Generations of Resilience: A Victory Day reflection

Every year on June 25, we celebrate Victory Day, also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass. It commemorates the historic 1876 victory where the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes decisively defeated Lt. Col. George Custer and the U.S. Army's 7th Cavalry along the Little Bighorn River.

Our Range Ecologist, Zintkala Rivera remembers that as a child as well as in 2019, her Unci (grandmother in Lakota), parents, and brother visited the Battle of Greasy Grass Memorial. It is a historical site in southeastern Montana where Oglala Lakota leader, Crazy Horse, brought together prominent Indigenous nations of the Great Plains to defeat the United States Army’s 7th Calvary. This year marks 150 years since this victory. 

“Victory Day is not only a reflection on a moment in history but a reminder of the leaders before us who protected their people and persisted in their pursuit of freedom so generations after them could survive and carry on the spirit of who we are,” Zintkala said. “I think of the leaders before me in my direct family line like Victoria Standing Bear who was 10 years old when the battle happened.”

Zintkala went on to share that Victoria would later attend Carlisle Indian Boarding School in Pennsylvania in 1882, known for its motto “Kill the Indian, Save the Man.”

“Her son, Harry Conroy, was elected to serve as president of our Tribe in 1950. Harry’s daughter, my Unci Jean, and her daughter Beth (my mom) continue to pass on stories of our ancestors and have spent decades caring for and advocating for Native children.”

Reflecting on her family's history, Zintkala said those experiences embody what Victory Day means to her today.

I’m here today because of them. “Intergenerational Resilience”, the passing down of strengths, coping skills, and cultural wisdom over generations – that’s what I think of on Victory Day.