Fools Crow

Rides-at-the-door is the father of Fools Crow and Running Fisher and the husband of Double Strike Woman, Striped Face, and Kills-close-to-the-lake. He is one of the most well-respected war chiefs of the Lone Eaters band. The chief, Three Bears, frequently him consults on important matters concerning the Lone Eaters, especially their increasing problems with the Napikwans.

Rides-at-the-door comes to believe that the Pikunis have no choice but to attempt to negotiate with the seizers. He himself does not like or trust the Napikwans and participated in many raids against the whites during his youth. However, he recognizes that more Napikwans are moving into the region, especially now that the Civil War has ended. Their great numbers and superior weapons mean that the Pikunis do not have hope of defeating them if they were to take an aggressive stand against them. If they want their children to have a future, they must compromise with the seizers. Rides-at-the-door is particularly useful in dealings with the Napikwans because he is one of the only Pikunis who speaks English, having learnt it from a missionary in the area as a youth. Right before Three Bears dies, he chooses Rides-at-the-door to be his successor as chief of the Lone Eaters.

At the beginning of the novel, Rides-at-the-door is worried about White Man’s Dog, who does not seem to show as much promise as his younger brother. After the raid on the Crow horses, however, Rides-at-the-door realizes that his son is finally beginning to become a man. In focusing on Fools Crow, however, Rides-at-the-door neglects to see that Running Fisher is suffering because of his failure to accomplish half as much as his brother. Rides-at-the-door learns about Running Fisher’s inner struggles only after discovering that his son has betrayed him by sleeping with Kills-close-to-the-lake, whom he married out of pity for her father and treats like a daughter. Although he is angry that his son has dishonored him, he feels as if he is partially to blame for their unhappiness in his lodge. This turmoil in his personal life helps him to renew his commitment to his remaining wives and to Fools Crow, Red Paint, and their new child.

Fast Horse is the son of Boss Ribs and a childhood friend of White Man’s Dog. At the beginning of the novel, Fast Horse is known for being handsome, charming, and arrogant and is thought be a very promising warrior. Many girls are in love with him, and he wants to obtain wealth and status as soon as possible, so he can begin taking wives. On the way to the Crow camps, Fast Horse has a dream in which Cold Maker tells him to find an ice spring and clear away the rocks if they want their raid to be successful. Fast Horse blames the bad events that occur during the raid–namely, Yellow Kidney’s misfortunes–on their failure to find the ice spring. In fact, however, it is his own arrogance that brings about Yellow Kidney’s troubles; in taunting the Crows, he gives away the older warrior’s position.

After returning to the Lone Eaters camp, Fast Horse becomes bitter over his failure to achieve much success. He begins to isolate himself from the band and starts to question the value of many Pikuni beliefs and customs. Although he once looked forward to inheriting his father’s role as keeper of the Beaver Medicine, he no longer believes in the power of the bundle. When Yellow Kidney returns and reveals that Fast Horse’s boasts indirectly caused his capture, Fast Horse sneaks away and joins Owl Child’s gang. After getting shot by a Napikwan, Fast Horse briefly returns to the Lone Eaters camp, where he is healed by Mik-api. Although his father hopes that Fast Horse will stay after getting better, he sneaks off in the night to rejoin Owl Child’s gang and refuses to come home after Fools Crow tries to bring him back to the Lone Eaters for his Boss Ribs’ sake.

As it becomes clear that Owl Child and his men are running out of time before they are apprehended by the seizers, Fast Horse realizes that his alienation from his people was caused by his own arrogance and inconsideration of others. In an attempt to make amends for his earlier actions, he returns Yellow Kidney’s body to the Lone Eaters after finding him dead in the abandoned war lodge. Although he leaves Owl Child’s gang, he believes that is too late for him to be reintegrated into community life and rides off alone to go live in the whiskey forts across the Medicine Line (the Canadian border). 

