The Battle of Greasy Grass also called the Battle of Little Bighorn, is important in
American memory as a symbolic and practical victory for Native American resistance
against U.S. expansion. Fought in June 1876 was a major win for the Lakota, Northern
Cheyenne, and Arapaho peoples, who defeated General Custer’s forces. Often compared
to a dramatic clash between Custer’s outnumbered troops and Native leaders like Sitting
Bull and Crazy Horse, the battle was more than a historical event. It represented a larger
story of Native survival and resistance to settler colonialism. It showed that native
Americans wouldn’t back down without a fight and would continue fighting for their
rights and freedom. The war between the colonizers also brought native communities
together which had them fighting for a common goal. The Painting Battle of Little Big
Horn, by Kicking Bear, depicts the General cluster army lying dead and the Native
Americans standing in the middle, showing power and strength in their race and
numbers.