Rain-in-the-Face
Encyclopedia
Rain-in-the-Face (c. 1835–September 15, 1905) was a warchief of the Lakota tribe of Native Americans
. His mother was a Dakota related to the band of famous Chief Inkpaduta
. He was among the Indian leaders who defeated George Armstrong Custer
and the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment
at the 1876 Battle of Little Big Horn.
Born in the Dakota Territory
near the forks of the Cheyenne River
about 1835, Rain-in-the-Face was from the Hunkpapa band within the Lakota nation. His name may have been a result of a fight when he was a boy in which his face was splattered like rain with his Cheyenne
adversary's blood. Late in his life, the chief related that the name was reinforced by an incident when he was a young man where he was in a battle in a heavy rainstorm with a band of Gros Ventres. At the end of the lengthy combat, his face was streaked with war paint.
He first fought against the whites in the summer of 1866 when he participated in a raid against Fort Totten
in what is now North Dakota
. In 1868, he again fought the U.S. Army in the Fetterman massacre near Fort Phil Kearny
in present-day Wyoming
. He again was on the warpath in 1873 when he took part in the Battle of Honsinger Bluff
where he ambushed and killed an army veterinarian Dr. John Honsinger, an army Private and another civilian near present day Miles City, Montana
. He returned to the Standing Rock Reservation, but was arrested by Captain Thomas Custer
in 1874 on orders of General George A. Custer for the murder of Honsinger. He was taken to Fort Abraham Lincoln
and incarcerated. However, he escaped (or was freed by sympathetic Indian policemen) and returned to the reservation, then fled to the Powder River
. In the spring of 1876, he joined Sitting Bull
's band and traveled with him to the Little Big Horn River in early June.
During the subsequent fighting at the Battle of Little Big Horn on Custer Hill on June 25, 1876, Rain-in-the-Face is alleged to have cut the heart
out of Thomas Custer
, a feat that was popularized by American poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
in "The Revenge of Rain in the Face." According to the dubious legend, Rain-in-the-face was fulfilling a vow of vengeance because he thought Captain Thomas Custer had unjustly imprisoned him in 1874. Some contemporary accounts also claimed that the war chief had personally dispatched George Custer as well, but in the confused fighting, a number of similar claims have been attributed to other warriors. Late in his life, in a conversation with writer Charles Eastman
, Rain-in-the-Face denied killing George Custer or mutilating Tom Custer.
Rain-in-the-Face joined other Hunkpapa as they fled north into Canada
, spending the next several years in exile. He finally led his band in to surrender in 1880 and was transferred to the Standing Rock Agency the following year. In a census of the Lakota taken at Standing Rock in September 1881, Rain in the Face's band is recorded as numbering 39 families or 180 people.
Rain-in-the-Face died in his home at the Bullhead Station on the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota
after a lengthy illness. On his deathbed he reputedly confessed to a missionary that he thought he had killed Custer, shooting him from so close as to leave powder marks upon his face.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. His mother was a Dakota related to the band of famous Chief Inkpaduta
Inkpaduta
Inkpaduta was a war chief of the Santee Sioux during the 1857 Spirit Lake Massacre and the 1862 Dakota War against the United States Army in Minnesota and the Dakota Territory.-Early life:Inkpaduta was born in what later became the Dakota...
. He was among the Indian leaders who defeated George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
and the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment
U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment
The 7th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army Cavalry Regiment, whose lineage traces back to the mid-19th century. Its official nickname is "Garryowen," in honor of the Irish air Garryowen that was adopted as its march tune....
at the 1876 Battle of Little Big Horn.
Born in the Dakota Territory
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
near the forks of the Cheyenne River
Cheyenne River
The Cheyenne River is a tributary of the Missouri River in the U.S. states of Wyoming and South Dakota. It is approximately 295 mi long and drains an area of...
about 1835, Rain-in-the-Face was from the Hunkpapa band within the Lakota nation. His name may have been a result of a fight when he was a boy in which his face was splattered like rain with his Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
adversary's blood. Late in his life, the chief related that the name was reinforced by an incident when he was a young man where he was in a battle in a heavy rainstorm with a band of Gros Ventres. At the end of the lengthy combat, his face was streaked with war paint.
