I live in North American.  The part of it that is now the United States of America.  In the middle… Ohio.

I haven’t been here very long.  About a half of a century.  None of us European types have.  Not really.  The first of us blew over this way about 500 years ago, or so.  Not long.

Now the first people here sauntered over a land bridge.  It was called the Beringia Land Bridge between eastern Siberia and what is now known as the present-day Alaska.  This part is generally accepted by scientists, archeologists, and historians.  The year in which they made the big walk…. continues to be somewhat of a debate.

Some of these smart dudes think it happened way, way, long ago… like 40,000 years… long ago.

But all of them agree that it was… at the very latest…. 16,000 years back.    But either way.  Sixteen thousand is a WHOLE lot longer than 500.

So all of that… brings me to recognize this date.  Today is the anniversary of Custer’s defeat at Little Big Horn.

People from Europe, mostly…. wanted to settle on this new continent called North America.  So they, and subsequently the U.S. government forces, waged war to drive the Native Indians from the land they inhabited.  And the Indians weren’t really crazy about these new white people… especially when the new white people were shooting at them.  So the Indians fought back.

This is all a little different than how I learned it when I was taking U.S. History in grade school and such.

One of the most famous of the conflicts, was the Battle of the Little Bighorn.  It goes by a couple of other names.  For one…. it is called…. Custer’s Last Stand.  And, by the Indians involved, it was called the Battle of the Greasy Grass.

It took place in Montana.  And.  It was bad.

As the whole deal turns out… the Indians took an overwhelming victory.  They were led by several major war leaders, including Crazy Horse. Sitting Bull had visions of the battle… early on.  So the Indians were ready and waiting for the Calvary.

The troops numbered 700 men in all,  led by George Custer.  They suffered a completely and utterly severe defeat.   Custer was killed, as were two of his brothers, a nephew, and a brother-in-law. The total U.S. casualty count, including scouts, was 268 dead and 55 injured.  I can’t find how many men from the Indian Tribes were killed.

And that is how it goes.

Sad.  And unnecessary.  All the way around.

Have we learned from it?  Collectively….. I don’t really think that we have.

Sometimes our world can be pretty dang complicated.  But in my own life, I try not to make the same mistakes I’ve made before.

I am thick in the head sometimes.  But… I keep trying.  Not to have my own Little Big Horns.  And to make things better here.  Not worse.

“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.” – Friedrich Nietzsche