But the pattern itself predated her and continued after her death.

The Specific Vocabulary of Crow Honor

Understanding what Woman Chief achieved requires understanding the specific vocabulary of honor that operated in Crow society — the precise ways in which military achievement was recognized, counted, and publicly acknowledged.

Crow warriors accumulated war honors through a system that recognized specific types of deeds and assigned specific values to them.

The categories included coups — touching an armed and living enemy in battle, which was the most prestigious single act — as well as taking horses from an enemy camp, leading a successful raid, and killing enemies in combat.

These honors were not private claims.