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Deadwood--Donovin Sprague has revealed some new ideas about the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn, from a family perspective. His great, great grandfather High Backbone or “Hump” fought at the battle.

A larger-than-expected audience converged on the Adams Museum in Deadwood to hear Sprague speak about his perspective on the battle.

Sprague, an instructor at Black Hills State University and Oglala Lakota College and an interpreter at Crazy Horse Memorial, has authored several books on Native American culture.

“Black Elk called Hump one of the greatest warriors the Lakota ever had,” Sprague said. Hump descended from a line of skilled warriors or originated in the Tongue River area of Wyoming. The Hump and Crazy Horse clans were among those who did not sign an 1868 peace treaty with the United State government.

In 1874, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer explored the Black Hills area and while mapping travel routes in and out of the Hills, gold was discovered near the present-day town of Custer.

Two years later, the land rush was on for the areas around the Black Hills and the government ordered all tribes to report to their agencies. The ones that did not were considered hostile and Army forces were dispatched to move the tribes to designated rendezvous points.

There were several clans gathered in the area of southeastern Montana along the Little Bighorn River.

On June 25, 1876, Custer noted a settlement, but had no information as to its size. Custer moved toward the village, with instructions to other officers to press from two other directions. However, Sprague said, stories from Lakota witnesses indicate Custer saw women and children begin to run and he and his men hurried to get ahead of them for fear they were getting away.

Custer’s troop ran headlong into a formidable force of warriors led by Crazy Horse.

He pointed out there were several heroic leaders on the Indian side that day including Hump, Crazy Horse, Crow King, Little Crow, Sitting Bull, Spotted Tail, Dull Knife and Lame Deer. “We didn’t have ‘one’ leader,” Sprague said.

Stories told through generations of Lakota families, indicate that there was considerable confusion at the moment the hostilities began. Hump grabbed a wild horse and attempted to enter the battle but was bucked off. Another horse was shot out from under him as he attacked Custer’s rear guard at Calhoun Hill.

There was so much dust flying at the time of the battle, both sides encountered friendly-fire casualties.

This added to the mystery of Custer’s movements. Conflicting stories of where he was, where he fought and where he ultimately died with more than 200 of his men continue to swirl on both sides.

Sprague said he has worked 20 years on gathering the oral history of the Hump family and the battle. It is now being consolidated into a book he will release sometime this year.

Sprague, whose Lakota name is Canku Wankatuya, said many Indians withheld information from United States investigators for fear there would be repercussions. However, they talked amongst themselves.

“Oral history. That is what we have to go on,” he said. “These stories were told and passed on from generation to generation.”

Information Sprague has, indicates the victorious Indians admired Custer’s bravery in the battle and his body was not desecrated following his defeat.

Army investigators also observed that fact.

“There are some different things that will open up more doors to the study of the battle,” Sprague said of his forthcoming book. “There are some untold stories.”