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When the band first started, we wanted a name that inspired thought and spoke to our passions and interests. After kicking around a boxful of possibilities we concluded that Touch The Clouds could carry that heavy load.
Touch The Clouds, known as “Mahpia Icahtagya” in the Lakota dialect was a chief of the Minneconjou Teton Lakota nation. Born on April 19, 1836, Mahpia Icahtagya is well known among the Lakota as a valiant warrior and as one who encouraged the generations after him to continue traditional language, culture and history. Many people have heard about the cousin of Mahpia Icahtagya, Thasuka Witco, which translates as “His Horse is Crazy”, but is better known as “Crazy Horse”. There is more generally known about Crazy Horse than Touch The Clouds, but as cousins they worked together closely to defend their homes and families. On September 5th, 1877 Lieutenant Jesse M. Lee escorted Crazy Horse as he agreed to peacefully surrender to government authorities. Touch The Clouds accompanied his cousin in support, due to the relentless pressure of government agents. Lt. Lee was ordered to turn Crazy Horse and others in his group of Lakota people, including Little Big Man, over to Captain James Kennigton, who had been ordered to arrest and transfer Crazy Horse and the others “under the cover of darkness”. Lt. Lee protested the order to no avail knowing the significance of this order. Crazy Horse also realized his fate in the hands of prejudiced and hateful army leaders who wanted revenge for the “Battle of Little Big Horn”. Crazy Horse struggled to escape and was stabbed in his attempt. Touch The Clouds returned the body of Crazy Horse to his homeland. Big Foot, known as Si Thanka, and also known as Spotted Elk, was a brother to Touch The Clouds. Big Foot ill with pneumonia, had also surrendered peacefully to government forces, the 7th Cavalry (that later murdered him). Big Foot was instructed to stay at an established camp where he would be safe. This encampment was a type of transition area where the original inhabitants of the United States of America, who had also surrendered their freedom over to the authorities were waiting transport to small pieces of land reserved for these great peoples that for so many generations had done what any American would have done, defended and fought to keep their homeland, their customs, their language and their culture. These people were guaranteed protection and safety in this camp under the United States flag and the white flag of peaceful surrender. Of the many Human Rights Violations in United States history, this place today ranks as one of the most heinous acts of man’s injustice and cruelty to man that occurred on United States soil. The actual number of lost lives is not exactly clear, but it is known that at least 350 Native Americans died on that day that has gone down in infamy, of which 120 were men, most of them older or as Big foot, ill. The rest of more than 200 inhabitants of the “protected encampment” were women and children. The unknown number who fled the massacre was subject to the fatal elements and cold of that South Dakota winter day, December 29th, 1890. This incredibly dark stain in United States history is known as the Wounded Knee Massacre. We encourage all of you to study as much of the untold history of the United States as you can through internet sites like that of the Lakota / Dakota / Nakota Nation at www.dlncoalition.org/home.htm, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe official site www.sioux.org, and other websites. Topics and opinions vary, let yours be known, log in and join our forum.. The list of possibilities is endless! Let’s fight against ignorance and racial prejudice in all of its ugly forms!
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