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Crazy Horse Rushmore
A recently constructed memorial of Native American leader Crazy Horse has been built near Mount Rushmore and is attracting visitors in droves. While many Native Americans make the pilgrimage to see the memorials, people of all races seem to be drawn to the magnetic presence of the memorial, just as people were drawn to Crazy Horse in life.
The Crazy Horse Memorial
While the memorial is still in the early stages of construction, those who have visited the site say that the sculpture is already a sight to behold. When the memorial, carved into Thunderhead Mountain, is finished the dimensions will be huge, larger than the Sphinx in Egypt. Builders expect that the sculpture will be 641 feet wide and 563 feet tall, which is larger than the Washington Monument. The monument shows Crazy Horse on horseback pointing to the West, the wind in his hair. An interesting tidbit about the memorial is that it is completely privately funded, receiving no state or federal funds.
Controversy
While many believe that this memorial to Crazy Horse is a great idea, there are retractors, many of them Native Americans themselves. In life, Crazy Horse was a very private man, refusing to even be photographed. In fact, his burial location remains hidden, according to his own specifications. There is also the controversy surrounding the site of the memorial. Thunderhead Mountain is considered a sacred place to the Lakota and other Native Americans in the area, and many resent the fact that it is being carved into pieces, even if it is an Indian leader being memorialized. Some Native Americans have compared this to Christians carving into Zion in Israel. Though controversy reigns, the building of this memorial has gone on for decades, and doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
Crazy Horse in Life
As mentioned earlier, Crazy Horse was a very private man, but that was only one side of his multi faceted character. Crazy Horse achieved powerful renown in both Native American and white communities despite living only around 33 years. Crazy Horse is most well known for the part he played in the Battle of Little Big Horn, where Lakota (Ogala Sioux) warriors killed General Custer and his company of soldiers. Many accounts show that Crazy Horse was an uncommonly handsome and polite man, a true leader. Those leadership qualities no doubt led to his death in 1877. After a harsh winter, Crazy Horse led his tribe of more than 1,000 members to the Red Cloud reservation where he was captured and shot while reportedly trying to make an escape.
The Crazy Horse Memorial
While the memorial is still in the early stages of construction, those who have visited the site say that the sculpture is already a sight to behold. When the memorial, carved into Thunderhead Mountain, is finished the dimensions will be huge, larger than the Sphinx in Egypt. Builders expect that the sculpture will be 641 feet wide and 563 feet tall, which is larger than the Washington Monument. The monument shows Crazy Horse on horseback pointing to the West, the wind in his hair. An interesting tidbit about the memorial is that it is completely privately funded, receiving no state or federal funds.
Controversy
While many believe that this memorial to Crazy Horse is a great idea, there are retractors, many of them Native Americans themselves. In life, Crazy Horse was a very private man, refusing to even be photographed. In fact, his burial location remains hidden, according to his own specifications. There is also the controversy surrounding the site of the memorial. Thunderhead Mountain is considered a sacred place to the Lakota and other Native Americans in the area, and many resent the fact that it is being carved into pieces, even if it is an Indian leader being memorialized. Some Native Americans have compared this to Christians carving into Zion in Israel. Though controversy reigns, the building of this memorial has gone on for decades, and doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
Crazy Horse in Life
As mentioned earlier, Crazy Horse was a very private man, but that was only one side of his multi faceted character. Crazy Horse achieved powerful renown in both Native American and white communities despite living only around 33 years. Crazy Horse is most well known for the part he played in the Battle of Little Big Horn, where Lakota (Ogala Sioux) warriors killed General Custer and his company of soldiers. Many accounts show that Crazy Horse was an uncommonly handsome and polite man, a true leader. Those leadership qualities no doubt led to his death in 1877. After a harsh winter, Crazy Horse led his tribe of more than 1,000 members to the Red Cloud reservation where he was captured and shot while reportedly trying to make an escape.