Crazy Horse Monument

Peter Blue Cloud

Life and Times of Peter Blue Cloud

Born around 1933 to the Turtle Clan of the Mohawk tribe in a reserve in Quebec Spent most of his life in the US then later moved back to Canada
-Ariona = Blue -blue can mean the colour of the sky - Looking at the blue sky, you see clouds

Mohawk name is Arionawenrate

He began publishing his work in the late 1960s

He is known for using the coyote in his work

His writing was influenced by his grandfather, William Shakespeares plays, and the tales of Haudenosaunee

Writes not as a hobby, but as a way of conveying an important message Died April 27, 2011 in Quebec

 Born around 1842, Crazy Horse was a war chief of Lakota Sioux. Participated in the raids of European settlements after the US cavalry burned down his village. Gold was found at Black Hills and many people came to find gold, ignoring the treaty that said the land belonged to the Lakota natives. He and his people went to stop it. Participated in battles against General Custer and General George Crook. He later surrendered because of the condition of his people He was later transferred to Camp Robinson not knowing it was a plot to put him in jail Once he realized, he resisted and a soldier stabbed him in the stomach. He died that night. The monuments sculptor was Korczak Ziolkowki with Lakota chief Standing Bear Mission is to honor the culture, tradition and living heritage of North American Indians Used precision explosive engineering to make the monument in recent years

Background Info. on Crazy Horse and his Monument

Hailstones falling like sharp blue sky chips howling winds the brown grass bends, while buffalo paw and stamp and blow billowing steam, and prairie wolves chorus the moon in moaning. The spotted snake of a village on the move, a silent file of horses rounding hills, in a robe of grey, the sky chief clutches thunder, and winter seeks to find the strongest men.

Crazy Horse Monument

Crazy Horse rides the circle of his peoples sleep, from Little Big Horn to Wounded Knee, Black Hills, their shadows are his only robe dark breast feathers of a future storm. Those of broken bodies piled in death, of frozen blood upon the white of snow, yours is now the sky chant of spirit making, pacing the rhythm of Crazy Horses mount.

And he would cry in anger of a single death, and dare the guns of mounted soldiers blue, for his was the blood and pulse of rivers, and mountains and plains taken in sacred trust. Crazy Horse rides the circle of his peoples sleep, from Little Big Horn to Wounded Knee, Black Hills, their shadows are his only robe dark breast feathers of a future storm.
And what would he think of the cold steel chisel, and of dynamite blasting mountains face, what value the crumbled glories of Greece and Rome, to a people made cold and hungry? To capture in stone the essence of a mans spirit, to portray the love and respect of children and elders, fashion instead the point of hunting arrow sharp, and leave to the elements the wearing-down of time.

Crazy Horse rides the circle of his peoples sleep, from Little Big Horn to Wounded Knee, Black Hills, their shadows are his only robe dark breast feathers of a future storm. 1973, 1976

Theme and Type of Poem

Crazy Horse and the creation of his monument is used to criticize the destruction of nature for something not needed and is disrespectful to nature. The monument does not help the aboriginal peoples in need Has no rhyme Is written in 4 line stanzas It is a contemporary poem written in free-verse

Analysis
Hailstones falling like sharp blue sky chips howling winds the brown grass bends, while buffalo paw and stamp and blow billowing steam, Imagery
- Sets the scene for the poem

examples of alliteration
and prairie wolves chorus the moon in moaning.

