Denig described Crow women as generally excluded from formal political participation, and this was broadly accurate for most women most of the time.

But the existence of multiple recognized exceptions suggests that the system had more flexibility than Denig’s general characterization implied.

The specific conditions that produced these exceptions are worth thinking about.

Each of the three women named in the Crow leadership timeline was recognized for military achievement — for success in the specific activities that produced social status in Crow society.

This suggests that the flexibility operated specifically in the domain of military achievement: women who demonstrated genuine warrior capability could earn the recognition that capability warranted, even if they couldn’t access that recognition through other paths.

Woman Chief was the most extreme case of this pattern because she went furthest — from warrior recognition to chiefly status.