He first fought against the whites in the summer of 1866 when he participated in a raid against Fort Totten
Fort Totten, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 952 people, 230 households, and 200 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 124.2 people per square mile . There were 255 housing units at an average density of 33.3/sq mi . The racial makeup of the CDP was 0.84% White, 0.11% African...
in what is now North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
. In 1868, he again fought the U.S. Army in the Fetterman massacre near Fort Phil Kearny
Fort Phil Kearny
Fort Phil Kearny was an outpost of the United States Army that existed in the late 1860s in present-day northeastern Wyoming along the Bozeman Trail. Construction began Friday July 13, 1866 by Companies A, C, E and H of the 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry, under the direction of the regimental...
in present-day Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. He again was on the warpath in 1873 when he took part in the Battle of Honsinger Bluff
Battle of Honsinger Bluff
The Battle of Honsinger Bluff is of historic significance in that the main combatants were units of the U.S. 7th Cavalry under Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, and Native American warriors from the village of the Hunkpapa medicine man, Sitting Bull, many of whom would clash with Custer again...
where he ambushed and killed an army veterinarian Dr. John Honsinger, an army Private and another civilian near present day Miles City, Montana
Miles City, Montana
Miles City is a city in and the county seat of Custer County, Montana, United States. The population was 8,123 at the 2010 census.- History :...
. He returned to the Standing Rock Reservation, but was arrested by Captain Thomas Custer
Thomas Custer
Thomas Ward Custer was a United States Army officer and two-time recipient of the Medal of Honor for bravery during the American Civil War...
in 1874 on orders of General George A. Custer for the murder of Honsinger. He was taken to Fort Abraham Lincoln
Fort Abraham Lincoln
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park is located seven miles south of Mandan, North Dakota. The park is home to On-A-Slant Indian Village, the blockhouses and the Custer house...
and incarcerated. However, he escaped (or was freed by sympathetic Indian policemen) and returned to the reservation, then fled to the Powder River
Powder River (Montana)
Powder River is a tributary of the Yellowstone River, approximately long in the southeastern Montana and northeastern Wyoming in the United States. It drains an area historically known as the Powder River Country on the high plains east of the Bighorn Mountains.It rises in three forks in eastern...
. In the spring of 1876, he joined Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake (in Standard Lakota Orthography), also nicknamed Slon-he or "Slow"; (c. 1831 – December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux holy man who led his people as a tribal chief during years of resistance to United States government policies...
's band and traveled with him to the Little Big Horn River in early June.
During the subsequent fighting at the Battle of Little Big Horn on Custer Hill on June 25, 1876, Rain-in-the-Face is alleged to have cut the heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
out of Thomas Custer
Thomas Custer
Thomas Ward Custer was a United States Army officer and two-time recipient of the Medal of Honor for bravery during the American Civil War...
, a feat that was popularized by American poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
in "The Revenge of Rain in the Face." According to the dubious legend, Rain-in-the-face was fulfilling a vow of vengeance because he thought Captain Thomas Custer had unjustly imprisoned him in 1874. Some contemporary accounts also claimed that the war chief had personally dispatched George Custer as well, but in the confused fighting, a number of similar claims have been attributed to other warriors. Late in his life, in a conversation with writer Charles Eastman
Charles Eastman
Charles Alexander Eastman was a Native American physician, writer, national lecturer, and reformer. He was of Santee Sioux and Anglo-American ancestry...
, Rain-in-the-Face denied killing George Custer or mutilating Tom Custer.
Rain-in-the-Face joined other Hunkpapa as they fled north into Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, spending the next several years in exile. He finally led his band in to surrender in 1880 and was transferred to the Standing Rock Agency the following year. In a census of the Lakota taken at Standing Rock in September 1881, Rain in the Face's band is recorded as numbering 39 families or 180 people.
Rain-in-the-Face died in his home at the Bullhead Station on the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
after a lengthy illness. On his deathbed he reputedly confessed to a missionary that he thought he had killed Custer, shooting him from so close as to leave powder marks upon his face.