A historical examination of the Battle of the Little Bighorn from Native perspectives, this work blends archival research, oral accounts, and cultural context to retrace the events surrounding Custer’s 1876 campaign. Drawing on materials assembled for the documentary Last Stand at the Little Bighorn, Welch and Stekler interweave personal history, tribal memory, and military records to explore how the conflict unfolded for both the Lakota and the U.S. Seventh Cavalry. The authors outline the wider circumstances that shaped the encounter—broken treaty promises, forced relocations, political pressure in Washington, and the erosion of Plains lifeways—and present multiple viewpoints on the battle’s causes, conduct, and aftermath. Alternating between storytelling and documentary exposition, the book reconstructs the experiences of warriors, soldiers, and descendants, offering a multifaceted account of the clash at the Greasy Grass and its lasting significance for Plains communities.
