cont....
HORSE CAPTURE
"Waatyanath"
Born near Milk river in 1858. When about fifteen years of age he went with a war-party against the Piegan, but achieved no honor. From their camp at Beaver creek the Atsina sent out a war-party which came upon two Sioux. remaining hidden in a coulee, the warriors sent an old man out as a decoy. When the Sioux charged him, the rest of the Atsina rushed out and killed them both. During the fight Horse Capture ran up to one of the enemy, who was wounded, in order to count coup, when one of his companions dashed in ahead ofhimand was killed by the wounded Sioux. Horse Capture than counted first coup on the enemy and killed him.
He married at the age of twenty-five.
LONE
FLAG
"Nisahu"
Born in 1854 in northwestern Montana. His first experience in war was gained in the great battle with the Piegan, on which occasion he killed one and captured his medicine bundle. In an engagement with the Sioux near what is now St. Paul's Mission, in the Little Rockies, he saved a comrade in the thick of a fight.
Lone Flag married at the age of thirty-four.
NO
BEAR
"Tseniwasin"
On another raid a solitary Indian was seen. The Atsina charged, and No Bear was the first to reach him. The enemy fired, but missed, and No Bear than shot him, tomahawked him, and took his scalp, medicine bundle and gun, and counted coup before the rest of the warriors reached the spot. On another occasion, while fighting some Cree who were in timber, No Bear ran up to one who was pointing an arrow at him and counted first coup. Later another charged him, but he rushed to meet the Cree, who fired and missed, and No Bear then attacked him with his tomahawk, missing the first time, but burying the blade in his opponent's skull at the next stroke. No Bear tomahawked an enemy during a fight with the Bloods, and counted second coup. He was in the battle where the twenty-one Piegan were killed, and captured a bow and a quiver. In another battle he went back and rescued an unhorsed friend.
He married at the age of thirty.
OTTER
ROBE
"Neyunituwich"
Born in 1851 near Fort Benton. When sixteen years of age he joined a war-party against the Piegan, but on this fist expedition gained no honors.
On another raid against the same people he counted a first coup. A party of Atsina, of which he was a member, camped one night near a war-party of Sioux, not knowing of their presence. At dawn the enemy charged, but were driven back, and during the skirmish he counted another first coup. A party of Piegan stole some horses; the Atsina followed, overtaking the enemy and forcing them to abandon their booty; during the fight he killed one Piegan.
On another expedition against the same people, Otter Robe killed one with the stock of his gun and counted first coup. In another battle with the Piegan, he rushed in, pulled an enemy from his horse, and killed him with his knife. When a young man he fasted two days and two nights by the river, and had a vision in which a tree became transformed to a warrior who told him he was to obtain many honors. The faster was instructed to paint as was the spirit-yellow on the temples, with a streak of red across the forehead-and to wear a strip of otter-fur around his scalp-lock.
Otter Robe married at the age of thirty.
RED
WHIP
"Beineskanach"
Born in 1858 near Fort McGinnis, Montana. At the age of seventeen he went out on his first war expedition, going against the Sioux. The enemy was camped at Lodgepole creek. and the Atsina attacked them at dawn, capturing several horses.
Red Whip was in the lead of the charge and took a few of the animals single-handed. During a battle with the Piegan, he rushed into the enemy's line and captured a gun, counting first coup on the owner. On another expedition the Atsina met a Sioux scout whom Red Whip charged and killed, then counted first coup and took his scalp.
Later, the main body of the Sioux charged the Atsina; one singled out Red Whip and fired at him, but missed, and the young warrior shot him down. Red Whip was scouting on Tongue river with General Miles, when the Sioux charged a small body of soldiers, routing them. Red Whip says he stood firm and stopped the onrushing enemy until the troops escaped.
His medicine, given to him by an uncle, is a strip of otter-fur.
RUNNING
FISHER
"Ita
tyiwaatyi"
During another battle with the Piegan, his ammunition becoming exhausted, he killed an enemy by striking him on the head with the butt of his gun, and later in the same fight he killed one with his knife. Immediately after the close of the fight, a scout came in with the news of more enemies, and Running Fisher with a few others found three Piegan in a coulee. The others were afraid to charge, but he went in alone and killed all of them.
His account of a war-party for which he was a scout when about nineteen years of age is as follows:
"We went out on the war-path to the Judith mountains, and I was sent ahead with some others to scout. The chief told us to start that evening and travel all night, so that we would reach the mountains at daybreak and have a chance to look over the country. The rest of the party was to follow slowly. We reached the foot of the mountains at dawn.
Tracks were seen in the snow, leading up into the mountains, and shortly afterwards a deer broke from cover far up, evidently frightened by the enemy ahead of us. We fixed our priming and waited, but nothing came. We went on farther and saw a lone buffalo. One of the men said,' I will kill the buffalo and we will take the meat back to our party.' So he shot it and we butchered it.
While the rest of the party were arranging their meat-packs, I was sitting down eating some of the tripe and marrow, when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something. Turning my head quickly, I observed a party of warriors standing there with their guns pointed at us. They were not more than ten paces away. They shouted, 'Who are you!' and at once opened fire on us. I reached for my gun, but before I could get both hands on it, a bullet broke my left arm at the elbow, and I dropped the weapon.
I picked it up with my right hand and jumped to my feet, but they shot me through the shoulder, and as I fell they rushed toward me to count coup. I raised myself on one knee, drew my knife, and held them off. Then I got up and made for the woods. They were all around me trying to gain their honors, but were afraid to come close because of my knife, so I escaped into the brush before I fainted.
They must have thought me still dangerous, for they did not follow into the thicket. The rest of the scouts had escaped while the enemy was engaging me, and they took back the news that I was killed. When I recovered my senses, I saw a large pool of blood on the ground near my face, and thinking I had been scalped, I was afraid for a while to touch my head. Soon my strength began to return and I started to overtake the main party. They had come on, and I did not have to go far. When I came up to them, one said, 'Here comes the dead man!' and they rushed to meet me"
Running Fisher, being now a warrior, married, although he was only nineteen years of age. He has a fine war-record, having counted seven first and seven secondary coups, captured four guns and one bow, taken one tethered horse - which he captured in broad daylight with the whole Sioux camp shooting at him, and taken three scalps.
He has killed twelve men with a gun, two with a knife in hand-to-hand conflicts, and two with a bow, sixteen men in all. He has fourteen successful war-parties, and on one occasion his warriors brought back three hundred horses.
His medicine is the down-feather of an eagle, and he has experienced several visions in his frequent fastings.
THREE
WHITE COWS
"Nathunasubi"
WHITE
AND YELLOW COW
"Nasubinihani"
Once when he and a party were lying in ambush near a camp of Piegan, one of his men disappeared for a time. Soon he saw some one coming, and went out to meet him, but on nearer approach, finding him to be an enemy, he shot him down and counted first coup.
A small owl is his medicine, as he had a vision of a warrior who wore an owl in his hair, with yellow and black dots over his eyebrows, and lightening streaks -zig-zag lines- down each cheek. He wears the same paint in battle.
White and Yellow Cow took a wife when he was thirty years of age.