Accounts from his family describe demanding exercises intended to build endurance and self-control.

His grandfather Yellowtail is remembered as teaching him to run through the cold, plunge into icy water, hunt, track, ride, and develop the stamina expected of a capable Crow man.

These practices were not preparation for an inevitable war in Europe.

They were part of a broader philosophy of competence.

A person should be able to endure discomfort without surrendering judgment.

A person should understand the land.

A person should be able to care for others and act when action became necessary.

Years later, when Medicine Crow crossed minefields, moved through enemy fire, and survived close combat, he credited some of his strength to the hard training of his youth.

But his childhood was not a simple continuation of old ways.

Federal Indian policy had already transformed Native life across the United States.