Evidence of what the Crow were, of what their social system could accommodate, of what individual determination and capability could produce in a specific cultural context.

She was not a wonder.

She was a chief.

The difference matters enormously.

The Women Around Her

One of the details that tends to get lost in accounts focused on Woman Chief as a unique individual is the fact that she was not entirely alone in the category of Crow women who exceeded the conventional limits of female roles.

James Beckwourth, whatever his reliability problems, mentions two other warrior women in the Crow context: Biliíche Héeleelash (Among The Willows) and Akkeekaahuush (Comes Toward The Near Bank).

Both are included in the Little Big Horn College Library’s timeline of Apsáalooke chiefs and leaders, which gives them dates and brief descriptions that situate them as real historical figures rather than Beckwourth inventions.