The Day the World Ended at Little Bighorn: A Lakota History

by Joseph M. Marshall III

The author of The Journey of Crazy Horse presents a legendary battle through the eyes of the Lakota.

The saga of "Custer's Last Stand" has become ingrained in the lore of the American West, and the key players: Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and George Armstrong Custer have grown to larger-than-life proportions.

Now, award-winning historian Joseph M. Marshall presents the revisionist view of the Battle of the Little Bighorn that has been available only in the Lakota oral tradition. Drawing on this rich source of storytelling, Marshall uncovers what really took place at the Little Big Horn and provides fresh insight into the significance of that bloody day.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Native American, Indigenous, American History, War, Westerns

262 pages, Paperback

First published May 10, 2007

About the author

Joseph M. Marshall III was born and raised on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation and holds a PhD from the reservation university, which he helped to establish. The award-winning author of ten books, including Hundred in the Hand, The Lakota Way, and The Journey of Crazy Horse, he has also contributed to various publications and written several screenplays. His first language is Lakota, he handcrafts traditional Lakota bows and arrows, and he is a specialist in wilderness survival. Marshall's work as a cultural and historical consultant can be seen and heard in the Turner Network Television and Dreamworks epic television miniseries Into the West. "

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy this as much as the other two books I’ve read by this author. It’s essentially a very detailed account of the battle of the Little Big Horn and then a study from the inside of its consequences on the Lakota people. There’s lots of interest here, not least of all the squalor of life on the reservations. However it can be a little repetitive. The most poignant revelation of this book is how quickly and dramatically the Lakota were compelled to change their lifestyle. The equivalent today would be if aliens suddenly subjugated the human race and forced us to live according to their rules.

A lot of attention is rightly being given to the situation in Aleppo by the mainstream media but very little, if any, to what is currently happening at Standing Rock which for me is another seminal event in contemporary world politics. Essentially what we have are a few individuals putting the environment at risk for big personal cash gains. This oil isn’t for domestic use. You know the people financing it wouldn’t entertain the idea of an oil pipeline underneath the water supply of their own families. These pipes have been laid without any kind of environmental impact study. So the water supply of tens of thousands of people is at risk so as to enable some very rich individuals get even richer. This is not the kind of world I want to live in and so thank you to all the protestors at Standing Rock who are standing up for the primacy of a cleaner environment against corporate greed.

[Scotty Cameron · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am sad that I am writing this review. I an a fan of Joseph M.Marshall III. I have read a few of his books to great satisfaction. That being said I was set to enjoy this one too. However I did NOT.

The author does a great job recounting the story of The Battle Of The Little Big Horn. He covers this in the first chapter. That is where this book takes a turn for the worse. The subsequent chapters are spent telling the story over and over again.

I am all about affording those cultures that have been wronged their rightful place in history. But I felt like the author belabored the whole "We are a superior culture" aspect. I understand that point, and have nothing but the utmost respect for the native peoples of the North American continent. In fact I love their culture and have read many books on the subject. In my humble opinion this book went beyond educating the audience. To me it was like "open up and take this big spoonful of white guilt".

In closing I want to say that I love Joseph M. Marshall's work. I love that he tells the story from the Native perspective. Hell I can even take a little discourse on how the native peoples were wronged. But I felt this book in particular took that point way too far.

Scotty,

[Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marshall's book starts with a simple idea: tell the story of Custer's Last Stand, or the Battle of Little Bighorn, from the standpoint of the Native Americans.
Once he does that, he goes on to explore other pieces of history leading up to the event, and events that followed and had an impact on relations between whites and Indians.
It's really a very interesting (and short) book and I had no problem getting through the whole thing.
I liked reading the Custer battle complete with hand-drawn maps, an explanation of how bows and arrows helped turn the tide, how lighter and fresher horses outran the soldiers calvary riding tired big horses and how arrogance sank the American army.
Any reading of this time period leaves you (and it did me) with intense guilt over how our forefathers incursions into Indian territory, beginning with the Oregon Trail and Westward expansion, gathering steam during the gold rush and ending with the reservation system - there's no bright side.
But reading about it from this perspective helps sort out some of the myths and dispels the idea that Custer was some noble man who sadly was outnumbered and died bravely for a great cause.
Nope

