Plenty-coups: Chief of the Crows
In his old age, Plenty-coups (1848–1932), the last hereditary chief of the Crow Indians, told the moving story of his life to Frank B. Linderman, the well-known western writer who had befriended him. Plenty-coups is a classic account of the nomadic, spiritual, and warring life of Plains Indians before they were forced onto reservations. Plenty-coups tells of the great triumphs and struggles of his own life: his powerful medicine dreams, marriage, raiding and counting coups against the Lakotas, fighting alongside the U.S. Army, and the death of General Custer.
There are a handful of books about the American Indian, written as biographical and historic instead of sensational, and this one is now on my too-long list. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYou wrote, " . . . his powerful medicine dreams, marriage, raiding and counting coups against the Lakotas". Okay, . . . so what are, "counting coups"?
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counting_coup
DeleteMy guess was that a coup was a 'trophy', generally the scalp of an enemy to be hung on a warrior's lodge pole. Apparently, it's a more generic 'act of bravery' that may not even include killing your enemy, just disgracing him or stealing his horses.
Counting coup didn’t nessisarily mean killing your opponent. Imagine wading in to a battle against your enemy who were armed with knives or lances etc with nothing but a club and fighting them all to the ground. Imagine what power and greatness you and your tribe would have as your enemy withdrew from the field and you, club in hand, had counted the most coup.
DeleteMF
They told us in school, 'count coup' was a kind of ritual warfare, where you tapped your opponent on his shield/armour/breastplate/??? rather than outright killing/injuring him. Think wargames or paintball. Most hits wins.
DeleteDunno. It was school after all...
Touching your enemy during the battle with the coup stick was how I heard it.
DeleteThe noble redman is a myth.
ReplyDeleteThere are many, and that is one.
DeleteSavages all. I wouldn't spend one braincell on reading that heresy.
ReplyDeleteI should mention the biography of James Beckwourth (b. 1798 or 1800, d. 1866). The book is titled 'The life and adventures of James P. Beckwourth, mountaineer, scout, and pioneer, and chief of the Crow nation of Indians'. It's very long but it must be pretty interesting, because I managed to finish it's +/- 600 pages. The middle half of the book is about his life with the Crow, and it gives you an insight into the constant battles the plains Indians had in keeping and defending their territory. It gets into some pretty graphic detail.
ReplyDeleteThe lives of the indigenous peoples in the pre-European days were not lives of a utopian, peaceful existence today's society would like you to believe it was.
While reading the book you have to keep in mind Beckwourth was known as the 'gaudy liar', but even knowing that his list of impressive accomplishments can't be denied. One of which was finding the lowest pass (Beckwourth Pass) over the Sierra and developing it for wagon travel.
I enjoyed that book, no idea how much of a tall tale it was but I liked it!
DeleteI just ordered it on Amazon.
ReplyDeleteI always wondered why Custer was in such an all fired up hurry to attack at what became 'The Little Bighorn'.
ReplyDeleteI think it was because he wanted to catch them before they dispersed. The land could not support a pow wow that size. It was only a matter of time before they had to break camp. No buffalo herds made this inevitable.