He also notes that these women managed the domestic affairs of her lodge — the processing of hides, the preparation of food, the maintenance of the tipi and its contents.

The women in her household were, in functional terms, exactly what the wives of successful male chiefs were: partners in the management of a substantial household, contributors to the economic processing that converted hunting and raiding success into material wealth.

A Crow chief who had accumulated large herds of horses and large numbers of bison robes needed people to process and manage that material wealth.

The wives provided that labor and management.