In a photograph taken in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1898, a tall Lakota man stands in front of a lodge, wearing a beaded buckskin shirt, with a woman in a polka-dot dress beside him. Even in the photo, you can see how big he was.
His name was Touch the Clouds. In Lakota, Maȟpíya Íyapat’o. He was one of the most respected leaders of the Minneconjou Lakota, a warrior famous for his size and strength, and one of the last people at Crazy Horse’s side when the great war leader died.
A Giant Among The Lakota
Touch the Clouds was born around 1838, the youngest son of Lone Horn, a leader of the Minneconjou, one of the seven bands of the Lakota. His brothers included Spotted Elk, who later became known as Big Foot, the chief killed at Wounded Knee in 1890.
His name came from his height. An Army officer who met him, Lieutenant Henry Lemly, described him as “of magnificent physique, standing 6 feet 9 inches in his moccasins.” Some stories say he was seven feet tall. Either way, he towered over almost everyone around him.
He was also related to Crazy Horse. Historians believe he was probably Crazy Horse’s cousin, and the two men were close allies.
The End Of The War
In 1876, the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho defeated Custer at the Little Bighorn. Whether Touch the Clouds fought there is uncertain. His family’s stories say he did, but no eyewitness account from the battle mentions him.
After the battle, the Army poured soldiers onto the Plains. Through a hard winter, the free Lakota bands were hunted and starved. In the spring of 1877, Touch the Clouds made a choice to save his people. On April 14, 1877, he led his band into the Spotted Tail Agency in Nebraska to surrender. He rode forward first and, according to the account of the day, said, “I lay down this gun,” as he handed over his rifle to General George Crook.
A few weeks later, Crazy Horse also surrendered, at nearby Camp Robinson.
At Crazy Horse’s Side
Life on the agencies was tense. Rumors spread that Crazy Horse was planning to escape or start another war, and in September 1877 Army officers decided to arrest him.
Crazy Horse went to the Spotted Tail Agency, where Touch the Clouds and his relatives lived, and was persuaded to return to Camp Robinson. Touch the Clouds went with him. On September 5, 1877, as soldiers tried to lead Crazy Horse into the guardhouse, he resisted, and a soldier stabbed him with a bayonet.
Touch the Clouds stayed with his cousin through that long night as he lay dying in the post adjutant’s office. When Crazy Horse died, Touch the Clouds is reported to have said: “It is good: he has looked for death, and it has come.”
A Leader In Hard Times
After Crazy Horse’s death, Touch the Clouds led his people back to the Cheyenne River Reservation in what is now South Dakota in early 1878. In 1882, he was confirmed as a “shirt wearer,” one of the highest positions of leadership and trust among the Lakota. He married at least twice and had several daughters and at least one son, Amos Charging First, who later succeeded him as a leader.
In 1898, he traveled to Omaha for the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, where hundreds of Native delegates from more than 35 nations gathered. That is where the official photographer, Frank A. Rinehart, took the famous picture of him standing beside a lodge with a Lakota woman. The museum record lists her as an “unidentified woman,” though many people today believe she was his wife.
The Same Date
Touch the Clouds died on September 5, 1905, at Cherry Creek on the Cheyenne River Reservation. He was about 67 years old.
It was 28 years to the day after the death of the cousin he had stayed beside at Camp Robinson.
After reading about Touch the Clouds, discover 10 mysteries of Crazy Horse that historians still can’t answer. Then, read how Crazy Horse destroyed Custer’s command.