Buffalo Calf Road Woman
Encyclopedia
Buffalo Calf Road Woman, or Brave Woman (b. c. 1850s? -d. 1878), was a Northern Cheyenne
woman who saved her wounded warrior brother Chief Comes in Sight, in the Battle of Rosebud (1876) (as it was called by the United States). Her rescue helped rally the Cheyenne warriors to win the battle. She fought next to her husband in the Battle of the Little Bighorn
that same year. In 2005 Northern Cheyenne storytellers broke more than 100 years of silence about the battle, and they credited Buffalo Calf Road Woman striking the blow that knocked Custer off his horse before he died.
and Sioux
, allied under the leadership of Crazy Horse
, had been retreating, and they left the wounded Chief Comes in Sight on the battlefield. Suddenly Buffalo Calf Road Woman rode out onto the battlefield at full speed and grabbed up her brother, carrying him to safety. Her courageous rescue caused the Cheyenne
to rally, and they defeated General George Crook
and his forces. In honor of Buffalo Calf Road Woman, the Cheyenne called the Battle of Rosebud "The Fight Where the Girl Saved Her Brother".
Buffalo Calf Road Woman is documented as also having fought at the Battle of Little Bighorn. There she fought alongside her husband Black Coyote. In June 2005, the Northern Cheyenne broke their more than 100 years of silence about the battle. In a public recounting of Cheyenne oral history of the battle, tribal storytellers said that Buffalo Calf Road Woman had struck the blow that knocked Custer off his horse before he died in the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Custer was said to have bad medicine, so the women took revenge.
Buffalo Calf Road Woman died of malaria
in 1878.
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
woman who saved her wounded warrior brother Chief Comes in Sight, in the Battle of Rosebud (1876) (as it was called by the United States). Her rescue helped rally the Cheyenne warriors to win the battle. She fought next to her husband in the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Battle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army...
that same year. In 2005 Northern Cheyenne storytellers broke more than 100 years of silence about the battle, and they credited Buffalo Calf Road Woman striking the blow that knocked Custer off his horse before he died.
History
During the Battle of the Rosebud, the CheyenneCheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
and Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
, allied under the leadership of Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S...
, had been retreating, and they left the wounded Chief Comes in Sight on the battlefield. Suddenly Buffalo Calf Road Woman rode out onto the battlefield at full speed and grabbed up her brother, carrying him to safety. Her courageous rescue caused the Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
to rally, and they defeated General George Crook
George Crook
George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
and his forces. In honor of Buffalo Calf Road Woman, the Cheyenne called the Battle of Rosebud "The Fight Where the Girl Saved Her Brother".
Buffalo Calf Road Woman is documented as also having fought at the Battle of Little Bighorn. There she fought alongside her husband Black Coyote. In June 2005, the Northern Cheyenne broke their more than 100 years of silence about the battle. In a public recounting of Cheyenne oral history of the battle, tribal storytellers said that Buffalo Calf Road Woman had struck the blow that knocked Custer off his horse before he died in the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Custer was said to have bad medicine, so the women took revenge.
Buffalo Calf Road Woman died of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
in 1878.
See also
- Moving Robe WomanMoving Robe WomanMoving Robe Woman , also known as Mary Crawler, Her Eagle Robe, She Walks With Her Shawl, and Walking Blanket Woman, was a Hunkpapa Sioux woman who fought against Custer during the Battle of Little Big Horn to avenge her brother, One Hawk, who had been killed. Her father's name was Crawler, and he...
- Minnie Hollow WoodMinnie Hollow WoodMinnie Hollow Wood was a Lakota Sioux woman who earned the right to wear a warbonnet because of her actions in the Battle of Little Big Horn. Her husband's name was Hollow Wood.-Sources:**...
- One Who Walks With the StarsOne Who Walks With the StarsOne Who Walks With the Stars was an Oglala Sioux woman who was the wife of Crow Dog, a Brule Sioux warrior. She killed two soldiers by slashing and clubbing them in the water of the river bank during the Battle of Little Big Horn.-Sources:**...
- The Other MagpieThe Other MagpieThe Other Magpie was a Crow woman who fought in the Battle of the Rosebud on the side of General Crook against the Sioux and Cheyenne. Pretty Shield, a Crow author and medicine woman, described her as being wild and attractive, but not having a man. She fought because her brother had recently been...
External links
- "Cheyenne participants in the Battle of Little Big Horn", University of Montana, limited access