13 Facts About Woman Chief

The woman eventually known as Woman Chief was born to the Gros Ventre people; her birth name is unknown.

Woman Chief showed a disposition to assume traditionally male activities, and her foster father evidently encouraged her pursuits, as he had lost his sons to death or capture.

Woman Chief earned acclaim for her horse riding, marksmanship, and ability to field-dress a buffalo.

Woman Chief gained renown as a warrior during a raid by the Blackfoot on a fort sheltering Crow and white families.

Woman Chief reportedly fought off multiple attackers and was instrumental in turning back the raid.

Woman Chief subsequently raised her own band of warriors and raided Blackfoot settlements, taking off many horses and scalps.

Woman Chief eventually rose to the rank of third among the council's 160 lodges.

Woman Chief married four wives, which increased the wealth and prestige of her lodge.

Woman Chief became involved in peace negotiations with other Upper Missouri tribes following the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie, and successfully negotiated peace with the Gros Ventres, the tribe of her birth.

Western visitors who met Woman Chief, including Edwin Denig and Rudolph Kurz, were fascinated with her.

Woman Chief wrote that she was a formidable warrior who vowed to kill one hundred enemies before she would marry.

Woman Chief further claimed to have had a romantic relationship with her and to have proposed marriage.

Beside Woman Chief there were other known warrior women of the Crow Nation, including Akkeekaahuush and Biliiche Heeleelash, the latter a prominent war leader.