This naming custom sometimes leads to confusion in attributing deeds to family members Through the 1860s and 1870s, Little Hawk had participated in the fights alongside his famous nephew – just four years younger - Crazy Horse.

Committed by political and personal imperatives to preserve his people's hunting grounds, and reluctant to follow Sitting Bull (Lakota: Tatanka Yotanka) into Canadian exile, Little Hawk chose to fight alongside his nephew against the U.S. troops.

According to General George Crook's notes, Little Hawk " ... appeared to rank next to Crazy Horse in importance, was much like his superior in size and build, but his face was more kindly in expression and he was more fluent in speech; he did most of the talking."

Crazy Horse arrived at Fort Robinson near the Red Cloud agency on May 6, 1877; together with Little Hawk, He Dog, Little Big Man, Iron Crow, they met in a solemn ceremony with First Lieutenant William P. Clark as the first step in their formal surrender.

The Hunkpatila was an offshoot of They Even Fear His Horses agency band, and the chief had sincerely attempted to integrate his Northern kinsmen into the smooth running of reservation life.

Since the death of Crazy Horse, Hunkpatila leadership devolved to his father's half-brother Little Hawk, whose loyalties to his nephew's memory deeply conflicted with the interest of Commission of Indian Affairs.

They traveled northwest, pausing to regroup at the staging camp near the junction of Elk Creek and the south fork of the Cheyenne River.

The council of warriors nominated Little Hawk as the Pipe Owner for the projected flight and a Sun Dance was held to promote the spirit of solidarity.

The buffalo herds, which through the 1870s had contracted northward across Montana Territory, vanished under relentless pressure from the exiles, Canadian Indians and Métis, and American hide hunters.