The following is information that helps to shed light on the historical aspects of Sherman Alexie's novel Flight.

Crazy Horse

This is allegedly a picture of Crazy Horse, but this is unconfirmed.

There are numerous depictions and renditions of him in books

and on the internet.

Crazy Horse in Flight:

How has history treated Crazy Horse? In Flight, Zits says the Battle of the Little Bighorn is misidentified as Custer's Last Stand. He says it was really the Indians' last stand, because "after that the Indians gave up." Read more about Crazy Horse at http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/a_c/crazyhorse.htm and about the Indian Wars at http://www.indianwars.org/.

PBS brief information on Crazy Horse

Little Bighorn on the History Channel 

This is a short clip on Little Bighorn.  Experience and learn about the battle that Zits himself was part of .

Crazy Horse: The Strange Man of the Oglalas

Purchase this book here. It's a great idea to supplement a lesson on Flight.

Want to read a review of this book? Click here.

George Armstrong Custer

A portrait of General George Armstrong Custer.

Custer in Flight:

"Custer is a crazy egomaniac who thinks he is going to be president of the United States. Custer is one of the top two or three dumb asses in American history." Flight, p. 69.

Was Custer a hero, a villian, or just a dumb ass? Read about him at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Armstrong_Custer and

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/custer.htm

History Channel Video:Crazy Horse Fights Last Battle

Zits

The protagonist of Flight is named Zits. There is a popular comic strip of the same name that features an adolescent progtagonist as he stumbles through the ups and downs of growing up. You can read some of the comics for free here: Zits Comic Strip

Zits refers to himself as "Zitman" and describes himself as a superhero.  Students could make the comic strip of "Zitman" with the Zits comic strip as an example.

The Ghost Dance

Noted in historical accounts as the Ghost Dance of 1890, the Ghost Dance was a religious movement incorporated into numerous Native American belief systems. The traditional ritual used in the Ghost Dance, the circle dance, has been used by many Native Americans since pre-historic times, but was first performed in accordance with Jack Wilson's teachings among the Nevada Paiute in 1889. The practice swept throughout much of the American West, quickly reaching areas of California and Oklahoma. As the Ghost Dance spread from its original source, Native American tribes synthesized selective aspects of the ritual with their own beliefs, often creating change in both the society that integrated it and the ritual itself. --From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Dance

If you would like to play a song to help explain the idea of the Ghost Dance, use Robbie Robertsons, "Ghost Dance". Review the lyrics  and also a video.