Crazy Horse Poem By The Legendary John Trudell
The Crazy Horse poem by the legendary John Trudell is a powerful tale of a man who was forced to flee his native land due to a tragic accident. As a young boy, Trudell lived on the Santee Sioux reservation near Omaha, Nebraska, and was raised by a mother who was of mixed tribal blood. This hardship, coupled with his poetry and music, helped shape the artist and writer he became.
His poetic pen is like a poet’s tongue and he has been described as a “lone wolf, prophet, preacher, and warrior.” His many roles in the community helped him earn a reputation as an activist, as well as a great poet and singer. While he has been praised for his work as an artist, his involvement in the American Indian Movement has left him a mysterious and colorful character.
In the early 1900s, the FBI started a program known as COINTEL that sought to dismantle the American Indian Movement. The FBI eventually turned its focus on Trudell. In the late 1980s, Trudell had been involved in the American Indian Movement as the National Chairman. The Bureau of Indigenous Affairs determined that the fire was an accident and it had nothing to do with Native culture.
John Trudell is an archetypal warrior-poet and his fourth CD, Bone Days, is a glimpse of the gritty underbelly of the world. His life has been filled with adventure and he has lived a colourful life, serving in the U.S. Armed Forces and being a political activist. He lost his wife and children during a bombing in Vietnam, but he persevered and forged a remarkable career. He has collaborated with Jackson Browne, Jesse Ed Davis, Jeff Beck, and the Indigo Girl Amy Ray.
During the Civil Rights Movement, the FBI started a COINTEL program to suppress the American Indian Movement. Afterwards, the FBI turned its attention to the songwriter. By the end of the year, his career had reached the level of national prominence. His four-CD release, Bone Days, gathered his work from all of his albums. It covered the years between 1985 and 1991. During his career, he worked with Jackson Browne, Jesse Ed Davis, Tony Hymas, and Buffy Sainte-Marie, a rocker and activist.
The ‘Crazy Horse’ is a unique song by John Trudell. The lyrics and music on Bone Days were inspired by the legendary singer-songwriter, who spent his childhood under the threat of being kidnapped by Pancho Villa’s men. The acclaimed musician also has a history of activism, having been the National Chairman of the American Indian Movement in the turbulent 1970s.
