The most accurate way to understand the title is therefore specific rather than romantic.

Medicine Crow was recognized as the last Crow war chief in the traditional sense associated with completing the four wartime deeds.

That honor described his achievement.

It did not describe the end of his people.

The Horse Story And The Temptation To Exaggerate

The fame of Medicine Crow’s wartime deeds has produced another challenge: dramatic stories tend to grow in retelling.

Online versions sometimes sharpen details, combine separate episodes, or present uncertain elements as if every second had been documented by a camera.

The horses become “Nazi SS horses” in some accounts.

Their number is often given as fifty.

The raid becomes more elaborate.