Yellow Kidney is an important warrior in the Lone Eaters band. He is the husband of Heavy Shield Woman and the father of Red Paint, Good Young Man, and One Spot. At the beginning of the novel, he leads a party of young men, including Fast Horse and White Man’s Dog, on a raid to steal Crow horses. During the raid, Fast Horse starts loudly taunting the Crows while Yellow Kidney is stealing one of their buffalo-runners; Fast Horse’s boasts alert the Crows to Yellow Kidney’s presence. He runs to hide in a lodge and, while hiding under the sleeping blankets of a young girl, rapes her before realizing that she is dying of smallpox.

After realizing what he has done, he runs out into the camp and is captured by the Crows, whose chief, Bull Shield, cuts off his fingers and ties him to a horse before sending him out of the camp. After lying on the brink of death in the lodge of a medicine man and woman among the Spotted Horse People for several days, Yellow Kidney returns to the Lone Eaters covered in pockmarks and with his hands too badly damaged for him to hunt or fight again. After his illness and mutilation, Yellow Kidney no longer desires his wife or wishes to participate in family or community life. He thinks that his wife and children will be happier with him gone, especially now that they have Red Paint’s husband, Fools Crow, to provide for them.

He leaves the Lone Eaters to go live with the Spotted Horse People, a band of mostly elderly people who, like Yellow Kidney, can no longer hunt or fight. On his way to their camp, he is forced to spend the night in an old war lodge because of a snowstorm. While he is there, he starts to consider returning to the Lone Eaters after all, especially since Red Paint is expecting a baby. After the snow starts, a Napikwan seeking shelter from the storm enters the lodge while Yellow Kidney is sleeping and shoots him. A few days later, Owl Child and his men find Yellow Kidney’s body in the war lodge. Fast Horse recognizes Yellow Kidney and resolves to abandon Owl Child’s gang and take it upon himself to return the body to their people. 

Kills-close-to-the-lake is Rides-at-the-door’s third wife. At the beginning of the novel, she is seventeen, one year younger than White Man’s Dog and one year older than Running Fisher. Rides-at-the-door married her as a favor for his friend Mad Wolf, “a poor man of the Never Laughs” band who was worried about his daughter’s future as he could not provide her with a dowry. Kills-close-to-the-lake did not want to marry him, “but she had little choice in the matter” (223).

She is not happy as Rides-at-the-door’s wife; her husband rarely pays attention to her, and his older wives boss her around. She develops feelings for her husband’s son, White Man’s Dog, who is likewise attracted to her. Even though she knows that they could have never been together, she is devastated when he marries Red Paint. During the Sun Dance ceremony, she sacrifices a finger as punishment for her desire for White Man’s Dog. After Running Fisher forces himself on her one night, Kills-close-to-the-lake begins a relationship with her husband’s younger son. After Striped Face tells Rides-at-the-door about Running Fisher and Kills-close-to-the-lake, he confronts his son and his wife about their affair. Although Pikuni customs permit a husband to kill or mutilate a wife who has dishonored him, Rides-at-the-door sees himself as partially responsible for Kills-close-to-the-lake’s indiscretions. He instead orders her to return to her father’s lodge and never tell anyone the real reason that she has left her husband.

Running Fisher is the younger son of Rides-at-the-door and Double Strike Woman. At the beginning of the novel, people believe he shows more signs of promise as a warrior than his older brother, White Man’s Dog. Whereas White Man’s Dog/Fools Crow grows into a respected warrior, Running Fisher fails to distinguish himself and becomes sullen and bitter. He later explains to his father that during the eclipse on the day they attacked the Crows, he lost his courage and did not fully participate in the attack. He is ashamed of his cowardice and becomes increasingly resentful of the distinction his brother has earned.

His bitterness and self-hatred lead him to begin a sexual relationship with his very young “near mother,” Kills-close-to-the-lake. Running Fisher shows many similarities to Fast Horse. Like Fast Horse, Running Fisher is boastful, ambitious, and focused on personal glory; he likewise fails to fulfill his early promise and ends up alienating himself from his community. Unlike Fast Horse, however, who banishes himself from the Lone Eaters forever after returning Yellow Kidney’s body, Running Fisher is given a second chance; although his father banishes him from the camp to go stay with his mother’s relatives in the far north, Rides-at-the-door is moved by Running Fisher’s contrition and tells him that he may someday return.

