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Korczak Ziolkowski

American sculptor

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Korczak Ziolkowski was a Polish American sculptor, born in 1908, who began carving the Crazy Horse Memorial in 1948. This massive sculpture, located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, is being carved from Thunderhead Mountain and depicts the Lakota leader Crazy Horse. Ziolkowski was inspired by a request from Chief Henry Standing Bear to honor Native Americans.1

Crazy Horse was a chief of the Oglala band of Lakota and a warrior who resisted the U.S. invasion of the Great Plains. He is known for his role in battles such as the Fetterman Massacre and the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Ziolkowski worked on the memorial for decades, often alone, and is buried at its base. His family continues the project, which, upon completion, will be the largest sculpture in the world.21

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. Crazy Horse
  2. Crazy Horse Memorial

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