The account preserved in Denig’s writing of her encounter with Blackfoot raiders at the trading post — the incident that first established her warrior status — was a Blackfoot encounter.

The scalp she presented to Denig in October 1851 was a Blackfoot scalp.

Her reputation, in other words, was built in part on success against the most formidable and most respected enemy available.

This was not a coincidence.

In Crow warrior culture, reputation was built through the quality of your opposition as much as the quantity of your victories.

Defeating Blackfoot warriors meant something specific and important.

The Horse in Crow Life and War