Crazy Horse was a Lakota war leader of the Oglala band in the 19th century who fought against the United States federal government to preserve the traditional way of life of the Lakota people and to fight against encroachment by white American settlers on Native American territory. Here are some key facts about Crazy Horse:

• Birth: Crazy Horse was born to parents from two different bands of the Lakota division of the Sioux, his father being an Oglala and his mother a Miniconjou. He was born near present-day Rapid City in the Black Hills of South Dakota, probably in 1840.

• Name: Crazy Horse was named Čháŋ Óhaŋ (Among the Trees) at birth, meaning he was one with nature. His mother gave him the nickname Pȟehíŋ Yuȟáȟa (Curly Son/Curly) or Žiží (Light Hair) as his light, curly hair resembled her own. He was later renamed Tasunke Witco (His-Horse-Is-Crazy) .

• Early life: Crazy Horse spent the early years of his life raised by the women of his family. Once he was old enough, he went on a Vision Quest, which gave him guidance on his path in life. By the time he was in his mid-teens, he was already a full-fledged warrior, known for his bravery and prowess in battle.

• Role in battles: Crazy Horse participated in the massacre of Captain William J. Fetterman and his troop of 80 men in 1866, as well as in the Wagon Box fight in 1867. He refused to honor the reservation provisions of the Second Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868 and led his followers to unceded buffalo country, where they continued to hunt, fish, and wage war against enemy tribes as well as whites. He helped annihilate a battalion of U.S. soldiers under Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer in 1876.

• Death: Crazy Horse surrendered to General Crook at the Red Cloud Agency in Nebraska on May 6, 1877. He was confined to Fort Robinson, where he was killed in a scuffle with soldiers who were trying to imprison him in a guardhouse.

Crazy Horse is remembered as a symbol of Native American resistance to white American expansion and as a hero to the Lakota people. His legacy lives on in various ways, including the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota, which is a mountain carving in progress that will depict Crazy Horse on horseback.