In the black hills of South Dakota, nearby Mount Rushmore, is the Crazy Horse Memorial. This impressive memorial is a depiction of an Oglala Lakota war leader, Crazy Horse, who stood against the federal government and their encroachments on Native American territories. He is considered one of the most notable Native Americans in history. This memorial began in 1948 and is still under construction. This site is also home to the Indian Museum of North America which is the largest and greatest collection of Native American artifacts and items from all of the different tribes from around the country. The museum is fascinating and gives a beautiful tribute to the many cultures and tribes of the Native Americans. While the memorial dedicated to Crazy Horse is so striking set against the black hills, it should also be known that it is more of a symbolic representation of Crazy Horse and not a exact likeness of the great leader because he was adamantly against having his picture taken. Many descendants of Crazy Horse and others of the tribe view the memorial as defacement of sacred land and not keeping with the spirit of Crazy Horse. But for others going there and seeing the memorial and learning more about the incredible Native American cultures is an important part of understanding our country and our history. No visit to South Dakota could be complete without gaining such an understanding as that.

For more information on this, go to: https://crazyhorsememorial.org/