This past Sunday, the History Channel had an excellent show called "Battlefield Detectives: Custer at Little Big Horn" which also brought out much more of the Lakota, Crow, etc. accounts, some secret until now, as noted above.(I think it was a rerun as I've seen postings elsewhere on the internet about it from before.) Even more interesting was the archealogical evidence they are still finding on a daily basis which backs up the NDN accounts. There's more at this site about the archeaology of it all.

They pointed out that the final battle really took place at Deep Ravine where the bodies of the fallen soldiers still await discovery, as they work to figure out where each one is. Also, it is the only battlefield in the world which has markers for the fallen on the exact spot where they perished.

Here's a small blurb: The defeat of General Custer by Sioux chief Sitting Bull at the Battle of Little Big Horn is re-examined. New evidence reveals that the native Americans didn't depend solely on traditional weapons, that the health of Custer's men was extremely poor, and that the "last stand" in fact took place at Deep Ravine.

It included interviews of elders and descendants of NDNs. Also, they pointed out that the majority of Custer's men were foreign-born as mentioned above, never dreaming they'd find themselves in such a situation when coming to the "new country" to seek a better life.

Whenever we come to this anniversary, I always think of Floyd Red Crow Westerman and his album, "Custer died for your sins." I had the privilege of meeting him and hearing him sing his songs when all he had were cassettes to sell at powwows. Here's a great write-up on him. Somehow, it seems god to include info on him in this thread:

FLOYD RED CROW WESTERMAN INDIAN CELEBRITY OF THE YEAR
   ANADARKO -- On Tuesday August 8, 2000, the 69th annual American Indian
Exposition will honor an icon of the film and television industry. On that
evening, actor, activist, and folk and country singer Floyd Red Crow
Westerman will be named Indian Celebrity of the Year! Westerman will sing
a concert of his music on Monday, Aug. 7 as part of the expo program.

Born in 1936 on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Sioux Reservation,
Westerman's Dakota name, "Kanghi Duta," means "Red Crow." He attended
boarding school at the age of ten and graduated from high school on the
Flandreau South Dakota Sioux Reservation. He subsequently studied at
Northern State College in South Dakota.
   
Westerman's movie appearances include Renegades, Dances with Wolves, The
Doors, Lakota Woman, Buffalo Girls, and Clearcut. He will soon appearing in
Richard Attenborough's new film Grey Owl. His television experience includes
guest leads in Northern Exposure, The Pretender, L.A. Law, X-Files,
Millennium, Roseanne, Dharma and Greg, and a cameo appearance as Sitting
Bull in the mini-series Son of the Morning Star. Currently, he appears
regularly as Uncle Ray to Chuck Norris's Walker Texas Ranger.
   
Red Crow is active on the country and folk singing circuit as well, where
he started in Colorado and got his first recording contract in New York in
1969. His albums "Custer Died For Your Sins" and "The Land is Your Mother"
have brought him personal appearances across Europe, the Americas, and the
United States and Canada. His concerts help to support Human Rights for
Indigenous People of the World.