Why Native Americans Celebrated the Battle of the Greasy Grass

Opinion

Last Thursday, thousands gathered for the reenactment of the battleground of the Battle of the Greasy Grass. In American history books, the battle is more commonly known as the Battle of the Little Bighorn. They were there to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the battle that left General George Armstrong Custer dead.

The difference in names matters.

The traditional name reflects whose story is being told.

On June 25–26, 1876, Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors achieved one of the most significant military victories ever won by Indigenous people against the United States Army. Led by leaders such as Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Gall, Two Moon, and others, Native warriors defeated Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and the Seventh Cavalry along the banks of the Greasy Grass River in present-day Montana.

For generations, Americans were taught to view Custer as a tragic hero and the battle as a shocking defeat for a young nation expanding westward. Hollywood reinforced that mythology with films that portrayed Native people as obstacles to progress rather than human beings defending their homelands.

With the rise of the Red Power movement and the American Indian Movement (AIM) during the late 1960s, a common slogan, “Custer Had It Coming,” could be seen on T-shirts and bumper stickers. The band Redbone even recorded a song titled “Custer Had It Coming.”

The rise of the movement gave Native Americans an opportunity to take pride in their history and help set the record straight.

From a Native perspective, the Battle of the Greasy Grass was never about defeating a famous military officer. It was about survival and honor. A perspective that was passed down through the generations within the tribes who fought in the battle.

The Lakota and Cheyenne were not seeking war. They were defending treaty lands guaranteed to them under the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. That treaty recognized the Black Hills and vast surrounding territories as belonging to the Lakota people. When gold was discovered in the Black Hills, the United States chose greed over its treaty obligations.

Instead of honoring its agreements, federal officials demanded that Native people surrender their lands. When many bands refused, the U.S. military was sent to force compliance.

The Battle of the Greasy Grass was the direct result of that betrayal.

For Native Americans, celebrating the battle is not about glorifying violence. It is about honoring resistance. It is about remembering the courage of ancestors who stood together against overwhelming odds and defended their way of life.

The victory itself was short-lived. Within months, the federal government unleashed a massive military campaign against the Lakota and Cheyenne. Native communities faced relentless attacks, starvation, imprisonment, and forced relocation. The Black Hills were seized despite treaty protections. The United States eventually won the war.

Yet Native people remember that for two remarkable days in June 1876, Indigenous nations demonstrated unity, strength, and determination in defense of their sovereignty.

That lesson remains relevant today.

Native nations continue to fight for treaty rights, land protection, water security, cultural preservation, and self-determination. The battlegrounds have changed—from the fights between the 7th Cavalry and Native nations on the Great Plains to courtrooms, congressional hearing rooms, and federal agencies—but the struggle to protect Native rights continues. It is all part of defending tribal sovereignty.

The Battle of the Greasy Grass reminds us that Native people were never passive victims of history. We were active participants in shaping it.

Too often, American history celebrates conquest while minimizing resistance. The Greasy Grass challenges that narrative. It forces the country to confront uncomfortable truths about broken treaties, land theft, and the human cost of Manifest Destiny.

For Native people, remembering the battle is also an act of cultural survival. Every story told about Sitting Bull’s vision, Crazy Horse’s bravery, or the unity of the tribal encampments helps preserve Indigenous perspectives that were once deliberately excluded from classrooms and textbooks.

Today, visitors to the battlefield can hear Native voices interpreting the events alongside military accounts. That change reflects a broader recognition that history is more complete when multiple perspectives are included.

The Battle of the Greasy Grass does not symbolize the end of Native nations. It symbolizes our endurance.

One hundred fifty years later, Native nations still exist. Our tribal governments remain. Our languages are being revitalized. Our cultures continue to thrive. Our young people are learning the stories of their ancestors.

That is why Native Americans celebrated the Battle of the Greasy Grass.

Not because it was a victory over one man.

But because it was a victory for Indigenous sovereignty, courage, and resistance against injustice.

And because every generation deserves to know that there was a time when Native nations stood together on the banks of the Greasy Grass and reminded the world that we would not surrender our homelands without a fight.

Thayék gde nwéndëmen – We are all related.

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