Distinctly Montana Magazine

42 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 4 Cheyenne women fought in some of the most significant battles in tribal history. Yellow Haired Woman was involved in two separate engagements during the autumn of 1868. Still mourning the recent death of her husband, she par- ticipated in four charges against the entrenched positions of Major Forsyth's scouts on September 17th in the Battle of Beecher Island. Recognizing that her courage was visibly faltering prior to the fourth charge, Wooden Leg harangued his comrades by shouting, "What are you men doing? You are letting a woman get the best of you." Later that fall, Yellow Haired Woman counted multiple coups in hand-to-hand combat by stabbing three Shoshones, one of them mortally. These incidents occurred during the primary and blood- iest phase of fighting in a four-day con- flict, which took place near the foot of the Big Horn Mountains. This battle marked the Cheyennes' greatest victory over the Shoshones, one that resulted in 62 enemy fatalities. Buffalo Calf Road Woman is probably the best-known Cheyenne woman war- rior, since she fought in both the battles of the Rosebud and the Little Bighorn. Indeed, the Cheyennes have long com- memorated the Battle of the Rosebud as "Where The Girl Saved Her Brother," to honor the bravery of Buffalo Calf Road Woman, who rescued her brother, Comes In Sight, from the field of battle after his horse was shot out from under him. Documentary evidence for the ex- ploits of nineteenth-century Plains Indi- an female combatants is not particularly rare, given the various scenarios and cir- cumstances cited above. However, very few women chose the way of the warrior as a life-long pursuit. This culturally sanctioned, alternative gender role has been studied most extensively among the Piikáni (Piegan Blackfeet) of Alber- ta and Montana. Such women gravitat- ed, often at an early age, to traditionally male activities, most notably hunting and warfare. Pitamakan, or Running Eagle, was the most famous of these Piikáni wom- en warriors. In her case, it is entirely possible that oral history has conflated two women who lived during different eras. Remarks by James Willard Schultz, published in the early twentieth century, vaguely attribute her military career to "the very long ago." Ken Robison, a lo- • Commercial Property Inspections • Radon Testing • Thermal Imaging • Meth, Mold, and Asbestos Testing • Water Testing • Sewer and Septic Scopes • Roof Inspections • Help with New Construction and New Construction Defects 406-626-HOME (4663) • www.inspect406.com Missoula • Hamilton • Kalispell • Helena • Butte ICC CERTIFIED CODE INSPECTOR IN ADDITION TO HOME INSPECTIONS, WE OFFER: TWO YEARS IN A ROW VOTED BEST HOME INSPECTION COMPANY IN MONTANA VOTE FOR US! FOR A CHANCE TO WIN $500 2023 2022 of B E S T M O N TA N A A S V O T E D B Y R E A D E R S O F 2023 W I N N E R ! The Battle of Beecher Island by Frederic Remington Battles of the Rosebud and Little Bighorn: Cheyenne, Apsáa- looke, and Lakota women fought in these two battles.

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