Fools Crow Characters

Fools Crow Characters

Rides-at-the-door

White Man's Dog's father, one of the leaders of the lone eaters

Double Strike Woman

White Man's Dog and Running Fisher's real mother, Rides-at-the-door's first wife and sits beside him wife

Striped Face

Rides-at-the-door's second wife, Double Strike Woman's younger sister

Kills-close-to-the-lake

Rides-at-the-door's third wife ("trophy wife"), has crush on White Man's Dog but has an affair with Running Fisher and gets banished for it

White Man's Dog/Fools Crow

Main character of book (2 names)

Running Fisher

Fools Crow's younger brother, becomes like Fast Horse after eclipse on raid, has affair with Kills-close-to-the-lake and is banished

Yellow Kidney

Red Paint's father and was important war chief until horse raid when he is captured, gets his fingers cut off, and gets white scabs. Comes back and goes into depression. Later killed in war lodge by white man.

Heavy Shield Women

Red Paint's mother, Yellow Kidney's wife. Becomes sacred vow women, hard life.

Butterfly/Sleepbringer

Fools Crow and Red Paint's child (2 names)

Good Young Man

Red Paints younger brother, Yellow Kidney and Heavy Shield Women's son, middle child, dies of white scabs

One Spot

Red Paint's youngest brother, Yellow Kidney and Heavy Shield Women's youngest son, attacked by wolf and gets rabies but Fools Crow heals him

Boss Ribs

Fast Horse's father, keeper of Beaver Medicine Bundle, one of the tribes leaders

Fast Horse

White Man's Dog's old best friend, Boss Ribs' son, used to be cocky and confident but after horse raid became depressed/angry, left tribe to stay and go with Owl Child

Mik-api

Tribal medicine man, teaches Fools Crow healing methods

Red Paint

Fools Crow's wife, daughter of Yellow Kidney and Heavy Shield women

Three Bears

Head Chief of lone eaters, dies in the end from white scabs

Young Bird Chief

Supposed to be next in line for head chief, represents young leader point of view, ends up dying from white scabs

White Grass Women

Tribe gossip, fat, used as entertainment

Mountain Chief

Leader of Many Chiefs tribe (tribe where Owl Child originated), would go to war with Napikwans if given the chance

Owl Child

Raider of Napikwans, violent, leader of bad gang, does what he likes and doesn't consider the consequences

Heavy Runner

Pikuni leader, wants to make peace and cooperate with whites, gets them to sign treaty, but it is useless. Is killed by seizers.

Pretty-On-top

Indian, comes with Sturgis to Lone-eaters tribe to bring news that white scabs has come to Pikuni tribes, warns lone eaters

Fox Eyes

War chief, killed by Bull Shield in Crow raid when taking revenge for Yellow Kidney, wanted to die because of eclipse?

Black Patched Moccasins

Tribe which White Man's Dog travels to to inform them of Heavy Shield Women desire to become sacred vow women at sun dance. The tribe is a mess, fallen from earlier glory.

Little Dog

Was head chief of all Pikunis and Black Patch Mocassins, followed whites ways, then betrayed his own people and gave up on Pikuni ways, became a leader without a band, and his own people killed him

Mad Plume

Current leader of black patched moccasins

Joe Kipp

Half Pikuni/half white, scout, works with white men, translates, brings Snelling around to tribes. Lone Eaters think of him as a traitor?

Malcom Clark/Four Bears

Killed by Owl Child, white trader

Sturgis

White man who has adopted Indian ways because he married Indian women. She died because of white scabs. Now he travels with pretty-on-top to inform lone eaters of the white scabs is in the Pikuni tribes now and how to stay healthy.

Napikwans

Indian word for whites

Seizers

Whites who attack/take over Indian tribes and land, violent/destructive

General Sully

White man in charge of Indian policy in Pikuni area, works at Four Horns Agency, meets with a couple of Pikuni leaders to discuss treaty

Bull Shield

Leader of the Crow tribe, cuts of Yellow Kidney's fingers and humiliates him, Fools Crow kills him for revenge

Crow

Tribe which Lone-eaters take horses from and take revenge on, enemies

Spotted Horse Camp

Where Yellow Kidney is healed of white scabs

So-at-sa-ki/Feather Woman

Mythological/spiritual person. She is married to Morning Star, she is a pikuni. Her son is Star boy. She digs up forbidden turnip, sees world with her family and misses them. Sun kicks her out of this "heaven" and is now on earth, crying every day for her old life and husband and son.

NItsokan

Dream bringer

Seco-mo-muck-on

Mythological/spiritual person. Keeper of fire, goes to sleep on journey, kills fire, makes up major lie to the rest of the trip how fire burnt out, blames Awnna, eventually gets struck by lightning and dies

Raven

Mik-api's power animal, leads Fools Crow a lot also

Beaver Medicine Bundle

Healing bag that Boss Ribs is in charge of, story of Akaiyan and Nopatis

Sand Hills

Blackfeet form of heaven

Wolverine

Fools Crow's power animal

Backbone of the world

Rocky Mountains

Medicine Line

North, Canada/US dividing line

White Scabs disease

Yellow fever/smallpox

James Welch

Author, born 1940 died 2003. Part Blackfoot Indian, part GrosVentre. Wrote about past and contemporary Native Americans. Other books include The Indian Lawyer, The Heartsong of Charging Elk, Winter in Blood, etc. Prizes include LA times book prize, American book award, and Pacific Northwest Bookseller's award.