Red Paint is the daughter of Yellow Kidney and Heavy Shield Woman. At sixteen, she marries Fools Crow, then White Man’s Dog. At the end of the novel, she has just given birth to their first child, a son named Sleep-Bringer. Before marrying, Red Paint worries what will happen to her family, since her father has not returned from the raid and thinks that they may have to seek shelter with relatives in another band. She begins to admire White Man’s Dog from afar when he starts providing for her family during her father’s absence. Red Paint is described as very beautiful, thoughtful, hard-working, and devoted to her family. After Yellow Kidney’s return, she often worries about his failure to readjust to life in the camp and hopes that the birth of her child will bring the family back together after what happened to her father. Throughout the novel, Welch portrays Fools Crow and Red Paint as a devoted couple who love and support each other during many difficult circumstances.

Heavy Shield Woman is the wife of Yellow Kidney and the mother of Red Paint, Good Young Man, and One Spot. After Yellow Kidney fails to return from the raid on the Crow camps, she has a dream in which she is told that Yellow Kidney will only return to her if she vows to undertake the role of the Medicine Woman, or Sacred Vow Woman, at the summer Sun Ceremony, where all the Pikuni bands come together. She asks Three Bears for permission to undertake the role; he consults with the other elders and sends White Man’s Dog to ask the other chiefs if they will consent to let Heavy Shield Woman be the Sacred Vow Woman. After receiving permission to serve as Medicine Woman, Yellow Kidney returns. As the appointed Sacred Vow Woman, Heavy Shield Woman spends months preparing for the role. The ordeal itself is very grueling, as she must fast for many days. If anything goes wrong during the ceremony, it is supposedly a reflection on her virtue as a woman. In the end, however, she fulfills her duties with dignity. When Yellow Kidney fails to return from the raid, Heavy Shield Woman goes into deep mourning from her husband. After his return, however, she struggles to rebuild her relationship with her husband and becomes frustrated with his failure to put his misfortunes behind him.

Owl Child is a member of Mountain Chief’s band. He abandons his community and the Pikuni way of life to pursue a course of revenge against the Napikwans. While Pikuni notions of honor involve a strong sense of loyalty to the community and its leaders, Owl Child refuses to respect the wishes of his group and puts his desire for glory and revenge ahead of the security of his people. He kills Malcolm Clark out of a personal need for vengeance and even kills one of his own people, Bear Head. Because of the way Owl Child betrays Pikuni values and traditions, leaders like Three Bears and Rides-at-the-door believe that he is just as bad as the Napikwans who kill and steal from the Pikunis. By committing violent acts of aggression against the white settlers, he incites the wrath of the white population and thus puts the fate of his people further in jeopardy. In the end, the United States army uses the actions of Owl Child and his men to justify their violent campaigns against the Blackfeet, including the massacre of Heavy Runner’s band.

Mik-api is the leading medicine man, or “many faces man,” in the Lone Eaters band. He is responsible for the health of his people’s bodies and spirits. He performs different kinds of purifying and healing rituals and leads many of the band’s traditional ceremonies. After White Man’s Dog returns from the raid on the Crow horses, he starts to befriend Mik-api and becomes his apprentice in the arts of healing. 

Boss Ribs is the father of Fast Horse and the keeper of the Beaver Medicine, one of the most powerful medicine bundles in Pikuni culture. Because of his important role, he is one of the most respected and powerful men in the Lone Eaters band. Boss Ribs hopes to teach his son about the rituals and objects associated with the Beaver Medicine bundle; however, Fast Horse starts to lose faith in the traditions and beliefs of his people and no longer wishes to inherit his father’s role. 

Three Bears is the chief of the Lone Eaters band. His views on the Napikwans are somewhat between the positions of Mountain Chief and Heavy Runner. He does not have much faith in the Napikwans and their treaties but sees Owl Child as just as bad as men like Malcolm Clark and agrees with Rides-at-the-door that the Pikunis must negotiate with the Napikwans if they want to survive. He dies during the outbreak of smallpox in the Lone Eater camp near the end of the novel.

