Gros Ventre

In this section you will find the biographies of 19 of the great men from this nation in the 19th century. Very little information is known of these people, which is why I have put them all together. If I find more then I will add to them.

 

BEAR'S BELLY

 "Kunuh-kananu"

 

Born in 1847 at Fort Clark, in the present North Dakota. He had no experience in war when at the age of nineteen he joined Custer's scouts at Fort Abraham Lincoln, having been told by old men that such a course was the surest way to gain honors.

Shortly after his arrival Custer led a force into the Black Hills country, and on the other side of the divide there was a slight encounter with five tipi's of the Sioux, in the course of which the young Arikara counted two first coups and one second. Bear's Belly fasted once. Going to an old man for advice, he was taken to the outskirts of the village to an old buffalo-skull, commanded to strip, smear his body with white clay, and sit in front of the skull.

When he had taken the assigned position, the old man held up a large knife and an awl while he addressed the buffalo-skull: "This young man sits in front of you, and is going to endure great suffering. Look upon him with favor, you and Neshanu, and give him a long and prosperous life." With that he cut pieces of skin from the faster's breast and held them out to the buffalo-skull.

 Bear's Belly married at the age of nineteen, soon after counting his coups.

He became a member of the Bears in the medicine fraternity, and relates the following story of an occurrence connected with that event.

"Needing a bear skin in my medicine-making, I went, at the season when the leaves were turning brown, into the White Clay hills. All the thought of my heart that day was to see a bear and kill him. I passed an eagle-trap, but did not stop: it was a bear I wanted, not an eagle.

Coming suddenly to the brink of a cliff I saw below me three bears. My heart wished to go two ways: I wanted a bear, but to fight three was hard. I decided to try it, and, descending, crept up within forty yards of them, where I stopped to look around for a way of escape if they charged me. The only way out was by the cliff, and as I could not climb well in moccasins I removed them.

One bear was standing with his side toward me, another was walking slowly toward him on the other side. I waited until the second was close to the first and pulled the trigger. The father one fell; the bullet had passed through the body of one and into the brain of the other. The wounded one charged, and I ran, loading my rifle, then turned and shot again, breaking his backbone.

 He lay there on the ground only ten paces from me, and I could see his face twitching. A noise caused me to remember the third bear, which I saw rushing upon me only six or seven paces away. I was yelling to keep up my courage, and the bear was growling in his anger. He rose on his hind legs, and I shot, with my gun nearly touching his chest. He gave a howl and ran off. The bear with the broken back was dragging himself about with his forelegs, and I went to him and said, 'I came looking for you to be my friend, to be with me always.' Then I reloaded my gun and shot him through the head. His skin I kept, but the other two I sold."

 

BULL NECK

"Hukos-tatinu"

Born in 1836. His first experience in war he gained at the age of sixteen, when with a party of six others he floated down the Missouri to what is now South Dakota. They succeeded in running off some horses for a Sioux encampment, and Bull Neck, the youngest of the seven, was charged with the duty of driving them home, while the others returned afoot on the other side of the river.

His second experience came while on another expedition down the Missouri. Four Sioux horses were captured, and three of the party turned back with the spoils, but the remaining four, of whom Bull Neck was one, went on southward into a region of heavy timber, where more Sioux horses were taken. On another down-river raid, about twenty-five Arikara, camping one night among the trees, heard the neighing of a horse. They prepared to fight, believing the Sioux were upon them.

Bull Neck went out to make a reconnaissance and found a stray horse. The party proceeded on its way and came to a camp of wood-cutters providing fuel for the river steamboats. One of the white men, speaking in Arikara, told them of a nearby camp of Sioux, and the war-party, having found the enemy, made an attack. One Sioux and two Arikara were killed.

Bull Neck participated in numerous encounters with the same enemy, some of them being engagements of his own seeking, others the result of attacks upon the Fort Berthold village. He counted a first coup in a winter campaign.

Bull Neck was a Buffalo medicine-man in the medicine fraternity.

 

CROW GHOST

"Kaka-neksanu"

Born in 1843 near the present Washburn, North Dakota. At the age of seventeen he accompanied a war-party, and himself killed a Sioux. This gave him the right to assume his father's name Crow Ghost, and in the following year, having proved himself a man, he took a wife.

He counted two first coups and several secondary ones. In the Sun Dance he fasted four days and four nights, and on the last night an old man appeared to him in a vision and said that in order to gain his desires he must sacrifice his flesh to the sun. Awaking, Crow Ghost had one of the older men cut a piece of flesh from his shoulder, and offered it to the sun.

 

 

FOUR HORNS

"Adhiku-chiti sh"

Born in 1847 near Fort Berthold. At the age of fourteen he accompanied a war-party against the Sioux. Two years later he enlisted as scout at Fort Buford; He served also at Fort Phil Kearny, where in a skirmish with Sioux he had a horse shot under him. Returning that summer to the village at Fort Berthold he led a party in pursuit of some Chippewa who had murdered a Hidatsa, and succeeded in killing two of them. Twice he joined in successful pursuit of Sioux horse-raiders.

He fasted several times. On the third morning of his first fast, three horse-skulls and a buffalo-skull were fastened with rawhide ropes to the muscles of his back. He dragged them a mile to the Hidatsa village, encircled it, and returned to the starting-point, but no vision was experienced. The following summer the Sun Dance was observed, and his father, determined that Four Horns should receive a vision, took him to the burial-ground and fastened him to a post by slits through his back-muscles.

From sunset to sunrise he walked around the post, constantly pulling on the rope. The next year his father led him to the same place and had another man tie four horse-skulls and one buffalo-skull to his back, and these he dragged some three miles; but the task occupied fully six hours, as the skulls became entangled in the roots of the stump, and he had to free them without using his hands.

