Buffalo Calf Road Woman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Buffalo Calf Road Woman
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| Cheyenne leader | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1844 Interior Plains |
| Died | May 1879 (aged c. 35) Miles City, Montana, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Diphtheria or Malaria |
| Spouse | Black Coyote |
| Relations | Brother, Chief Comes in Sight |
| Children | 2 |
| Known for | Rescuing her wounded brother at Battle of the Rosebud. According to oral tradition, she knocked Custer off his horse at the Battle of the Little Bighorn |
Buffalo Calf Road Woman, also known as Brave Woman, was a brave Northern Cheyenne woman. She lived from about 1844 to 1879. She is famous for saving her wounded brother, Chief Comes in Sight. This happened during the Battle of the Rosebud in 1876. Her brave act helped the Cheyenne warriors win the battle.
She also fought alongside her husband in the Battle of the Little Bighorn that same year. In 2005, Northern Cheyenne storytellers shared an important part of their history. They said Buffalo Calf Road Woman was the one who knocked Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer off his horse during the battle.
Contents
Who Was Buffalo Calf Road Woman?
A Heroic Rescue at Rosebud
During the Battle of the Rosebud, the Cheyenne and Lakota tribes were fighting together. They were led by Crazy Horse. In the battle, they had to retreat, leaving Chief Comes in Sight wounded.
Suddenly, Buffalo Calf Road Woman rode her horse at full speed onto the battlefield. She bravely picked up her brother and carried him to safety. Her amazing courage inspired the Cheyenne warriors. They then fought back and defeated General George Crook and his soldiers.
Because of her brave rescue, the Cheyenne people gave the Battle of Rosebud a special name. They called it "The Fight Where the Girl Saved Her Brother."
Fighting at Little Bighorn
Buffalo Calf Road Woman also took part in the famous Battle of the Little Bighorn. She fought bravely alongside her husband, Black Coyote.
For over 100 years, the Northern Cheyenne people kept quiet about some details of this battle. But in June 2005, they shared their oral history. Tribal storytellers explained that Buffalo Calf Road Woman was the one who struck Custer. She knocked him off his horse before he died in the battle.
In 2017, Wallace Bearchum, a director for the Northern Cheyenne, added more details. He said Buffalo Calf Road Woman was an "excellent markswoman." However, she used a club-like object, not a gun, to knock General Custer off his horse.
Later Life and Journey
After fighting, Buffalo Calf Road Woman and her family surrendered to the U.S. government. She, her husband Black Coyote, and their two children were moved. They went with most Northern Cheyennes to a reservation in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).
In September 1878, her family was part of the Northern Cheyenne Exodus. This was a difficult journey where the Cheyenne people broke out of the Oklahoma reservation. They wanted to return to their home in Montana.
During this journey, her family was separated from Little Wolf's group of Cheyennes. Later, soldiers from Fort Keogh found and captured her family. This event became known as the Mizpah Creek incidents.
Buffalo Calf Road Woman died in May 1879 in Miles City, Montana. She passed away from an illness, sometimes called "the white man's coughing disease." She was about 35 years old.
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