MikeDunnAuthorToday in Labor History June 25, 1876: The Battle of Little Big Horn began, when warriors from the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes routed the U.S. 7th Cavalry, led by George Armstrong Custer, who died in the battle. Indigenous chiefs who contributed to the victory include Crazy Horse, Gall, and Sitting Bull. The U.S. was trying to force the indigenous tribes onto reservations, so they’d have unencumbered access to the gold in the Black Hills. Many women participated in the battle, including Pretty Nose, an Arapaho chief who lived to be 101 years old.
A full account of the battle can be read in Dee Brown’s 1970 book: “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.” The 1964 novel, “Little Big Man” by Thomas Berger and the 1970 film “Little Big Man” (starring Dustin Hoffman) depict the battle in a more comical manner. The film version includes the Little Horse, a Two Spirit/trans character, played by indigenous actor Robert Little Star. Hemaneh (the Cheyenne word for two-spirit people) were critical to Cheyenne culture. They were respected physicians and healers, counselors, and leaders. While the inclusion of a trans character in a mainstream 1970 Hollywood film might seem pretty bold, Hemaneh writer Adrian L. Jawort points out that the Little Horse character is primarily the object of ridicule in the film.
You can read Jawort’s article An Indigenous perspective on “Disclosure: Trans lives on screen”
here: https://ictnews.org/opinion/an-indigenous-perspective-on-disclosure-trans-lives-on-screen/
#workingclass #LaborHistory #littlebighorn #indigenous #genocide #nativeamerican #custer #twospirit #hemaneh #cheyenne #lakota #sioux #arapaho
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