Pretty Shield
Encyclopedia
Pretty Shield was a medicine woman of the Crow Nation
. Her autobiography was written with the help of Frank B. Linderman, who interviewed her using an interpreter and sign language. This book was perhaps the first record of the women’s side of Native American
life. The Pretty Shield Foundation is named in her honor.
Pretty Shield's Crow clan, the "Sore Lips", had inhabited southeastern Montana
for generations. The Crows were regularly at war with the Sioux
, Arapahoe, Cheyenne
, and Blackfoot
tribes. The Crow's bravery is evident in their survival despite being outnumbered decisively by the Native tribes they were at war against.
At the age of three, her mother sent her away to be raised by a widowed aunt, Strikes-with-an-Ax; a River Crow woman who had lost her two young daughters. Pretty Shield herself ended up raising nine grandchildren on her own, after the death of her husband, Goes Ahead, as well as her daughters.
Crow Nation
The Crow, also called the Absaroka or Apsáalooke, are a Siouan people of Native Americans who historically lived in the Yellowstone River valley, which extends from present-day Wyoming, through Montana and into North Dakota. They now live on a reservation south of Billings, Montana and in several...
. Her autobiography was written with the help of Frank B. Linderman, who interviewed her using an interpreter and sign language. This book was perhaps the first record of the women’s side of Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
life. The Pretty Shield Foundation is named in her honor.
Biography
Born in 1856 to Kills-in-the-Night and Crazy-Sister-in-Law, Pretty Shield was the fourth of eleven children. Her name was given to her by her grandfather when she was four days old and it was considered a ‘name of honor’ - commemorating her grandfather's handsome war shield, which was big medicine.Pretty Shield's Crow clan, the "Sore Lips", had inhabited southeastern Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
for generations. The Crows were regularly at war with the Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
, Arapahoe, Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
, and Blackfoot
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
tribes. The Crow's bravery is evident in their survival despite being outnumbered decisively by the Native tribes they were at war against.
At the age of three, her mother sent her away to be raised by a widowed aunt, Strikes-with-an-Ax; a River Crow woman who had lost her two young daughters. Pretty Shield herself ended up raising nine grandchildren on her own, after the death of her husband, Goes Ahead, as well as her daughters.
External sources
Film
- Native Spirit and the Sun Dance Way, DVD documentary, 2007, World WisdomWorld WisdomWorld Wisdom is an independent publishing company established in 1980 in Bloomington, Indiana. World Wisdom publishes religious and philosophical texts, including the work of authors such as Frithjof Schuon, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Titus Burckhardt, Ananda K...