The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1893-12-02
DEATH OF A BIG INDIAN.
The Hereditary Chief OF the Sioux
Nation.


r-..
=. c.v.-,or,
R.cora..
rrbera WAS a funeral at the Pine
Ridge Agency = few weeks 400 of nm
indian chief who was a brave warrior.
and as great in diplomacv as he was in
battle.
His name was Young. Man. Afraid-of-
Uis-Uorses. and he was the hereditary
chief of the whole Sioux nation. He
was fifty-eipht wears of age at the time
of his death. and was son of the ia
nous old warrior "A-Man-Afraid-of
His Horses" who died in 1889 at the
age of ninety-two, and whose life is
intimately connected with the frontier
history of this country since the early
DAYS of the century.
When an Indian wants to emphasize
a fact strongly. he says the exact OPP
posite of what he means, and so the
name of the dead chief is a specimen
of Indian satire.
His father, in his fights with other
Indians, adopted the tactics of the
whites. The usual method of the In
dians is to ride in circles around the
object of attack, narrowing the diam
eter of the circle as the fight proceeds.
But the father used the regulation
cavalry charge-a method of warfare
that at once distinguished him, and he
was given a name which meant "a
man of whose horses the enemy is
afraid" The Sioux satirist thought to
improve on this and condensed it to:
"A-AIan-Afraid-of- His Horses"
The old mans son, the chief now
dead, continued his fathers system of
tactics. and. with the chieftaipcy, was
given the title: young g-Man-Afraid-of-
Uis-Horses.n
He was contemporaneous as chief
tain of the Sioux with such Indians as
Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, Spotted Tail,
American Horse, Black Bear, Lone
Wolf, Red Leaf and White Thunder,
all Of whom were men of undoubted
courage and natural leaders of their
people.
He occupied peculiar position as
chief. His Indian subjects believed
that he had great influence with the
whites, and they were constantly ask
| ing him to have their grievances re
| dressed.
| On the other hand, Gems Crook anG
] Miles recognized that his sway wa:
| less disputed than that of any othel
| Indian chief, and they used him to ac
| complish results which, without him
could only have been secured b,
threats and hard fighting.
He recognized the great strength o
the whites, and became wise medi
ator. He was also possessed of excer
tional ability, and saw that there wa
| greater honor to himself and benefit T.
his people by living in peace. both wit
the white and the red men, than in be
ing in constant conflict with them
AT one time, he had habit of goinl
out on hunt with a small force, meet
ing superior force of Crows or Paw
nees, giving them battle and comini
off victorious.
But about twelve years ago, he ant
a band of Sioux went to the Little Mis-
souri, on a buffalo hunt. Spotted Hors
and Crazy Head, two OF the bigges
chiefs of the Crows. were also ther
with party of their people. Young
Man-Afraid, instead of fighting hi
hereditary enemies, arranged peac
treaty, and since that time the two ma
tions have been the best of friends.
He recognized the fact that with tn
disappearance of the buffalo the In
dian of the plains would no longer b
able to resist the advance of civiliza
tion, and, although great buffal
hunter, he made a strong effort to pre-
serve that animal.
But when its eXterminatlon was as
sured, he advocated peace with tn
whites, and was ever friendly wit
them, although sometimes strongl
tempted otherwise.
In 1890 and 1891, when the Messiah
craze was at it's height, and the Siou
were engaged in ghost dances, tn
!, dead chief did not encourage them. an
could not see that they would get an
benefit from their actions. but he hel
with them unless they committed som
act of violence.
He was absent at the time of til
battle of Wounded Knee, but returne
soon afterward, and east the weight ,
his great influence with the lpdiar
for peace.
When he went back to his peopI
after his first visit to Washington,
1876. he described to them what he ha
seen and heard on the Journey II
told them about the iron horse whic