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In 1939 a coalition of Lakota Indian
Chiefs approached Boston born sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski about
carving a monument to the Native American hero Crazy Horse in
the Black Hills of South Dakota. More than half a century later
work on the largest monument in the world is still in progress.
To date the 87 ft high face of Crazy Horse has been nearly completed
and blasting has begun on his horse’s head. When the statue
is complete, possibly sometime in the next century, it will depict
a 400+ ft long statue of Crazy horse from the waist up, pointing
over the plains of Dakota, and the front of his rearing horse.
His gesture will be a graphic representation of his famous words
“my lands are where my dead lie buried”.
The late Ziolkowski always intended that the monument be more
than a large sculpture. To that end, the memorial (now supervised
by his widow) is also the center for the Indian Museum of North
America, which is dedicated to education and the preservation
of Native American art, history and culture. The Crazy Horse Memorial
also hosts a number of events to further its goals and aid the
community.
The Crazy Horse Memorial does not accept
federal funding. Ziolkowski firmly believed that the American people
should fund this project. The Volksmarch (organized hike) in the
1st week of June is the only time visitors are allowed to go to the
top of the mountain while work is still in progress. Many visitors are admitted free, including
children under 6, active armed-service personnel and all Native Americans. |
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