[Cameron Rhoads · Rating 5 out of 5]

8.17 hours on Audible. Interesting history by a Lakota historian of Lakota dealings with Euro-Americans up to and after Little Bighorn (June 1876), up to the 21st century. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Dee Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible.com 8 hours 17 min. Narrated by the author Joseph M. Marshall III

This was a tough book to listen to for me. I admit I have never been interested in stories about "Indians" or the northwestern part of our country. This was a free book and I got far more than I'd expected. This begins as the story of the Battle of the Little Big Horn or what I knew as "Custer's last stand" told from the perspective of the Lakota Natives. The author himself is a Lakota and speaks the language fluently. What happened to Natives or as others call them "Indians" is a shameful part of American history. The story is sad but true, and only by opening our eyes and minds will change ever happen. Marshall gives a early history of his people most gathered through their oral traditions. He is very objective and doesn't come across as bitter. The world that Natives had known for hundreds of years did indeed end shortly after the battle, and life as they had known ended abruptly.

The second part of the book was even harder for me to listen to because it tells of what happened to Natives as they tried to transition to living on reservattions. The Federal government and its agents, the Christian churches, and non-Natives (white and black) did their best to erase the people, their history, culture and language during the 20th century.
How did government deal with the "Indian" problem? Without honesty! They robbed the Natives of their pride and freedom and then stole the lands they'd been given for western expansion and in greed of its natural resources.

The Epilogue is a message to Lakota and other tribes that is one of encouragement. Yes, we have been mistreated but this is where we are and we're still here so let's make the best of our situation. The essence of what it is to be a Lakota is still alive. Our ancestors were a great people so let's carry on with pride in who they were..

This book is often repetitions and could have used a good editor, but the story is valuable and needs to be heard. My wish would be to see the truths told here be written into a book for children so they can have a better appreciation for the Natives and their struggle to be a citizens of the UNITED States. Educators have s responsibility for what happens to the future of Natives in the 21st century.

[Paul Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating, yet sad, Lakota history. Most of you already know the events, Washita River, Wounded Knee, Little Bighorn and the main characters; Custer, Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull. But I'm willing to bet that most of what you know was generated by the winners of the war. The spin doctors of the day did a bang up job reporting the "massacre" of Custer and his command and the resulting hue and cry from the public set in motion the events that finally brought to an end the Lakota (and other tribes) way of life. Mr. Marshall has brought forth the other side of the story, the story of the Lakota. Far from being the marauding, hostile savages portrayed by the press, and continuing to this day, what we see is a nation trying desperately and against staggering odds, to protect their freedom, their culture, their ability to roam on land they had used for hundreds of years. Those are noble pursuits. Pursuits that even we of the 21st century would deem necessary if we were faced with the same circumstances. So, dear readers, take a few moments and cherish the freedoms you have and remember the plight of not only the Lakota but of the innumerable peoples and cultures destroyed in the name of progress and greed. 4.4 stars.

[bup · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK, listen up. I'm a white American. I know Custer got his ass handed to him at Little Bighorn, and that's a good thing. I know he was morally and strategically wrong. I know in most every dealing with various tribes, including the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Sioux, my ancestors were in the wrong.

I really wanted to like this book.

This book told me that in American schools, kids are only taught one version of Little Bighorn, that Custer and his men were tragic heroes inexplicably defeated by an inferior foe. It also is the only history I've read with a large number of "should's" and "shouldn'ts" in it. The last half of the book was just moral sermon.

It also felt like a high school term paper.

If there are other histories of Little Bighorn and all of its unseen affects on into the 21st century, try them first.

[Rena Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best Indian viewpoints I have read on the battle of the Little Bighorn. Marshall has visited, listened, researched and understood this piece of history very well.

[averrie v · Rating 5 out of 5]

wowwww, such an important book. very well written and thoughtfully structured. was a little repetitive at times, but i think that added to the book’s clarity and made the author’s messages all the more impactful. the truth of early european settler relations with Turtle Island’s Indigenous people is grim, cruel, and revolting, to say the least. the events that transpired surrounding the battle of the Little Bighorn are no different. this book was hard to read at times, but learning the actuality of the past is necessary. & i love how this book really showcases just how strong the Lakota people are!

it was an honour & a privilege seeing the Crazy Horse memorial in South Dakota last summer <3

[Ira (SF Words of Wonder) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read by Joseph M. Marshall III. I love the way he tells such sad tales, yet he doesn’t make me feel guilty for something I didn’t do. The book goes over the events from the Little Bighorn as well as what happened in the aftermath. Not my favorite from Marshall but great non the less.

[Christopher Lehmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first book from Joseph M. Marshall III - I am about to read his acclaimed bio of Crazy Horse - I was somewhat disappointed in it.

This is not to say it isn't a worthy read. There are many good parts and the beginning, where he recounts the actual battle very simply, is illuminating.

Overall the book wanders (and is even bumpy in places) and I'm not sure who he's written it for. There are times where it seems he's writing it for everyone, times where he seems to be writing it to Euro-Americans - he uses the word "white" a lot - and in the end he seems to be speaking directly to Lakota peoples.

I'm no expert in this area of history so appreciated that I could follow along. And it's surprising how a few simple maps are all that's needed to help visualizer the battle.

In the end, I think the book is too modest for what it tries to cover. It seems like there's about three books here. I expected it to be much more devoted to the battle and the history directly preceding and following it. I expected that with a title like this book has the focus would be just on the re-telling of the battle from a Lakota perspective, but Marshall goes on to cover broad Lakota history, other battles and massacres as well as the sociological effects suffered by the Lakota from the mid-nineteenth century to today - all stemming from the brutal and ethnocentric policies of the U.S. government.

It's a fast read and I imagine anyone with only a cursory understanding of this terrifically shocking chapter in history will come away with a greater understanding, as painful as some of it is to read about.

[Jan C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate this new system!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It adds multiple readings on its own!!!!!!!!!!!

I found this an interesting book.

Too bad this stupid system wiped out my review!!!!!!!!!!!!

I only read this book once but this stupid system is always adding multiple readings. Maybe because I might be using multiple devices???????

Get with the program GR. I can't be the only one having this problem!!!!!!!!

The story of the Battle of the Little Big Horn from the viewpoint of the Lakota. Also, the experience of the 4-year-old being yanked out of the house and being sent along with two others (siblings/cousins) to be sent to the Indian schools. They were run on the basis of "if you can't understand me, I must not be talking loud enough". So the teachers would shout at the children and locked them in closets, where they felt like they were strangling on chalk dust.

[Dave Donahoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr Marshall uses the events at Little Bighorn as a backdrop and springboard for a study of the Lakota culture. This book is not about Little Bighorn, it is because of Little Bighorn. The author puts a human face on history that is so often missing from not only history books, but contemporary accounts of the event. We need to be reminded more often that history is people; fathers, mothers and children, not simply things, or data points to be memorized and learned. There are reasons that this occurred, and, though they may obscured by the passage of time, these reasons must be acknowledged and appreciated by all in order to understand how it affects people today.

[Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fabulous book. Also very sad. The Story of The Little Big Horn told by the Lakota's. Most of their history is handed down orally so this was a totally differnt look at what happened.

Overall in my opinion what this country did to the Native Americans is horrible and there is no excuse of any kind that would condone it.

Highly Recommended for EVERYONE

[Frits Terpstra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most relevant book I've read about the history of the Lakota, Nakota and Dakota. Joseph M. Marshall has already shown in previous work that he is a very eloquent writer. To understand the impact of the assimilation policy of the U.S., this book should be added to the standard booklist of every high school student.

[TJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seems to keep repeating himself. Definitely speaks from the Lakota perspective which is informative.
In the turned polemical. But sn interesting read nonetheless

[Papaphilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Day The World Ended At Little Big Horn: A Lakota History is a fascinating look at the Sioux from the Battle at Little Big Horn moving forward. This is the Lakota version of both the battle and what happened to them after the fall out. The history (gathered from the oral traditions) provides a rich version of the battle providing a much needed look from another angle than usually told in the official American histories, including the Lakota name The Battle of the Greasy Grass. Names not usually associated with Little Big Horn are present and have a much more important role than universally acknowledged.

Joseph M. Marshall III uses this piece of history to try and explain a much larger issue in both the differences between Lakota life and white man's life and how history presented itself. As the title suggests, the Sioux nation and the larger issue of the of how the United States handled its response.

The Day The World Ended At Little Big Horn: A Lakota History is not really about the battle, but what happens to the nation afterward and how grim they were treated. At heart, it is a testament to two different ways of life and how one destroyed the other. How the tribe tried to hold onto what made them who they are while the world changed around them to something unrecognizable. Joseph M. Marshall III speaks a great deal on how Lakota men were raised and how they were tought to lead. How the tribe was everything and the leaders were really servants to the well being of the tribe. They were never elected, but followed voluntarily due to wise leading. He also how the young men once they were taught American democracy, how they changed into....politicians, with everything we associate with it.

The Day The World Ended At Little Big Horn: A Lakota History is a bitter book. Joseph M. Marshall III wears his emotions on his sleeve and vents his spleen. The history of the people is filled with misery and not much told in school, except in passing. He wants everyone to know of the pain, scars, and stolen children. He certainly wants all to know, even with all of the pain, they are a proud people still.

This is a good read, but not a comfortable read. It shows how poorly a people may be treated when the government decides they are both in the way and a problem. it shows the underbelly of the policy of Manifest Destiny the ravages of paternalism to a misunderstood way of life.

[Feisty Harriet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second book from Marshall about Little Bighorn, the other was a biography, The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History, which also covered much of the same content but with a lot more in-depth info on the leader. I will say, this is probably most enjoyable for someone who likes historical non-fiction about battles and strategy. I'm glad I already knew a lot of the details of Little Bighorn from Marshall's other book, reading the Lakota history instead of the American history of this battle are two very different stories.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

The more I read about how our Nation treated the American Indians, the more I'm saddened and upset about our treatment of them. The start of this book provided some great enlightenment... non American Indians sometimes refer to these peoples as "Native American" to be more considerate of who they are. The author challenges that anyone born in the Americas is technically "native American" - a great point. This explains why most Native Americans tend to not use this classification and instead will tell you which tribe they belong to; this certainly explains a lot. Overall, the book was a very good read with a particular emphasis on the American Indian perspective on what happened before and after Little Bighorn.

[Abigail Ceremuga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a beautiful, raw, challenging read. Should be a required read for every high school student in the US. Some of the war scenes were a little hard to sift through, but overall such an important read.

[Darla Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it to understand. He does describe more than the battle but I believe that was for context and outcomes. I enjoy his voice and stories. The beatings but Christians because they couldn’t read English yet… is that better than what they thought the Indians did?

[jj Grilliette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely makes a person think about how things turned out

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

The audiobook version was AWESOME! The author recants the entire battle at Little Big Horn. He does get a little repetitive but I appreciate his convictions. Enjoy

[Lance Schroeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting narrative of the Sioux history of the Little Bighorn battle, a side of the story many histories don't account for or pay only token respect to.

