Margot Liberty & John Stands In Timber: Northern Cheyenne Voices at Little
Bighorn Battlefield
By John A. Doerner
It is with a heavy heart that I write this tribute with the passing of my
friend Margot Liberty. Margot will be eternally linked to the history and
story of Little Bighorn Battlefield, and the Northern Cheyenne perspective
of the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
I first met Margot at the battlefield back in the 1990’s during one of her
many frequent visits. I remember taking her down to the valley, to the old
Chicago Burlington Quincey iron railroad bridge just west of Ford D, and
the area of the old Wiley Bends homestead mentioned by John Stands In
Timber as the area where the Cheyenne encountered Custer’s command early
in the battle. Margot was thrilled (as I was) and in her element visiting
this important site recalled to her by the late John Stands In Timber
decades before.
Like Thomas B. Marquis, Margot during her time on the Northern Cheyenne
Reservation in the early 1950’s, realized the historical importance of
documenting and recording Northern Cheyenne history before it was lost
forever. Her early cutting edge field work as a female anthropologist and
historian was unique at the time for her field of study. She worked
closely with John Stands In Timber, Northern Cheyenne Tribal Historian
(who had two grandfathers who were in the Custer Fight, Lame White Man and
Wolf Tooth) gaining his trust and respect. Margot and John’s unique
collaboration resulted in two important historically significant works:
“Cheyenne Memories” and her article in American Heritage Magazine titled
“Last Ghastly Moments At The Little Bighorn” both published in 1967. These
were introduced to the Little Bighorn story during a critical time in
America’s history and conscience: the height of the Vietnam War, civil
rights movement, and birth of the American Indian Movement. The release
just three years later of the classic 1970 anti-war film “Little Big Man”,
starring Dustin Hoffman and the late Chief Dan George filmed in part on
the actual battlefield in Medicine Tail Coulee, showed the Northern
Cheyenne and Indian people in an entirely new light; not as villains but
as human beings fighting for their homeland and preservation of their
nomadic way of life in the closing decades of the American frontier. At
last, the Cheyenne voice at Little Bighorn beyond Marquis’ Wooden Leg
contributions became available and provided important details into our
understanding of what occurred during the Custer Fight. Especially the
dying dancing ceremony, role of the Suicide Boy’s action at Ford D, the
Cemetery area, and the intense fighting in the basin below Last Stand
Hill.
Through John Stands In Timbers voice and Margot’s tape recorder and pen,
these stories opened up a new chapter of battlefield interpretation,
forever changing our understanding of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. It
is also important to note that the late NPS Historian Don Rickey Jr.
became aware of John Stands In Timber’s historic accounts and accompanied
him in the mid 1950’s throughout the Custer Battlefield. Rickey armed with
a mine detector, uncovered numerous battle related artifacts at all the
sites that Stands In Timber showed him! These sites included the basin
below Last Stand Hill, scene of fierce fighting against the suicide boys;
Greasy Grass Ridge; Ford D; and the extension of battle ridge north of
Last Stand Hill and the Indian Memorial (toward Highway 212).
John Stands In Timber also drew several important maps indicating Custer’s
movements to Battle Ridge/Custer Battlefield, and the route taken north to
Custer Creek before and during the battle by Wolf Tooth and other young
Cheyenne who were in pursuit of soldiers thought to be in the area.
The work of Margot and John also found their rightful place in NPS
interpretation, archeology, and on the powerful cultural landscape at
Little Bighorn Battlefield. The Indian perspective and voice finally
became accepted over the decades and greatly added to our understanding of
the battle. Through their work, I first became aware of the historic stone
cairns of Lame White Man and Noisy Walking, and other Northern Cheyenne
killed in action throughout the battlefield. The unique historic stone
cairns were placed by friends and family members years and decades after
the battle, so that their casualty sites could be preserved and
remembered. As Chief Historian, I was inspired by John Stands In Timber
and Margot Liberty’s early efforts of the Northern Cheyenne to mark and
preserve the casualty sites on the battlefield. I also learned of the
early efforts of Mrs. Thomas ‘Nellie’ Beaverheart, daughter of Lame White
Man who wrote the War Department Superintendent a poignant letter in 1925
that there were Cheyenne still living that knew where her father died on
the battlefield and her wishes to have the site marked “So that the place
would be remembered” for the upcoming 50th Anniversary observance of the
battle in 1926. Sadly she never received a reply.
This oversight inspired me and led to my approaching then Superintendent
Neil Mangum with what I felt was a unique concept, and long overdue;
marking the warrior cairn sites with a unique red stone marker of the same
size and shape of the historic Seventh Cavalry casualty markers that were
erected by the War Department beginning in 1890. Unlike the stone cairn
sites that were largely obscured from public view, the red stone markers
would be clearly visible to visitors on the battlefield landscape. They
would also be easily distinguishable from the white marble markers for the
Seventh Cavalry. Neil Mangum said “Let’s do it”. We consulted with
Northern Cheyenne representatives including Clifford Eagles Feather on the
concept which resulted in the selection of unique red granite markers
denoting the Cheyenne warriors name, English translation, tribal symbol or
affiliation as well as brief interpretive text like used on the historic
Seventh Cavalry Markers.
On Memorial Day in 1999, the NPS fulfilled Mrs. Thomas ‘Nellie’
Beaverheart and John Stands In Timbers dream of permanently marking the
casualty site of Lame White Man so that the place of his death would be
remembered for future generations. The first warrior markers were erected
in 1999 at the cairn/casualty sites of Lame White Man and Noisy Walking.
Rickey and John’s wooden sign that had previously marked the site over the
decades was removed.
I then conducted additional research and extensive field work on the
battlefield locating and documenting five more Northern Cheyenne warrior
cairn sites. I also expanded my efforts to locate and document Lakota
casualty sites on the battlefield. I also wanted to acknowledge the Three
Arikara Scouts who had been overlooked in 1890 by the War Department.
Today their white marble government markers are at their casualty sites in
the valley.
Today I am proud to report that 17 warrior markers and three Arikara U.S.
Indian Scout markers are part of the powerful cultural landscape of Little
Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. Thanks to the early work of John
Stands In Timber and Margot Liberty that had such a profound effect on me,
and the National Park Service; the historic Northern Cheyenne voice on
their role in the battle has been heard.
The wind on the Buffalo grass today blows freely over the rugged cultural
landscape above the Little Bighorn River; a landscape that witnessed a
horrific battle long ago. Listen to the wind. It is a voice to the past
there, forever eternally linked to the land, reminding visitors here of an
epic clash of cultures that took place here June 25-26, 1876 at this
special place.
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