Woman War Chief
The Story of a Crow Warrior
by
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Synopsis:
Woman War Chief is a historical novel covering the life of a female Native American warrior who became a chief in the Crow tribe. Born in the Atsina tribe in 1800, the girl named Shining Sun was abducted by River Crow hunters. For the rest of her life she lived with the River Crow, also known as the Sparrow Hawks.
Ten years old when captured, the precocious girl lied to the Crow, telling them she was actually a Crow child who had been previously abducted by the Atsina. Because she could speak some Crow, they believed her. She convinced her mentors that she would become a better hunter and warrior than a lodge woman. Renamed Pine Leaf, she lived her eventful life in the area of Wyoming and Montana, mostly around the Yellowstone River Valley. Around 1828, a black mountain man named Jim Beckwith, a trapper on contract with the American Fur Company, came to live with the River Crow. Pine Leaf fought alongside Jim for nearly ten years. She and Jim had an eventful and stormy relationship until Jim left the Crow for St. Louis in 1838. Jim Beckwith later dictated Woman Chief’s early exploits to historian Thomas Bonner.
A fierce warrior and successful hunter, Pine Leaf became famous among Native Americans and white men alike. When her fighting prowess and prudent decisions elevated her to positions of authority, her people changed her name from Pine Leaf to Woman Chief. Eventually she became a war chief and a major figure in the Crow Nation. She knew many of the legendary Old West figures like Bill Williams, Kit Carson, John Fremont and Jim Bridger. All of these people are mentioned in the book and play a part in Woman Chief’s life.
Excerpt from Chapter 20:
After the Sparrow Hawks crossed branches of the Little Bighorn they moved southeast toward the Tongue. Here Pine Leaf took a side trip to her sacred rock pillar to tell the spirit of Cracked-Ice about her new war weapons.
"Now, my brother," she said, "I will be more capable of my promise to slay one hundred of our enemies to avenge your death. I have remained a virgin in your honor and I do not intend to ever marry. I will carry your spirit with me as I continue to live the life of a Sparrow Hawk brave. It is my desire to become the greatest warrior our people have ever seen." After several hours of prayer and conversation with the spirit of Cracked-Ice, Pine Leaf rode hard to catch up with her moving people.
The Sparrow Hawks headed east to the Powder then ascended Spotted Horse Creek to the head of Horse Creek; after descending the Little Powder they established a base camp.
Scouts soon returned to the newly established village to report that they had seen buffalo on the grasslands to the east. Camp police held the excited people in check as the chief and council designed a plan for the hunt. They also developed a defense plan for the village, since they were outside their home grounds of Absaroka.
"We are now close to the sacred hills of the Teton Sioux and their allies, the Cheyenne," said Rotten Belly, "so our hunters must remain vigilant." The hunters were excited to get going, but they also understood the gravity of the situation.
"Pine Leaf," he said, "you will take fifty Big Dogs to act as scouts and defenders of the buffalo surround. Yellow Belly, you will lead the actual surround. Grizzly Bear, you will be in charge of defending our camp. Good hunting!"
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About the Book
The real life adventures of a Crow Warrior called
WOMAN WAR CHIEF
Woman War Chief is a historical novel about a female warrior who became a Crow chief. Born in the Atsina tribe in 1800, the girl was abducted by River Crow hunters when she was 10 years old. The precocious child told her captors that she was actually a Crow child who had been abducted years before by the Atsina. Because she could speak some Crow, they believed her lie. She grew up to become a chief and a major figure in the Crow Nation.
A fierce warrior and hunter, she became famous among Native Americans and white men alike. She knew Bill Williams, Kit Carson, John Fremont and Jim Bridger; all of these characters have a part in the telling of her story.
Around 1828, a black mountain man named Jim Beckwith joined the River Crow. Jim fought alongside Woman Chief for nearly ten years. She and Jim had an eventful and stormy relationship before Jim left the Crow (and his many wives) in 1838.
About the Author
Jerry A. Matney spent over a decade researching the life of Woman Chief, including interviewing members of the Crow tribe. Jerry’s paternal great-grandmother, from North Carolina, was Cherokee. For 34 years Jerry served the Orange County, California school district as an educator and school principal. He also served a term as Mayor of Huntington Beach.
Jerry is now working on Five Scalps, a historical novel about a famous black mountain man who also became a chief with the Crow tribe. Jerry now lives in Arizona with his wife, Nedra.
D. A. Gordon is a computer consultant, instructional designer, teacher, writer, editor and Webmaster. She has taught on the Navajo reservation in both Utah and Arizona. She started helping Jerry with Woman War Chief after teaching at his school in Orange County.
Ms. Gordon plans to publish two of her books early next year. Born and raised in northern Utah, she currently lives near Moab in southern Utah.
For more information about the Woman War Chief and
Five Scalps historical novels, visit these Web sites:
http://womanwarchief.comand http://fivescalps.com