lunatechian (lunatech-ian)

The statue "Death Song" is one of the most moving pieces of art for me. I saw this statue at the Crazy Horse Memorial.

In my first viewing of the statue, it appeared to be the statue of a hunter standing over the animal he had just hunted.

I then read the description of the statue (quoted below)

"Death Song" depicts a heroic member of the Miwatani Society of the Western Lakota. The warriors of this elite group of fighters, called "Sash Wearers," would stake their sash to the ground in the face of an enemy attack. This allowed freedom of actions, but under no circumstance could the sash wearer pull out the lance and retreat-an action would bring scorn from fellow warriors and Tribal members. Only exceptional performance in battle would allow another warrior to remove the lance and permit the sash wearer to escape otherwise certain death. In the bronze sculpture, one warrior, with his sash pinned to the ground, is standing beside the body of his exhausted pony preparing to do battle, singing his "Death Song."

I did a double take after reading the description and looked at the statue from the side. I could see the stake and I could make out the horse lying on the ground.

The statue really amazed me. From the front, it appeared to be ahunter with his prey. But closer inspection showed it to be a warrior most probably making his last stand.