Hearing All American Voices: Interpreting the Little Bighorn

Abstract

The true nature of the events of June 25, 1876, continues to elude us. To this day Custer buffs, Native Americans, and professional historians alike debate what actually transpired beside a certain Montana river which witnessed so much bloodshed and so little clarity. Was it a horrible massacre, or a great victory? As a multi-racial and multi-ethnic nation, we have failed to reach any consensus. We cannot even agree if that meandering river should be called the Greasy Grass or the little Bighorn.