AMERICAN HORSE, Sioux:

Chief, Warrior

American Horse, Sioux
Wasicu Tasunke
c. 1800-1876

Chief American Horse, Wasicu Tasunke, Sioux Nation, was a chief during the Lakota Wars of the 1860s and 1870s. His capture and subsequent death occurred after the historic Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876).

"In early life he was a clownish sort of boy among the boys — an expert mimic and impersonator. This talent made him popular and in his way a leader. He was a natural actor, and early showed marked ability as a speaker... American Horse was one of the earliest advocates of education for the Indian, and his son Samuel and nephew Robert were among the first students at Carlisle. I think one or two of his daughters were the handsomest Indian girls of full blood that I ever saw...".

From the book "Indian Heros and Great Chieftains" by Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa).