Black Buffalo Woman was Crazy Horse's love interest, whom he had known since childhood.
She was the daughter of Red Cloud's brother, and was the first cousin of He Dog and Red Heart Bull. Though she was married to a man named No Water, she married Crazy Horse in 1870 anyway as Lakota were allowed to divorce their husbands at any time for any reason. Despite this, No Water was enraged by his wife's elopement. She and Crazy Horse had gone on a buffalo hunt in the Slim Buttes area of what is today Northwestern South Dakota. When No Water arrived he looked for Crazy Horse's tent. When he found it he called out to Crazy Horse. When Crazy Horse answered he pointed a pistol at his heart. Crazy horse's cousin Touch The Clouds was sitting by the door and deflected the gun so it missed Crazy Horse's heart and hit him in the upper jaw instead. He took off and rode his horse to death as Crazy Horse's relatives pursued. However he made it back to his own camp and safety. The elders intervened in the feud and convinced Crazy Horse and No Water to stop, and ordered No Water to give Crazy Horse three horses as compensation for his wound. Black Buffalo Woman eventually returned to No Water, likely in order to avoid further conflict. She and No Water are known to have had three children together. As a result of this incident, Crazy Horse lost his title of Shirt Wearer (leader) among the Lakota but his shirt was never worn again.
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| Name | Black Buffalo Woman, |
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Famous quotes containing the words black, buffalo and/or woman:
“In it he proves that all things are true and states how the truths of all contradictions may be reconciled physically, such as for example that white is black and black is white; that one can be and not be at the same time; that there can be hills without valleys; that nothingness is something and that everything, which is, is not. But take note that he proves all these unheard-of paradoxes without any fallacious or sophistical reasoning.”
—Savinien Cyrano De Bergerac (1619–1655)
“As I started with her out of the city warmly enveloped in buffalo furs, I could not but think how nice it would be to drive on and on, so that nobody should ever catch us.”
—Anthony Trollope (1815–1882)
“Your mock saint who stands in a niche is not a woman if she have not suffered, still less a woman if she have not sinned. Fall at the feet of your idol as you wish, but drag her down to your level after that—the only level she should ever reach, that of your heart.”
—Emmuska, Baroness Orczy (1865–1947)