Background:

• Native American Perspective: For the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes, this battle was part of their resistance against U.S. government efforts to force them onto reservations. The area was sacred land, and the tribes were fighting to maintain their way of life, including hunting rights on their traditional lands.
• U.S. Military Perspective: The U.S. Army, led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, was part of a broader campaign to move Native American tribes to reservations, spurred by the discovery of gold in the Black Hills, which was part of the Great Sioux Reservation by the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868). The military operation aimed to curb the influence of leaders like Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, who were prominent in resisting this encroachment.

The Battle:

• Custer's Strategy: Custer split his 7th Cavalry into three battalions to surround what he believed was a smaller group of Native Americans. However, he underestimated the size of the gathered forces, which included over 1,500 warriors from various tribes united under leaders like Crazy Horse and Gall.
• Outcome: The battle resulted in a decisive victory for the Native American forces. Custer and all 268 soldiers with him in his immediate command were killed, an event that shocked the American public and led to national mourning but also to increased military presence in the area.

Aftermath:

• Immediate Consequences: The U.S. government responded with even more aggressive policies, leading to the eventual defeat of the Sioux at the Battle of Slim Buttes a few months later and the surrender of key leaders like Crazy Horse in 1877 and Sitting Bull in 1881.
• Long-term Impact:
  • For Native Americans: The battle was one of the last armed resistances to U.S. expansion. It symbolized the courage and strength of Native resistance but ultimately led to further loss of land and autonomy.
  • Cultural Impact: In American culture, Custer has often been mythologized, with his defeat a subject of much folklore, literature, and film. This portrayal has varied over time, sometimes glorifying Custer and at other times focusing on the Native American perspective.
• Historical Reassessment: Over time, there's been a shift in how the battle is taught and remembered, with more attention given to the Native American viewpoint. Historians now often discuss the battle in the context of land rights, cultural survival, and the broader conflict between indigenous peoples and colonial expansion.
• Archaeology and Memorialization: The site is now part of Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, where efforts are made to commemorate both the U.S. soldiers and the Native American warriors. Archaeological studies have also helped piece together the events more accurately from both sides' perspectives.