In The Black Hills of South Dakota, an amazing monument is taking shape. Carved into the rock, a massive carving of Crazy Horse, or Ta-Sunko-Witko, is emerging in what will stand as a testament to the great Native American leader.
The legendary warrior who lived between 1840 and 1877, dedicated his life to the preservation of his peoples, the Sioux (Lakota), and their way of life. His most famous actions in defense of his people and their land took place at The Battle of Little Bighorn, in which he reportedly killed General Custer, in what became dubbed 'Custer's Last Stand'. Four months later, he was captured and imprisoned and is believed to have been killed by a US soldier when he protested his imprisonment.
The massive new monument has been under construction for almost 70 years, but it is believed that it may be finished relatively soon, perhaps within the next decade. It sits just 17 miles south of Mount Rushmore, which is one of the United States most famous landmarks. Mount Rushmore takes the form of the faces of four US presidents carved into the side of the mountain however the carving of Crazy Horse will dwarf Mount Rushmore in both size and spectacle.
The work has been a generational labour of love after it was started by Polish-American sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski way back in 1948, who himself had worked on the Mount Rushmore project. Commissioned by Sioux leader, Standing Bear, Ziolkowski worked on the Crazy Horse project until his death in 1982 when some of his 7 children took over the project. There are now grandchildren of the visionary also involved and it is hoped they will see it finished off. Standing Bear is believed to have said to the sculptor:
"My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes too."
While the project received no federal or state funding Ziolkowski took on the project anyway and always refused to back down, so determined was he to honour the memory of Crazy Horse. Since then the project has been entirely funded through visitor fees and donations. His wife spoke of his dedication. She said:
"He believed you can do anything in this world; nothing is impossible as long as you're willing to work hard enough and pay the price."
She also refuted those who claimed the project was going at too slow a pace. She said her husband stated:
"'Go slowly so you do it right.' And, I, for one, would like to have it go faster, but there are so many things that you have to do in order to do it right that it takes the time."
When finished, the monument will be 22 stories high and will likely be one of the most visited attractions in the Dakotas. Certainly with its close proximity to Mount Rushmore it will likely lead to a great deal of tourists visiting both sites in one day. More importantly, it is a shrine to the native peoples who suffered so much under colonisation and the actions of US governments throughout history.
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