Spotted Eagle was the brother of my great, great grandfather Fights Thunder who was the Pipe Carrier for our band. He is buried at Thunder Butte on the Cheyenne River Reservation. My mother and her brothers and sisters were all named for incidents either during or after the Little Bighorn. My Aunt Helen's name was "Comes Home Hard" so we would remember that our grandpa Hump's wounding and how painful it was for him to travel. My Aunt Alberta's name was "Spotted Eagle Woman" after Spotted Eagle. I have been looking at the names of the children who were born soon after my family were moved to Cheyenne River. We still have a very large family who knows that we are related and how we are.
— Aurelia
I would love to have a picture of Fights the Thunder. I have two pictures of his daughter, my great grandmother Grows In A Day a/k/a Lucy Poor Buffalo. When she was young about late 20s early 30s and when she was very old before she left us. I was five when the picture was taken. I got a lot of my information from my grandmother, my mother, and my aunts. I have always tried to verify this information with other research and other stories people have told me and things I have read. As for Bear With Horns the story was that he was killed during the Battle of Little Bighorn and that this was told to his mother, Fights The Thunder's wife Pazala. She along with her sister (the name is lost) with my great grandmother (Unci )(who was a little girl) went looking for him. He was suppose to have been put in a tipi. I'm not sure if they actually found him. My Unci saw a little puppy that she cried for and because they didn't want her fussing they picked it up and then left. There are other stories about the name being given to various members of our family one who received the name was killed in WWI and another was wounded in Viet Nam (Doug's Uncle) so my Aunt said that the name will no longer be given to anyone else. I saw his name in a list of Lakota who were killed; this list was made by White Bull. Because I know many of these names I look at the old census roles and as I find more information I have been able to put together other information. I think of it as a large jig saw puzzle that has a lot of empty space. When I find a piece that pulls more information it gives me such a sense of joy that I am doing this for my family and our grandchildren so they will never forget who they are. Pictures are part of that puzzle and I try to collect them and share them with the rest of the family.
— Aurelia
I know about the other Bear With Horns. The first was Fights the Thunder's grandson and the second was his great grandson. I have ridden in the great grandson's truck. ;-)
In my talks with family members I have learned that the original Bear With Horns had an octagon shaped Sharps Breech Loading Rifle. He was wounded at the battle and gave his rifle to Crazy Horse. He lived four more days when he was helped back to Slim Buttes by Poor Buffalo and Fights the Thunder. Fights the Thunder's young boy Old Eagle who later married Iron Cedar was also with them.
One more thing I am working with Floyd, Doug, and Don on a book on the family history. And during my talks over the past nine years Floyd, Doug, and Don described Fights the Thunder's pipe. It had a red catlinite bowl with a red catlinite stem. The bowl and stem were two separate pieces that fit. It was in their Grandpa's cedar chest that was stolen. Hopefully someday it will be recovered. The Sharp's rifle that Bear With Horns gave to Crazy Horse was in the chest too. They tell me they found it was sold to a sheriff out of Faith in 1966 by a family member. The sheriff resigned soon after the family filed an FBI report on it. They say the sheriff died years later and the rifle was inherited by his daughter who last they knew of lived in Wyoming. Or maybe you already know that and it's old news (lol).— brock
Here's the photograph of Fights the Thunder:
— brock
