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Where
the Battle of the Little Big Horn began . . .
Garryowen, Montana
Custer's Beaded Leather
Gauntlets Donated to Custer Battlefield Museum
 GARRYOWEN, Mont., June 25, 2012
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Christopher Kortlander, founding
director of the Custer Battlefield Museum, announced today that
General George Armstrong Custer's red, white, and blue beaded,
buffalo hide gauntlets, which were removed from Custer's body
following the Battle of the Little Bighorn, have been donated to
the Museum's collection for permanent display.
Kortlander disclosed, "These amazing gauntlets have been
privately held and passed down through from the
Battlefield 136 years ago today. On behalf of The Custer
Battlefield Museum, we are deeply honored to accept this
historic gift."
Palm of right glove shows spots believed to be blood
According to oral history, the gauntlets were beaded for Custer
by the Sioux with a design, which helped identify Custer, who
was a friend to some Native American tribes. Following Custer's
death, the gloves were reportedly taken from his body by a Sioux
woman, believed to be the wife of a Sioux chief, and later
returned to the Sisseton Sioux who orinally beaded the
gauntlets.
Tom Greenwood, an early Native American activist and advocate,
who helped to create the Indian Services League of Chicago in
the early 1950's, received the gauntlets from his father in 1938
(Greenwood's grandfather was a Chief of the Sisseton Sioux
tribe.) Greenwood strictly adhered to the instructions of the
Sisseton Sioux that the gloves never be allowed to be touched or
possessed by any agency or representative of the federal
government. In the late 1940's, Greenwood passed the gauntlets
to a Native American friend and colleague Richard Becker, who
then passed them on to Richard Jorgensen in 1982. This transfer
took place in the Healing Waters area of Southwest Illinois as
part of an Indian ceremony, which occurs when sacred Native
American items are re-located.
Mr. Jorgensen held the gauntlets in safekeeping for the next 30
years, until he learned about the non-profit Custer Battlefield
Museum. He felt the gauntlets' proper place was among the
museum's outstanding collection, where they will be on display
for public viewing. Mr. Jorgensen remarked, "Now that I've
reached 74 years old, ideally, it's time to pass them on."
 The gauntlets, one of a few known items of General Custer's
personal effects taken from the historic Battlefield, feature a
large star on the cuff of each glove, signifying Custer's
previous military rank, with red, white, and blue beadwork
surrounding each star. Showing moderate wear and a dark stain on
the left glove that is purported to be Custer's blood, the
gauntlets will be prominently featured in the Museum's display.
The gauntlets can be seen at the Custer Battlefield Museum or
online at
www.custermuseum.org.
CONTACT:
Christopher Kortlander
V. 406.638.2020
F.
406.638.2019
chris@custermuseum.org
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