Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
quering. As a middle-aged leader, he embraced life on the reservation as a farmer,
trader, and negotiator. He is considered the last of the great Crow war chiefs and had
a tremendous influence on the tribe's relations with white settlers.
Plenty Coups was considered special even as a young child. His grandfather
foresaw his role as a chief and named him Alaxchiiaahush, meaning “many accom-
plishments” or “plenty coups.” During his early years he had a vision that seemed
not only to foretell the future but also dictate the path the Crow would have to follow
in order to survive.
When he was 11, Plenty Coups went into the mountains on a vision quest. He was
gone for three days, and when he returned he shared his dream with the group's eld-
ers. He claimed he had seen large herds of buffalo disappearing across the plains and
a new strange animal arriving to take their place. He described seeing all the trees
in the forest blow over with a great gust of wind until only one remained standing
straight and tall. The elders declared that his dream was a vision of the future and
that it meant the buffalo would disappear and be replaced by the white men's cattle.
They believed the forest represented all the Plains Indian tribes, and the white men,
like the wind, would tear through their land and way of life. The fallen trees were
interpreted as the tribes that resisted and fought the settlers. The sole tree standing
represented the Crow; they would survive because they would work with, rather than
against, the whites. The Crow used this dream as a guide for the next several years,
and when it came time to fight, they joined the side of the whites and fought against
other tribes.
Plenty Coups earned several “coups” as a valiant and skilled warrior. He had a
reputation for being intelligent and fearless and was believed to have had at least
80 feathers on his coup stick, each representing an act of bravery. In addition, he
proved to be an eloquent and moving orator. When the Crow people were transferred
to their reservation, Plenty Coups advocated that they ought to do their best to adapt
to this new way of life. He led by example, cultivating his individual allotment of
land, opening a general store, and building a log cabin in which to live. Plenty Coups
was also a great promoter of education, reminding his people that “with education
you will be the white man's equal; without it you will be the white man's victim.” A
persuasive advocate for his people, Plenty Coups negotiated a railroad line through
the reservation and made several journeys to Washington, D.C., to represent Native
