Crow Signatories to Treaty of 1851

[kingsleybray]

Two Crow leaders signed the Treaty of Horse Creek in September 1851. On the original document only phonetic forms of Indian names are given, without any translation. I am trying to identify all the Indian signatories.

The Crows are:

1. Arra-tu-ri-sash


2. Doh-chepit-seh-chi-es

The first is not problematic, this is the chief Big Robber (or Big Shadow, sometimes Big Robert), the leader of the Kicked in the Bellies division. He was selected by the tribe as its principal chief.

But who is the second? My guess is that this is Mountain Tail, but can Crow experts confirm or refute? Mountain Tail was part of the Crow party that came to the treaty and he gave the second Crow speech after Big Robber. The last two syllables above, " -chi-es", seem to correspond to the Crow word for tail, chiisa. Does anyone recognize the "Doh-chepit-seh" part of the name?

Do we know anything more about Mountain Tail? He is identified among the Crows on the Alexander Gardner images from the Ft Laramie treaty of 1868.

Many thanks

Kingsley

[jinlian]

I somehow doubt (unless he had another name) that this was Mountain Tail, who also signed the 1868 F. Laramie treaty, where his name was transcripted as "AH-BE-CHE-SE" (see. J. Medicine Crow, "A Handbook of Crow Indian Laws and Treaties"). Dr. Ferdinand Hayden, who in 1871 led a geological survey, met chief Mountain Tail and gave his name as "Au-ma-ha-be-ci-se". In the 1873 agreement between the Crow and the US government, we found the signature of "Old Mountain Tail" whose Native name is given as "A-mak-ha-vissish.". In his Crow word lists, Robert H. Lowie had also the name "Mountain Tail", transliterated as "Awaxa-we-tsi-esh". Condisidering that the Crow word for "mountain" is "awaxaawé", the above transilterations seem to be close enough to the actual Apsàalooke word.

On the other hand, "Doh-chepit-seh-chi-es" seems to be a wholly different name - I have an idea about it, but have to check some material before saying anything.

[jinlian]

Jun 3, 2010 5:54:35 GMT -5 kingsleybray said:

2. Doh-chepit-seh-chi-es

Kingsley - here's your man.

From a paper on Crow treaties and laws by Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow:

"These men have represented the Crows at the 1851 Treaty:

"Big Shadow"- so named became he was a huge man casting a big shadow. He was a chief, an ancestor of Frank Shivley.

"Sits-on-edge-of fortification" (The first) - was regarded as an eccentric but would make good prophecies."

[kingsleybray]

thanks jinlian, that's fantastic. Do we have anything else on Sits on edge of fortification? Also the Crow form of his name?

Are you in touch with Joe Medicine Crow at all?

[carlo]

For those who are interested, the paper Jinlian is referring to can be found here:
lib.lbhc.cc.mt.us/belue/joecrow.pdf

Carlo

[jinlian]

Jun 4, 2010 11:52:21 GMT -5 kingsleybray said:

thanks jinlian, that's fantastic. Do we have anything else on Sits on edge of fortification? Also the Crow form of his name?

Are you in touch with Joe Medicine Crow at all?

Kingsley,

I sent you a PM on that.