Big Robber

Chief Big Robber (died 1858 or 1866), also known as Big Shadow or Big Robert, was a 19th century Crow chief. He was a participant in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851.[1] His name Big Shadow referred to his large stature.[2]

Big Robber depicted in 1851. Painting by Jesuit missionary Pierre-Jean De Smet

Biography

Big Robber had a brother named Dancing White Horse, who was killed by the Lakota in 1844. As a result, Big Robber performed a seven-day long Sun Dance.[3] In 1851, as leader of the Mountain Crow band, he participated in the Laramie Treaty. United States Commissioners appointed Big Robber as head chief of the entire nation.[4] He negotiated with Chief Red Fish of the Lakota to establish regional boundaries.[5] After the treaty, Big Robber lost much respect and was disliked by other Crow bands.[4] In 1858, the Lakota began to advance into Crow territory. Big Robber was killed that year after a battle that left 30 Crow dead.[5]

An alternate legend surrounding the death of Big Robber concerns the naming of Crowheart Butte in Wyoming. The butte was allegedly named after an 1866 duel between Big Robber and Chief Washakie of the Eastern Shoshones. In the legend, the two fought to decide hunting rights in the Wind River Range. Chief Washakie slew Chief Robber, but was so impressed with his courage, he cut out Robber's heart and placed it on the end of his lance.[6]

References
  1. Crow, Joseph Medicine (1 January 2000). From the Heart of the Crow Country: The Crow Indians' Own Stories. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-8263-6. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  2. Crow, Joe Medicine; Press, Daniel S. (1966). A Handbook of Crow Indian Laws and Treaties (PDF). Crow Agency, Montana. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  3. Curtis, Edward S. (4 August 2015). The North American Indian Volume 4 - The Apsaroke, Or Crows, The Hidatsa (PDF). North American Book Distributors, LLC. ISBN 978-0-403-08403-6.
  4. Denig, Edwin Thompson (1953). "Of the Crow Nation" (PDF). Anthropological Papers. Bulletin 151. Bureau of American Ethnology. 33. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  5. Bray, Kingsley M. (1985). "Lone Horn's Peace: A New View of Sioux-Crow Relations, 1851-1858" (PDF). Nebraska History. 66: 28–47. Archived from the original on December 18, 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. Dayton, Kelsey (2 March 2018). "The battle of Crowheart Butte". WyoFile.
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