Imagery: Figurative or descriptive language in a literary work Alliteration: Using the same consonant to start two or more stressed words or syllables Billowing: A great swell, surge, or undulating mass, as of smoke or sound

Imagery

The spotted snake of a village on the move, - snakes represent change - in dreams, the snake can appear when one is experiencing a challenge or problem a silent file of horses rounding hills,
- Refers to the dark clouds of a storm

Also sets the scene

in a robe of grey, the sky chief clutches thunder, -is from a native legend (Tsimshian) - a chief that ruled the sky whose - Example of metonymy children brought gifts to the earth and winter seeks to find the strongest men. - personification - Winter can not seek nor find men - the hardships of winter brings about strong men

Personification: An anthropomorphic figure of speech where the poet describes an abstraction, a thing, or a non-human form as if it were a person. Metonymy: A figure of speech in which the poet substitutes a word normally associated with something for the term usually naming that thing

- all highlighted in red are examples of allusion

Crazy Horse rides the circle of his peoples sleep,

Little Big Horn Refrain from Little Big Horn to Wounded Knee, -A battle the Sioux and - is Cheyenne (Crazy Horse repeated included) fought against after Black Hills, their shadows are his only robe George Custer in 1876 every 2 - George Custer died in this stanzas battle dark breast feathers of a future storm. Wounded Knee -massacre during late December in 1890 Black Hills - US troops shot the Sioux -is Sioux territory according to a treaty during the Ghost Dance - event where prospectors trespassed and stole gold Movement from their land in the 1870s - killed around 300 Sioux Allusion: A reference to a historical, mythic, or literary person, place, event, movement, etc. Refrain: One or more lines repeated before or after the stanzas of a poem.

Those of broken bodies piled in death,

Alliteration
of frozen blood upon the white of snow,

- referring to the battles mentioned in the refrain and of those who died
-sky chant means to protest against the building of the monument - spirit making is the passion that comes from the protest to preserve nature

yours is now the sky chant of spirit making, Alliteration pacing the rhythm of Crazy Horses mount.

- referring to the building of the memorial

Pace: to advance or develop (something) at a particular rate or tempo; A manner of walking or running

And he would cry in anger of a single death, - refers battles fought - was brave to fight for his people

and dare the guns of mounted soldiers blue,

for his was the blood and pulse of rivers,

and mountains and plains taken in sacred trust.

-Sacred trust means to protect something or keep guarded - Crazy Horse fought to protect nature

Crazy Horse rides the circle of his peoples sleep, -dreams come when people sleep - the dreams represent wants and Crazy Horse represents the confidence to carry them out from Little Big Horn to Wounded Knee, - these battles represent the wants the natives had fought for to support their people Refrain Black Hills, their shadows are his only robe

-shadows follow behind a person - in this case, shadows represent the support from his people in these battles

dark breast feathers of a future storm.

And what would he think of the cold steel chisel,

and of dynamite blasting mountains face,

- refers to the way the memorial was built -Greece and Rome were large empires - it symbolizes the Crazy Horse Memorial by saying the mountain is like Greece and Rome

what value the crumbled glories of Greece and Rome, Allusion to a people made cold and hungry?

-it signifies the suffering of the Sioux and Lakota - it is majestic and grand but the destruction of it has no value to those it is dedicated to

To capture in stone the essence of a mans spirit,

-refers to the memorial and its purpose

to portray the love and respect of children and elders, - refutes the last 2 verses - the monument is a decoration, a tourist area - does not seem to honour Crazy Horses ideals

fashion instead the point of hunting arrow sharp,

and leave to the elements the wearing-down of time.

- Says that the mountain should be left alone to be worn down by time and elements (rain, wind, etc.)

Crazy Horse rides the circle of his peoples sleep, from Little Big Horn to Wounded Knee, Refrain Black Hills, their shadows are his only robe

dark breast feathers of a future storm.

Crazy Horse is used symbolically. His ideals of protecting the land and fighting for rights are the focus of this poem to criticize the building of a monument in his name.

Questions
1) 2) Why is the refrain spaced differently than the rest of the poem? What is the significance of the repetition of the refrain?

3)

Why does Peter Blue Cloud use many animal representations?

(animals are mentioned in the beginning of the poem)

4)

Explain the reasoning for incorporating historical allusions into the poem?

5)

Why would Chief Standing Bear (of the Lakota) make plans to build a monument in Crazy Horses name if it is against Crazy Horses ideals to destroy nature?