But Crow society also had a capacity to recognize exceptions.

The Crow framework of leadership was not rigid enough to prevent an individual with genuinely exceptional abilities from rising, even if that individual was someone the framework hadn’t been designed to accommodate.

Woman Chief was that individual.

The First Test

The moment that transformed her from a skilled warrior into a recognized war leader has been described in multiple accounts, and while the details vary somewhat between sources, the core event is consistent.

The Crow at a trading post — accounts suggest this was near Fort Union — came under attack from a Blackfoot raiding party.