[1]: 179 The legend tells the story of when buffalo and man raced each other to establish order in the universe.
Told by Fire Wolfe, "The venerable Suhtai Buffalo and Sun Dance priest.
The next morning the young man went out looking for the buffalo cow again and found her standing in front of a tipi but, now she was a beautiful woman.
Before the test the young man's son informed him that he would set up various signals so his father could identify him.
[2]: 475 The grandmother then proceeded to charge but she too realized that he had "a strong heart and great human power".
The young calf told his father to take the black stick and not the red one and to run on the inside near the rim rock.
The race began and the young man ran along the inside of the track like his son instructed.
The animals then proceeded to hold a council and decided to have a great race between man and buffalo.
The buffalo selected Slim Walking Woman to be their racer "for she was the fastest and most long winded".
The race began and Slim Walking Woman got off to an early lead as magpie flew very high.
[2]: 472–478 The Lakota were the last native occupants of the Black Hills and had the land seized from them by the United States government in 1877.
[1]: 177 The Great Race story explains the origin of the Black Hills and the establishment of order in the universe.
[1]: 181 Lakota versions of the story refer specifically to the Black Hills and the Race Track.
[3]: 174 The Cheyenne/Suhtai inhabited the Black Hills from 1670–1876,[3]: 179 also believing that the Great Race took place on Inyan Kara Mountain.
[3]: 186 The story of the Great Race plays an important role in Cheyenne cosmology, in establishing order among living things.
[3]: 180 Other versions of the story refer to the first Sun Dance near Bear Lodge Butte and Sundance Mountain.