Mountain Chief is one of the most powerful Pikuni chiefs. He does not believe that the Pikunis should continue to negotiate with the Napikwans. Because of his beliefs about the Napikwans, Mountain Chief refuses to attend the meeting with General Sully and the “seizer chiefs” that Heavy Runner, Rides-at-the-door, and the other Pikuni leaders attend. The white American army leaders come to see Mountain Chief as an enemy because they know that his band often shelters Owl Child and his men. 

Heavy Runner is a Pikuni chief who believes that Pikunis should focus on befriending the Napikwans so that the groups can live in harmony. Of all the Pikuni chiefs, he is the one who is the most in favor of compromising and continuing friendly relations with the white settlers, even if it means giving up more of their lands. Since he is well-known to the Napikwans, he leads the party of Pikuni leaders who meet with General Sully. Heavy Runner is killed when a group of U.S. soldiers attack his band. He dies trying to show the soldiers the piece of paper signed by General Sully testifying that he and his band are not enemies of the American people.

Malcolm Clark is a white rancher and former trader. As a trader, he was known as a friend to the Pikunis and earned the name Four Bears. He even married a Pikuni woman, Cuttingoff-head Woman. As he turned from trading to farming, however, he began to betray the Pikunis to the Napikwans. Three Bears describes Clark as a “two faces” who “talks to us one way and to the Napikwans another” (159).

He is eventually killed by Owl Child, who has long resented Clark for “beating him in front of his own people” (159). 

Joe Kipp is the son of a white trader and a Pikuni woman. Because he is well-known to the Pikunis and speaks their language, he becomes a useful envoy for the United States Army. Fools Crow describes Kipp as “a wolf for the seizers” (157). Because of his mixed ancestry, Kipp grew up among the Pikuni people and greatly respects their leaders and traditions. However, he has strong self-protective instincts and recognizes that he needs to be on the winning side if he wants to prosper in the white man’s world.

General Sully is the United States army officer in charge of Indian policy in the territory of Montana. He is known for having a “moderate stance” on the issue of how to handle the presence of Blackfeet and other native tribes in the region (279), but he recognizes that the white citizens, politicians, and soldiers of Montana wish to use violence to punish the Blackfeet for acts of aggression and to seize their lands more effectively. He meets with Heavy Runner, Rides-at-the-door, and a few other Pikuni chiefs to discuss new terms for their relationship between the Blackfeet and the people of the United States in January 1870; however, he knows that these discussions will probably have little effect on whether a violent campaign will soon be directed against the Blackfeet. 

Double Strike Woman is Rides-at-the-door’s first, or “sits-beside-him,” wife and the mother of Fools Crow and Running Fisher. She is one of the most well-respected women in the Lone Eaters camp and has a close relationship with her husband. 

Striped Face is the second wife of Rides-at-the-door and the sister of Double Strike Woman. After marrying Rides-at-the-door, Double Strike Woman persuaded her husband to marry her younger sister so that she would have help around the lodge. Striped Face is very feisty and nosy, and it is she who discovers that Running Fisher is sleeping with Kills-close-to-the-lake. 

One Spot is the younger son of Yellow Kidney and Heavy Shield Woman. He is ten years old at the beginning of the novel. One Spot almost dies after being bit on the face by a rapid wolf; he is saved from death by Fools Crow, who gives him medicine and performs a healing ceremony when Mik-api cannot be found. Saving One Spot from death is Fools Crow’s first major success as Mik-api’s apprentice in the arts of healing. 

Good Young Man is the older son of Yellow Kidney and Heavy Shield Woman. He is twelve years old at the beginning of the novel. He dies during the outbreak of smallpox in the Lone Eaters camp.

Bull Shield is a Crow chief who is a longtime enemy of the Pikunis. When Yellow Kidney gets caught in the Crow camp, he is brought to Bull Shield, who cuts his fingers off before tying him to a horse and sending him off onto the plains. When the Pikunis attack the Crows in retaliation for what they did to Yellow Kidney, White Man’s Dog kills and scalps Bull Shield.

Fox Eyes is the head war chief of the Pikunis and leads the attack on the Crow camps. He is killed trying to kill Bull Shield, the Crow chief and longtime enemy of the Pikunis who maimed and humiliated Yellow Kidney.