Pretty Shield facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pretty Shield
The cover of Frank Linderman's Pretty Shield biography
Born	1856
Died	1944
Nationality	American
Spouse(s)	Goes Ahead
Children	Four girls and three boys
Parent(s)	Kills-in-the-Night, Crazy Sister-in-Law
Relatives	Ten brothers and sisters; granddaughter, Alma Hogan Snell

Pretty Shield (1856–1944) was an important medicine woman (a healer and spiritual leader) of the Crow Nation, a Native American tribe. Her life story was written down by Frank B. Linderman. He interviewed her with the help of an interpreter and sign language. This book might be the first time a Native American woman's life was fully recorded.

Pretty Shield's Early Life

Pretty Shield was born in 1856. Her parents were Kills-in-the-Night and Crazy Sister-in-Law. She was the fourth of eleven children in her family. When she was just four days old, her grandfather gave her the name Pretty Shield. This name was a great honor. It remembered her grandfather's own brave and handsome war shield.

Pretty Shield had a very happy childhood. She often talked about the fun games Crow children played. They kicked balls made from antelope hair. They also slid down snowy hills on sleds made from buffalo ribs.

Childhood Adventures

When Pretty Shield was seven, she had a scary experience. A wild buffalo bull attacked her. She fell while trying to escape. A stick went into her forehead near her eye, leaving a scar she had for life.

Another time, when she was fourteen, she and her friends were exploring. A grizzly bear and her cubs chased them up a tree. Pretty Shield remembered looking into the bear's eyes. She said she never forgot that moment. She was also known as the Red Mother.

Becoming a Healer

At sixteen, Pretty Shield married Goes Ahead. She was his second wife, as her older sister was his first wife. Pretty Shield had seven children: four girls and three boys. Sadly, one girl and one boy died when they were babies.

A Vision for Healing

Pretty Shield felt deep sadness after losing her children. During this sad time, she had a special vision. This vision led her to become a healer for her people. Like other Crow women, she showed her grief by cutting her hair short. She also made small cuts on her arms, legs, and face. She would then wander without food or water until her sorrow lessened.

One day, while grieving, she met a woman who led her to an anthill. The woman told her to gently rake the edges of the anthill. Then, she should ask for anything she wished. Pretty Shield asked for "good luck and a good life." After that, she believed the ants, which she called "busy, powerful little people," were her special medicine.

Pretty Shield's Role as a Medicine Woman

As a medicine woman, Pretty Shield helped her tribe in many ways. She used medicinal plants to treat illnesses. She also gave advice and comfort to people. She did not charge money for her help. Instead, people paid her with gifts. These gifts included tobacco, elk teeth, buffalo robes, and food.

Life with the Crow Nation

Pretty Shield's family, the Sore Lips clan, had lived in southeastern Montana for many generations. The Crow people were often at war with other tribes. These included the Sioux, Arapahoe, Cheyenne, and Blackfoot tribes. The Crow were very brave. They survived even though they were often outnumbered by their enemies.

Changes to Crow Culture

After her husband, Goes Ahead, died, Pretty Shield raised her daughters and nine grandchildren by herself. She often spoke to Frank Linderman about her sadness. She worried that the Crow culture was disappearing. This was happening for many reasons, including the hunting of too many buffalo.

Pretty Shield had always believed her people would follow the buffalo herds forever. The buffalo had been a central part of their lives for centuries. She remembered a time when the land smelled of rotting meat because so many buffalo had been killed. She said, "Our hearts were like stones." She found it hard to believe that white settlers could kill all the buffalo. She thought other tribes, even their enemies, would never do such a thing.

Images for kids

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  The cover of Frank Linderman's Pretty Shield biography