 During the Sun Dance of the succeeding year he was fastened, again by his father, to a resilient ash pole, which, springing back when he pulled on the ropes, greatly increased the torture. Thus he remained from mid-afternoon until well after sunset -about six hours- but no vision ever came to him.

Four Horns married at the age of fifteen, being eligible by reason of his experience.

 

RED STAR

"Saka-atip ha"

Born in 1858 near Fort Clark, in present North Dakota. At seventeen years of age he was one of a war-party of about thirty that descended the Missouri in bull-boats. In the vicinity of the present Standing Rock agency they landed, and after traversing a stretch of timber came suddenly on a small Sioux camp at the edge of the woods.

The leader, Sitting Bear, sent four men to stampede the horses. Two animals were thus captured, and the Sioux (there were five men besides the women and children) escaped into the woods. Since he had participated in a successful foray, the youth was permitted to choose a new name, and he selected that of Red Star.

The preceding year he had gone to Bull Neck and asked that his flesh be cut so that he might experience a vision. So Bull Neck set up a post on the outskirts of the village, pierced Red Star's chest muscles, and fastened him with two ropes to the post. A spirit-hawk came and assured the youth that he would live long and be successful. After about six hours he was released. Red Star was a scout with Custer's command in the campaign of 1876.

 

SITTING BEAR

"Kanuh-tiwit"

Born in 1844 on the west side of the Missouri, opposite present Washburn, North Dakota. He was eighteen years of age before making his first trial at war, and even then he took no part in the actual conflict with the Assiniboin whom his party encountered.

 The following year he engaged in the fight when a hunting party near the Fort Berthold village was surrounded by Sioux, and he even acquired some distinction by being the first to strike one of the horses of the enemy. In all he was a participant in twelve battles, himself being the leader six times, but only twice did he conduct his warriors into the enemy's country. On the other occasions the encounters were brought on by Sioux attacking the village.

The first expedition of which he was chief was made down the Missouri in bull-boats. After traveling for nine nights, concealing themselves by day, they killed a woman that came to the river for water, and then made their escape after a minor engagement with the men of the hostile camp.

Sitting Bear was the leader of the Arikara in a combined party of Hidatsa, Mandan, and Arikara into Sioux country. A camp was raided and Sitting Bear captured four horses. The retreat to Fort Berthold consumed six days. Sitting Bear counted a first coup in a fight near Fort Berthold, being the first Arikara to strike one of the enemy, although a Hidatsa had already counted coup on him.

He married at nineteen, and like his father and grandfather he became the tribal chief.

 

ASSINIBOIN BOY

"Natyinehitha"

Born in 1861 in Western Montana. He  went first on the war-path at the age of eighteen, but gained no honors. During a fight against the Piegan he counted a second coup.

He participated in a battle in which twenty-one Piegan were killed, and slew one in the pits with a knife of the enemy. On another expedition he killed two horses of the Piegan, and shot a man through both legs.

He married at the age of twenty-two.

 

 

 

CURLY HEAD

"Babaatyi"

Born in 1861 near Chinook, Montana. His first war experience was had when he was in his twenty-first year, but he accomplished nothing on this expedition.

On his next raid, the Atsina met six Bloods, who entrenched themselves on a high butte. Four of the Bloods were killed, and the remaining two ran, pursued by Curly Head, who killed one and counted second coup. His medicine, that of pine-marten, was given to him by his father. He fasted on a peak, and had a vision in which it seemed to him that he was inside the mountain, when he saw an old man who told him he would achieve many honors and capture five guns.

Curly Head married at the age of thirty.

 

CUTS TETHER

"Kuthun"

 

Born in 1846 at Belt creek, Montana. He was out on the war-path at seventeen against the Apsaroke on the Yellowstone, where the Atsina met a party of the enemy and smoked the pipe, consummating a treaty that has never been broken.

On a expedition against the Piegan he killed one with his lance and scalped him, counting second coup, and on his next raid counted second coup on a Flathead.

The Atsina once met some Piegan at Beaver creek, and Cuts Tether scalped one and saved a comrade whose horse had been killed. In a fight with the Sioux at Black Butte he counted a second coup, and in an engagement with the Piegan he struck a first honor and killed the second man that fell. He was in the great battle in which twenty-one Piegan were killed, and captured a bow and a powder-horn.

In an encounter at Belt creek he took a scalp, counted third coup, and captured a powder-horn.

 

EAGLE CHILD

"Behitha"

 

Born in 1862, east of the Little Rockies. He first followed the war-path when twenty years of age, but gained no honors on this occasion. His next experience was in an expedition against the Piegan. Three of the enemy charged a small party of the Atsina, and one, singling him out, came so close that when the Piegan shot, the powder burned Eagle Child. Another Atsina shot the Piegan, and Eagle Child counted second coup and took the scalp.

 

 

HEAD-DRESS

"Kaatsa"

Born about 1855, near Marias river, Montana. He first took the war-path when twenty years of age, going against the Assiniboin. One woman was killed by his party, but Head-dress gained no honors.

A war-party composed of a few Atsina, Apsaroke, and Assiniboin, went westward and found a Flathead camp, which they charged, killing one man; Head-dress was with them but accomplished nothing. While he and another were scouting in the Piegan country, they found two of the enemy, who took refuge behind a bank. The two Atsina charged and captured both, counting coups on them. While hunting buffalo, the Atsina met a party of Sioux with a band of stolen horses, and, charging them, forced them to abandon their booty. Head-dress captured two horses himself, each with a saddle. He counted a first coup against the Piegan, and while fighting the Sioux he and another struck first coup at the same time. Head-dress has had no visions, nor has he ever fasted, but has the medicine of an eagle down-feather, which was given to him.

He married at the age of thirty.

 

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