A vision quest guided Crazy Horse’s war strategy

The plains tribes' young men frequently sought visions, which were kind of like directions for achieving one's destiny. Crazy Horse disregarded many of the Sioux rites and traditions because he was not a stickler for his tribe's traditions.

Crazy Horse purposely disregarded the prescribed ceremonies and rode off into the grasslands in 1854 in search of a vision. After going without food for four days, Crazy Horse saw an unadorned horseman who told him to dress similarly, wearing no more than one feather and never a war hat.

To avoid harm, he was also instructed to throw dust over his horse before engaging in combat, to place a stone behind his ear, and never take war spoils. With just one exception, Crazy Horse is claimed to have obeyed the rules for the rest of his life and to have never been hurt during the conflicts that followed.