As two young children growing up in an Oglala, Sioux village, Black Buffalo Woman and Curly (Crazy Horse’s childhood name) were well acquainted. She was the niece of the great chief, Red Cloud, while Crazy Horse came from humbler stock. However, at this stage of their lives, social standing had little meaning. Besides, like most young boys his age, Curly had no interest in girls. His time was occupied learning the ways of a warrior under the tutelage of his friend and mentor, High Back Bone or Hump, as he was commonly known. Older than Curly, Hump had already distinguished himself as a born leader in a time when the future of their people was uncertain.

As both Black Buffalo Woman and Crazy Horse matured into young adults, they started to take notice of one another. Frequently called, The Pretty One or Pretty Valley, Black Buffalo Woman had developed into a beautiful young woman with many suitors; Crazy Horse being one of them. This attraction was by no means an unrequited one, for Black Buffalo Woman was drawn to Crazy Horse as well. No small part of her attraction for Crazy Horse was his humility and giving nature. A selflessness and modesty he possessed which other young men his age seemed lacking. In turn, her admiration appeared to give him direction, as if to motivate him to be a better man.

Black Buffalo Woman, due to her family lineage, had little say about her future; a future which was not her’s to choose. As niece to Red Cloud, she was a pawn. Her marriage would be political, a lynch pin in the coalescing of two prominent families. No Water came from such a family and Black Buffalo Woman’s father recognized this, giving No Water preferential treatment. Black Buffalo Woman’s political stature, however, did not give Crazy Horse pause; rather, he was determined to seek out the requisite dowry of wild ponies for his Muse – Black Buffalo Woman.

Knowing he must satisfy the obligatory dowry, Crazy Horse went out on raiding parties, taking him away from the village for weeks at a time. Gradually his dowry of ponies grew, along with his reputation for bravery. One raiding party he was involved with, led by Red Cloud, took them into Crow country on a revenge raid for past wrongs. Many of the young warriors went on this raid including No Water, Crazy Horse’s leading competitor for Black Buffalo Woman. Early into the excursion, No Water excused himself due to a bad tooth ache and returned home, (a tooth ache was considered bad medicine and could bode ill for all).

The raiding party returned home after several weeks, bringing home many ponies, honors, and stories to tell. Foremost among those honored would be Crazy Horse, for he had been at the vanguard of the raiding party. And now, having acquired the requisite dowry for Black Buffalo Woman, he could ask for her hand. When Crazy Horse presented himself, however, he discovered that during his absence; Black Buffalo Woman had quietly been married off to No Water.

Despondent, Crazy Horse left the village and attempted to exorcise his loss in additional high risk raiding parties, taking the lead in any and all hazards. Gone for months at a time, he did whatever it took to numb the pain; to forget. The loss gradually became less painful over time. However, along with the healing, his reputation for bravery had grown…becoming widely recognized.

Aware of this bravery and his penchant for putting others before himself, the village elders inducted Crazy Horse into the Shirt Wearer society, an organization of exceptional young men. These Shirt Wearers were assigned the task of assisting the Big Bellies (older members of the council) to help maintain peace within the tribe. More importantly, they had the responsibility to act as protectors of the people, especially those who could not fend for themselves. This was a position of great honor and as such, those chosen were expected to exhibit exemplary behavior for all to follow.

Notwithstanding her marriage to No Water, Black Buffalo Woman was still drawn to Crazy Horse and admired his selflessness. One day Black Buffalo Woman traveled with Crazy Horse, along with others to a nearby village for council. As the council got underway, No Water, in a fit of jealous rage, burst into the tee pee brandishing a pistol. Crazy Horse, in his own defense, jumped to his feet with knife in his hand. At the same time, Little Big Man (one of the council members) grabbed Crazy Horse’s arm to hold him back. No Water, blind with anger, fired his pistol at Crazy Horse and ran out believing he had killed him. The bullet, while not fatal, crashed through Crazy Horse’s upper jaw, exiting just below his nose. Cognizant of his obligations as a Shirt Wearer, Crazy Horse communicated to those around him that No Water’s actions were not to be avenged. It was hoped that hostilities between the two had died, however, though the emotional fire had been put out, smoldering resentment still lay dormant.

Not long after Crazy Horse had recovered from his wounds, yet another tragedy came to roost. His younger brother, Little Hawk, had been killed while out on a raid. Frustrated and grieving from yet another loss, Crazy Horse vented his anger on No Water, reigniting the old enmity. Unable to face the strong medicine of Crazy Horse, No Water chose the wiser path and ran away, crossing the Yellowstone River and escaping south to a neighboring village. As a result of violating the Shirt Wearer’s code, Crazy Horse was expelled from the society. But having his membership revoked did nothing to change the man, for he remained loyal to the code throughout his life, caring for those unable to provide for themselves. The values of a Shirt Wearer had already been ingrained long before his membership; Black Buffalo Woman – Crazy Horse’s Muse had seen to that.