But Big Hole — the predawn attack on a sleeping camp, the killing of women and children in their lodges — produced a specific kind of trauma that survivors described for decades afterward.

The flight continued.

But what continued after Big Hole was a different flight from the one that had started at White Bird Canyon.

The Journey Through Yellowstone

After Big Hole, the nimíipuu pushed southeast, through a country that presented both tactical options and human uncertainty.

Camas Meadows, in August, produced another engagement — a nimíipuu raid that drove off several hundred of Howard’s mules, disrupting his pursuit.

It was a practical military success: without mules, Howard’s column could not move quickly with its supplies, and the delay gave the nimíipuu time to extend their lead.