother.
Crazy Horse was devestated to learn that Black Buffalo Woman had returned to No Water. He wanted to fight. However, his father's counsel explained, to pursue a fight would only result in negative consequences for the tribe. Supporters on both sides would seek retribution not to mention the political interests tied up in the union. Evidently, Red Cloud did not want any interference with his increase in power and status. Crazy Horse was a threat to him.
...it is not the woman, but the power within her tracks...the fight would be for that....
Crazy Horse Marries
Accepting, finally, that No Water refused to release Black Buffalo Woman, Crazy Horse eventually found love with Black Shawl. Together they had a daughter named, They Are Afraid of Her who died (at about two years of age) from a white man's disease the Sioux called, the coughing sickness.
Shortly before he died another wife entered the Crazy Horse tepee, Nellie Laravie. They did not have children. It was not uncommon for the Sioux men to have more than one wife. Crazy Horse was a devoted husband and father.
Source
Mari Sandoz, Crazy Horse, Strange Man of the Oglalas, University of Nebraska Press, 1992, Lincoln and London, pgs. 132-242.
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