Fools Crow facts for kids
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| Author | James Welch |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | American fiction, Native American |
| Publisher | Viking |
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Publication date
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1986 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 391 pp |
| ISBN | 0-14-008937-3 |
Fools Crow is a novel written by James Welch, a Native American author. It was published in 1986. The story takes place in Montana right after the American Civil War.
The book is about a young Blackfeet Indian named White Man's Dog. He is almost an adult. His group is called the Lone Eaters. White settlers are moving into their lands. This threatens their traditional way of life. The Blackfeet must decide if they will fight or try to live peacefully with the newcomers. The novel shows what happens to a culture when it faces big changes from colonization. The story ends with the sad Marias Massacre of 1870. In this event, the U.S. Cavalry killed many Blackfeet people. Most of them were not fighters.
Contents
The Story of Fools Crow
The novel is set in 1870. It tells about the lives of the southern Blackfeet people.
White Man's Dog Becomes a Warrior
The main character is White Man's Dog. At first, he feels weak. He joins his friend Fast Horse on a night raid. They plan to steal horses from the Crow. White Man's Dog visits a medicine man for help.
Later, a leader named Yellow Kidney asks White Man's Dog to lead young warriors. Their mission is to steal a herd of horses. White Man's Dog is nervous but sings warrior songs to be brave. As they take the horses, a Crow scout appears. White Man's Dog bravely attacks and kills the scout. Fast Horse shouts, waking the Crow village. Yellow Kidney is shot and captured by the Crow. They cut off his fingers. Then they tie him to a horse and send him into a snowstorm.
Changes and New Names
White Man's Dog returns to his tribe. He earns respect for the raid. He feels bad about Yellow Kidney's capture. So, he helps Yellow Kidney's family with food. Yellow Kidney eventually comes back to camp. He tells everyone about Fast Horse's mistake. Fast Horse feels ashamed and leaves the tribe. He joins a group led by Owl Child. This group fights against the Napikwans (white people).
At the Sun Dance, White Man's Dog frees a wolverine from a trap. This gives him his first spirit animal. He takes part in the Sun Dance. This is a special physical challenge. He wants to purify himself. During a dream, Kills-Close-to-the-Lake leaves him a white stone. He wakes up and finds the stone next to him. Kills-Close-to-the-Lake tells him she also made a sacrifice. She cut off her finger to purify herself.
White Man's Dog and Red Paint have a child. They name the child "Sleep Bringer." This name comes from a butterfly Red Paint saw. She saw it when she first thought she was pregnant.
After another raid on the Crow, White Man's Dog comes home. He has a naming ceremony. He tells everyone he pretended to be dead. He says he then killed a Crow warrior named Bull Shield. In truth, he had only passed out for a few seconds. Bull Shield thought he was dead. His stories were made bigger. People thought he used "good medicine" to confuse the Crow. This is how he got his new name, "Fools Crow."
Visions and Healing
After returning, Fools Crow has a second dream. A powerful figure, the Raven, tells him to kill a mountain man. This man was hunting animals just for fun. The Pikunis believe this is wrong. Their culture teaches them to keep balance. They only take what they need. Fools Crow finds the Napikwan and attacks him. After a hard fight, Fools Crow kills him. He gets a spear wound. He takes a wolf's scalp from the Napikwan. He is then asked to learn the Beaver medicine. This means he will become a healer.
Yellow Kidney decides to leave the tribe. While alone, he decides to go back. He wants to name Red Paint's child Yellow Calf. Before he can return, a Napikwan shoots him. This was revenge for attacks by Owl Child's group.
Red Paint's younger brother gets sick. He was bitten by a wolf with rabies. Fools Crow is called to heal him. His teacher, Mik-api, is away. Fools Crow has changed from a warrior to a healer.
Fast Horse finds Yellow Kidney's body. He brings it back to the tribe. But then he goes north to live alone.
Feather Woman's Prophecies
The book ends with Fools Crow visiting Feather Woman. She is a mythic figure. She is the wife of Morning Star. Fools Crow watches a "yellow hide." He sees images forming inside it. The yellow hide shows five different visions:
- The first vision is smallpox spreading in his camp.
- The second vision is the destruction of Heavy Runner's camp by white soldiers.
- The third vision shows empty land. No animals can be seen anywhere.
- The fourth vision shows Indian children at a boarding school. Their hair is cut short.
Feather Woman tells Fools Crow to prepare his people, the Pikuni. She tells him to pass on their traditions. She says he can do much good for them. Fools Crow returns to his tribe. But he cannot stop the bad things he has seen.
He meets Native Americans who are being forced to move north. He understands that the Napikwan are taking over the land. His people must change how they live. They will shift from hunting bison to fishing. The story ends by showing that the Pikuni culture lives on. Even though their ways change, their spirit continues.
Main Characters
- Pikuni – This is a clan of the Blackfeet tribe.
- Napikwan – This word refers to white people.
- White Man's Dog/Fools Crow – He is the main character. He grows to become a leader for his tribe.
- Rides-at-the-Door – He is Fools Crow's father. He becomes chief after Three Bears dies.
- Double Strike Woman – She is Fools Crow's mother and Rides-at-the-Door's wife.
- Striped Face – She is the second wife of Rides-at-the-Door.
- Kills Close to the Lake – She is the third wife of Rides-at-the-Door. She is 17 years old.
- Running Fisher – He is Fools Crow's brother.
- Fast Horse – He is Fools Crow's friend. He is the son of Boss Ribs. He turns away from tradition but later helps by returning Yellow Kidney's body.
- Yellow Kidney – He leads the horse raid where he is captured. He is Red Paint's father and Fools Crow's father-in-law. He is later killed by the Napikwan.
- Heavy Shield Woman – She is Yellow Kidney's wife.
- Red Paint – She is Yellow Kidney's daughter. She marries Fools Crow.
- Mik-Api – He is the medicine man of the Blackfeet. He teaches Fools Crow traditional songs and medicines.
- Owl Child – He is a Pikuni rebel. He plans to fight the Napikwan. His actions cause trouble for the tribe.
- Chief Mountain – He is a Pikuni chief who believes in fighting rather than making peace.
- Heavy Runner – He is a Pikuni leader who tried to work with the U.S. Army. His group was sadly killed by mistake at the Marias Massacre.
- Boss Ribs – He is Fast Horse's father. He is well respected in the tribe.
