READ the following excerpt from The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History and use it to respond to the questions that follow.

Question

Memory is like riding a trail at night with a lighted torch, some of the old ones liked to say. The torch casts its light only so far, and beyond that is the darkness.

There were, among the Lakota, young people who couldn’t remember a time without white men. For some young men, making arrows meant looking for the white man’s barrel hoop iron to be chiseled into points, rather than finding the right kind of chert or flint —the stones that had been chipped and flaked into arrow heads for generations untold. Now, most of the young men did not have the skill to make stone arrow points. Likewise, after Grattan and his soldiers were so soundly defeated, the Lakota who lived near the fort —the Loafers—were already complaining that the Long Knives would take away their annuities permanently. Surely there was darkness of a kind, some of the old ones said sadly at hearing about the complaining. How is it that a people whose life path for countless generations has been hunting have forgotten how to hunt and make meat? Living in the shadow of the fort waiting for the annuity cattle was easier than finding and chasing buffalo. But that was not life in the opinion of those who shunned the easy influences of the whites and stayed away from the fort.

At the southern edges of Lakota territory near the rolling hills close to the Blue Water River, which flowed into the Shell, was a new death scaffold. Four poles supported a platform holding a hidewrapped body. From the platform hung the accoutrements of a warrior’s life, a painted shield and eagle feathers. This was the final earthly abode of Conquering Bear.

The passing of the old man left a hole in his family and uneasiness for the Sicangu Lakota—uneasiness born of the new hard times that came with the white man. Someone among the Long Knives at the fort, perhaps the one called Fleming or perhaps on the orders of the “great father” far to the east, had labeled Conquering Bear as the spokesman for the Sicangu. Respected as he was in his own camp and by many Sicangu, other leaders had bristled that the old man seemed to accept the white man’s authority in this matter. Others said the old man was simply doing what he would have done in a sensitive situation. Nonetheless, there was disagreement and uneasiness because some blamed him for the Grattan incident.

After the days of mourning, the Crazy Horse lodge and a few other Oglala lodges visiting among the Sicangu departed for the Powder River country. There, they rejoined the Hunkpatila encampment. Light Hair was happy to see Lone Bear and his new friend He Dog.

The playfulness of boyhood was gone now. The concerns of the three boys were now more and more tied to the issues facing their people. They stayed near the council lodge in the evenings hoping to catch as much as they could of the earnest conversations of the old men as they talked of recent events at Fort Laramie. News about the fort was never lacking. According to the latest messenger, the Long Knives were still staying near the fort. They had been so afraid that Grattan and the other dead had been left unburied for days, until the French trader Bordeaux was paid to gather them up for burial. Many of the old men laughed, amazed that the bluster and loudness exhibited by most whites seemed to be nothing more than fog before the persistent sun.

Prompt: In the passage, the Lakota elders feel sad that some young people have forgotten how to hunt and make stone arrow points, choosing instead to live near the fort and get goods from the white settlers. What reasons do the elders give for feeling this way, and what can you guess they believe will happen to the Lakota way of life because of this change? Compare this to a time in your own life when you or someone you know chose the "easy" way instead of the traditional or harder way. (Your answer should be in first person using pronouns such as “I” “me” and “my”.)

Answer 1

In the passage, the Lakota elders express their sadness about young people forgetting traditional skills like hunting and making stone arrow points. They believe that choosing to live near the fort and depend on the goods provided by white settlers represents a departure from their heritage and a loss of essential knowledge and skills passed down through generations. The elders lament that this reliance on the "easier" lifestyle breeds a kind of darkness—not only in practical skills but also in the spirit of independence and self-sufficiency that defined their way of life. They fear that by succumbing to the influence of the white settlers, the essence of being Lakota, rooted in traditions of hunting and self-reliance, is at risk of eroding. The elders' unease suggests that they believe this change could lead to a fundamental loss of identity and cultural survival for the Lakota people.

Reflecting on my own life, I can recall a time when I chose the easier path instead of a more traditional or challenging one. In high school, I often opted to rely on online resources and quick solutions for my assignments rather than conducting thorough research or engaging deeply with the material. While it was easier to find shortcuts, I missed out on gaining a better understanding of the subjects and the skills that would have benefited me in the long run. Just like the young Lakota men, I sacrificed depth of knowledge and connection to the original material for convenience. Looking back, I realize that honoring traditional methods, whether it be studying, crafting, or even crafting my thoughts, provides a richer and more fulfilling experience, much like the way of life the elders wished for their people. Choosing the harder path can often lead to greater growth and a deeper sense of identity.