Pine Leaf

Pine Leaf was a woman and chief of the Crow tribe who counted coup in the 1830s. James Beckwourth describes her in his autobiography as well as Edwin T. Denig mentions her in his chronicle on the tribes of the upper Missouri River.

She was born to the Gros Ventres and at the age of about ten years taken prisoner by raiding Crows. She grew up in this tribe and showed a disposition to assume masculine habits. While always dressing in female clothings, she was learned in horse keeping, hunting and warfare, mostly against the Blackfoot. She had at least four female wives and got a strong voice in the tribes council, ranking the third person in the whole tribe of 160 lodges. In 1854 she was killed by Gros Ventres indians near Fort Union. She was compared with the "Berdêche" and can be considered two spirited. [Edwin T. Denig: "Five Indian Tribes at the Upper Missouri", University of Oklohoma Press, Norman, 1961, p. 195–200 ]

Beckwourth describes her as a fearsome warrior, and claims that as a child she took a vow to kill at least one hundred enemies by her own hand. He further describes the adventures he wants to have experienced at her side, including a romantic relationship and marrying her immediately before he left the Crows. [Thomas D. Bonner (Ed.): [http://books.google.com/books?id=aMowAAAAMAAJ "The Life and Adventures of James P. Beckwourth"] , Harper & Brothers, New York, 1856, p. 201–203, 403] It is possible that Beckwourth may have exaggerated this relationship, as historian Bernard DeVoto wrote that Beckwourth is reliable save for three areas: numbers, romance, and his own importance.

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