Distinctly Montana Magazine

43 w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m cal historian, asserts similarly that Pita- makan died about 1836 and was regard- ed as "one of the first of the Blackfeet to use a gun in warfare." On the other hand, anthropologist John C. Ewers interviewed members of the last generation of pre-reserva- tion Blackfeet warriors during the early 1940s, when he conducted ethnograph- ic fieldwork on their reservation. Weasel Tail (ca. 1859-1950), one of his primary informants, recounted the experiences of "Old Chief White Grass, who had accompanied Running Eagle on several expeditions." The preponderance of evidence sug- gests that Pitamakan rose to promi- nence during the terminal period of intertribal warfare, i.e., the late 1870s. She received a vision, one that foretold success in battle, in a cave near the waterfall in Gla- cier National Park that now bears her name. Thereafter, Running Eagle embarked on a series of horse raids and war parties, primar- ily against the Flatheads. Aware of her growing reputation as a war leader, the Flatheads redoubled their efforts to kill Running Eagle and eventually suc- ceeded in doing so during an attempted horse raid against one of their villages. Biographical data on Woman Chief are more abundant and less contra- dictory, thanks to the writings of Ed- win Denig, who was perhaps the most knowledgeable mid-nineteenth century Euroamerican source on the Upper Mis- DON ' T LET A HERNIA SLOW YOU DOWN . JACOB OPFER, MD At Bozeman Health general surgery, we understand the importance of minimizing disruptions to your routine. Our highly skilled surgeons employ state-of-the-art minimally invasive techniques for hernia repair, ensuring swift recovery and limited downtime. Scan the QR code to learn more about minimally invasive surgery. (RIGHT) Moving Robe Woman, also known as Her Eagle Robe or Mary Crawler, a Lakota combatant in the Battle of the Little Bighorn (BELOW) Rain-in-the-Face, Lakota combatant in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, who utilized the presence of Moving Robe Woman as a rallying cry to inspire courage in the ranks of his warriors. Photograph by Orlando Scott Goff, 1874.

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