[Lindsay Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended in the acknowledgements of the latest Longmire book. I saw it among the Audible Plus selections and picked it up. The author and narrator is a Lakota and a historian.
He starts off recounting the Battle of Little Big Horn, or the Battle of the Greasy Grass as the Lakota call it. He explains how both sides came to meet at the battlefield, their tactics, and how the Lakota and their allies had several key advantages. Much of his source information comes from oral histories of the Lakota. He was born in 1946, so his grandparents and great-grandparents knew people who were actually at the battle.
After the battle was won, Americans were shocked that they could have been defeated by supposedly primitive, heathen people. They opted for more or less all out war and soundly defeated the Lakota in a few months, confining them to reservations and forcing them to accept white culture. He then details US-Lakota relations up to the American Indian Movement era in the 1970s.
Their history is truly a case of winning the battle but losing the war. In the end, he concludes that losing the war was probably inevitable anyway, though.
The history of the actual battle from a Lakota perspective is very interesting. I'm familiar with the sad history of reservations, broken treaties, boarding schools and such, but it is still good to hear it from a Native American voice.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book on vacation in South Dakota and read it all through while I was there. We didn't ever visit the historic battle site like I thought that I would (I was not the planner of the itinerary,) but there was still something to reading this book while in (near) the landscape it was talking about.

This book sometimes felt more like a series of essays, as there were thoughts and stories repeated over in successive chapters, without necessarily feeling like it acknowledge that you'd read it before.

This is not just the story of the battle, but how it got to that point, and then the far-reaching consequences. A needed perspective, especially now in the time of NoDAPL and other modern activism. In fact, maybe the storytelling of this book was sometimes repetitive in view of the fact that history itself is repetitive and cyclical -- these same patterns happening over and over again. If we want to push on this cycle, bend it with a view to justice, it helps to have an understanding of the past.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a more thorough discussion of the events that led up to the Battle of Little Big Horn (often referred to as "The Sioux Wars"), there are more in-depth books to choose from, but a linear sequence of events to the Little Big Horn does not seem to be Marshall's goal. Instead, he discusses the effects that day with Custer had--and continues to have--on the Native Americans involved and their descendants. The book can be a little scattered and repetitive in a way that feels unnecessary, but his other book, "The Journey of Crazy Horse"--also based to a large degree on the oral stories of his people--is a non-fiction story of Crazy Horse and the life he led as a boy and as a leader of his people both before and after the Little Big Horn. Both books have something to offer, but I'd read "Journey of Crazy Horse" first.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd really like to give it a 3 1/2 star rating. I learned so much about the Lakota people, the history from their perspective at what happened at Little Big Horn and Wounded Knee had me hooked, very insightful. The first half of the book was full of the history of their people and what it was like to be Lakota, I enjoyed this part very much and can appreciate the rich culture they had. The second half got a little bogged down with too much stuff like literal translations of white man's words and basically how they have fit into the white man's world. I do agree that they were treated very poorly and there were many miscommunications due to language and pride of the Lakota and egos of the U.S. government. I know today it would have been handled very differently.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Touching and straightforward history of Lakotas from the Lakota perspective.

Interesting commentaries on leadership:

Lakota leader: "The [leadership] position did not define him, nor did it give him power or authority. It gave him a responsibility to serve the people, not a pathway to glory or status to serve his ego."

Lakotas didn't follow based on authority; they followed leaders they believed in. When they ceased to believe, they stopped following. The leader did not have inherent authority beyond people's belief in him or her.

Good leaders understand what their community and cultures expected of them. pg. 66 Just saw "Milk" and movie depicted similar quality in Milk -- he is guided by what the crowd what it wants/needs to hear.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rate it highly because so few have read or heard the other side of the story. At times the author seems repetitious but the history is from a different angle. Little Bighorn was actually part of a plan to take Lakota (and other Nations) land. While tactically the Lakota won the battle, there was no way they could win the war being waged against them by a US government controlled by 'Christian' capitalists. The latter part of the book touches upon the forced 'civilizing' of the nations conquered by the military. This included the removal of Indian children to be trained in 'Christian' schools a la the Magdalene Sisters in Ireland. The book is a short, easy read and most people would do well to read it.