On June 25, 26, and 27, 2026, the National Park Service, in partnership with Tribal Nations, descendants, historians, elected officials, authors, military representatives, and cultural organizations, will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The observance will provide opportunities for reflection, education, and cultural exchange.
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, fought on June 25–26, 1876, in what is now southeastern Montana, was a major conflict between the combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes and the 7th U.S. Cavalry under Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. The battle took place during rising tensions over U.S. efforts to force Native nations onto reservations following the discovery of gold in the Black Hills, a region sacred to the Lakota.
Custer divided his regiment and launched an attack on a large encampment of Native families and warriors along the Little Bighorn River, but his forces were overwhelmed and defeated in what became one of the most well-known Indigenous military victories in North American history. The engagement resulted in the deaths of Custer and many of his men, and it remains a defining and heavily studied moment in U.S. and Native American history, symbolizing both Indigenous resistance and the escalating conflict over land, sovereignty, and U.S. expansion.
Event Details
June 25, 2026
Commemoration and Remembrance
Opening Ceremonies
- Parade of Nations and Tribal Flags
- 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment Color Guard (Garryowen), 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas
- Tribal Veteran Color Guards Representing Various Affiliated Tribal Nations
- Flyover by the Montana Air National Guard’s 120th Airlift Wing
- Opening Prayer by Chief Arvol Looking Horse
- Welcome by Crow Tribal Chairman Frank Whiteclay
Featured Participants and Presentations
- Chairman Ryman LeBeau (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe)
- Vice President Ernest Littlemouth (Northern Cheyenne Tribe)
- Governor Reggie Wassana (Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma)
- Dr. Leo Killsback – Northern Cheyenne Author
- Paul Hutton Buffalo Bill Center Curator “Little Bighorn: Triumph and Tragedy”
- Henry Real Bird
- Trina Lone Hill – Descendant and Oglala Sioux Tribe 5th Member
- Chief Phillip Whiteman Jr.
- Dale Old Horn
- Gay Kingman Great Plains Tribal Chairmans Assoc Executive Director
- Donovin Sprague Sheridan College Professor
June 26, 2026
Historical Perspectives and Legacy
Featured Participants and Presentations
- Honoring Thomas Marquis By Eugene Little Coyote
- Douglas Scott & Melissa Connor “Revealing the Battlefield: How Archaeology Shaped the Battle Narrative”
- Remembering Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell By Dion Killsback
- Crazy Horse Hunkpatila Oyate — Elvyn Douglas Bissonette and Howard Little Hawk
June 27, 2026
Reflection and Continuing Legacy
Featured Participants and Presentations
- Message from Friends of Little Bighorn President Bob Reece
- Parallels of Washita — NPS Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, NPS Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe
- Dr. Lilah Morton Pengra on Isaiah Dorman
- Dale Old Horn- Crow Historian
- 7th Cavalry Descendants Joseph J. Godfrey and Edward C. Godfrey
- Final Reflections: The Meaning of Little Bighorn 150 Years Later – A Panel of Tribal Voices
Throughout the Anniversary
- Tribal Descendant Presentations
- Cavalry Descendant Presentations
- Tribal Cultural Demonstrations
- Traditional Drum Groups
- Youth and Community Programs
- Park Ranger Programs and Battlefield Interpretation
- Special Exhibits and Partner Organization Displays
Cultural Booths
- Brinton Museum
- Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
- Inter Tribal Buffalo Council
- Museum of the Rockies
