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Old Man Afraid of His Horse

Oglala

 

 


Man Afraid and his son, Young Man Afraid, standing left

Old Man Afraid of His Horse died in 1889 at Pine Ridge. The Pine Ridge censuses for 1887 and 1888 indicate that he was born in or about 1808. According to his own statement, made at Red Cloud Agency in 1874, he was the third in direct line to bear the name. Generational dead reckoning indicates that his father was born about 1780, his paternal grandfather about 1755.

According to a statement by He Dog (to Scudder Mekeel, 1931: precis in George E. Hyde papers, Kingsley Bray collection) the "first Old Man Afraid" belonged to the Kuhinyan band of the Oglala tribe. He Dog further identified this tiyospaye as a sub-band of the larger Kiyaksa band. Hyde interpreted this statement to refer to the father of 'Old' Man Afraid, although given the latter's own statement it might refer to his grandfather.

The family is identified with the Hunkpatila band of Oglalas during the adulthood of Old Man Afraid of His Horse. His oldest son and namesake was born into that band (ca. 1836), a kinsman named Yellow Eagle was identified as the Hunkpatila chief in 1839 (by Joseph Nicollet), and Old Man Afraid was rated the chief of the band in an 1867 tabulation. The band split over its stance toward the USA - repeatedly after 1866, but finally in 1871 when the Man Afraid segment settled permanently at Red Cloud Agency. It then became regularly known as the Payabya band. The non-treaty faction retained the Hunkpatila name, and remained in the Powder River country, led by such headmen as Little Hawk, Worm, Yellow Eagle (III?), and most famously Crazy Horse. — Kingsley Bray

 

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