It seems that there were several individuals called American Horse (Wasichun Tashunka) and not all of them were Lakota. The individual killed at Slim Buttes was not called American Horse. His name was Iron Shield or Iron Plume (Read: Eli. S. Ricker tablets). Stanley Vestal in his Sitting Bull book says that Iron Shield was sometimes called American Horse. Frank Grouard mistakenly identified him as American Horse. Everyone there at Slim Buttes was impressed with the stoical way he died and he was described as a fine looking, handsome man. At first newspapers in east writing about Slim Buttes incident, called him American Horse and then that name started to appear in books like
J. P. Dunn´s Massacres of the mountains, published in 1885, and in books by Finerty, Bourke, Stanley Vestal and maybe others. By that time the name American Horse must have been "tattooed" on the dead indians forehead. Even, otherwise so reliable, George Hyde, called him American Horse and speculated about his origin and father.

"Younger" American Horse was a peace chief and a diplomat. He never got the recognition due to him, not then nor later in history books. He was not related to American Horse / Iron Shield and certainly they were not father and son. All existing photographs of American Horse, are of this man. The pictures show that he was a very good looking "Noble Savage", so it was very easy to start claiming that these photographs are of Slim Buttes American Horse / Iron Shield, who was also described as a handsome man. While American Horse "jr." was still living, he was in all likelyhood called just American Horse and not Younger American Horse.

Putting a wrong name on  a picture seems to have been rather common in those days. For example the famous picture/postcard named Young Man Afraid of His Horses is actually a Kiowa chief, Apiatan.

-Kari Salonius