Native American warrior women led their tribes into battle, negotiated peace with the United
States, served as diplomats, and more. But they don't get the recognition they rightly deserve
Here are the stories of several of the most famous Native American warrior women
Kolesta, a wife of Chief Kamiakin, is most famous for fighting by his side, armed with
a stone war club in the Battle of Four Lakes. But she was also a talented medicine woman in her own right, and someone that many believed
had psychic and mystical powers. When Chief Kamiakin was injured in battle, she was able to nurse him back to health using
her medical knowledge. Many Native American cultures believe in psychic abilities, but this belief is largely misunderstood
Often psychic abilities relate to knowledge passed down from person to person or the wisdom
that a person holds. While she's often mentioned as one of the most famous warrior women, little is known
about Calesta. After she died in 1865, Chief Kamiakin returned to his ancestral lands, where he later died
in 1877. Yumiakin had five wives, many of them from different tribes
This may have aided their efforts to maintain peace. Pineleaf, also known as Woman Chief or Fallen Leaf, was born in 1806 to the White Clay tribe
She was taken as a prisoner by the Crow tribe in 1816 by a father who had lost his son
It was fairly common for tribal members to adopt children in this way
She was only 10 at the time, but her new family raised her with a warrior's skills
Using her training, she killed two men in her first battle and captured several horses
Accomplishing such a violent victory, she was able to make a name for herself at an early age
Pineleaf was considered a two-spirit, an individual who embraced both traditional male and female roles
Though she wore female clothing, she pursued male interests almost exclusively, and when she eventually became woman chief, she married four wives
Pineleaf was eventually killed by the White Clay Tribe, her people by birth, in 1854
but she became a mythical figure, not only as a woman chief, but also as both a warrior and negotiator
During her tenure as chief, she was able to broker peace treaties with surrounding tribes
even though her end was a violent one. Buffalo Calf Road Woman was a Cheyenne warrior who became renowned after the Battle of Rosebud
She's one of the most famous Native American warriors, known for saving her brother during
the battle and being the only woman in her tribe to fight in the Battle of Little Bighorn
In fact, some people believe that Buffalo Calf Road Woman may have been instrumental
in General George Custer's defeat. The Northern Cheyenne tribe's oral history recounts that Buffalo Calf Road Woman knocked
Custer off his horse, leaving him vulnerable. According to a Cheyenne elder, they were to
keep silent for 100 summers regarding that fateful day, which has obscured some of the facts
This silence was declared because the tribe feared retribution from the U.S. government
Contemporary accounts of the time not only placed Buffalo Calf Road Woman at the battle
but observed that she was the only woman there armed with a revolver This is key evidence that several other people who claimed to have killed Custer were not armed with a gun and the doomed general is believed to have been killed by a bullet Either way she was almost definitely instrumental in the battle
Moving Robe Woman was also known as her Eagle Robe or Merry Crawler. As a young adult
she witnessed her brother, One Hawk, fall in battle, and then she saw her father
Crawler, preparing to fight. Upon seeing his bravery, she braided her hair and painted her
face red, then mounted a horse and rode directly into the fray. She was one of the women who fought
against General George Custer during the Battle of Little Bighorn, and like Buffalo Calf Roadwoman
some believe she may have been the one who killed him. One warrior claims to have held Custer's arms
as she stabbed him in the back. However, the details are murky to Custer's final moments
and it's unlikely that the truth will ever be revealed. Moving Robe Woman did reportedly kill
one of Custer's men, Isaiah Dorman, in revenge for her brother's death. Little is known of what
happened to moving robe woman after these historic battles. She was photographed in her 80s as Mary
Crawler in a photo held by the Smithsonian Institution. So, though she may or may not
have played a role in any major battles thereafter, she did live a long and proud life
Running Eagle's story is a compelling one, blending historical fact with mysticism
Running Eagle was also known as Brown Weasel Woman, and she was born into the Blackfoot
Nation in the 1800s. But she became more interested in what were considered male interests
such as hunting than female pursuits. She went on hunts for buffalo and once saved her father's
life when they were ambushed by enemies. Ultimately, she became a successful hunter
and warrior. After seeing her husband killed by a Crow tribe member, she spoke with the Sun
which told her that she would be a fierce warrior if she never lay with another. The waterfall that she had this vision quest at is now marked as a historical site
Running Eagle did, in fact, become a warrior leader and conducted multiple raids
In one such raid, she was able to capture 600 horses. Eventually, she was killed during a raid on the Flathead Indians
As the story goes, some believe that she was killed when she broke her promise to the sun
and slept with a man from her party. During the Bannock War, Sarah Winnemucca served as both scout and messenger
Of the Paiute tribe, she fought for the Native American land rights following the war
When her people were exiled to reservations in which they began to die of diseases
she testified before Congress. She lectured over 300 times about the injustice her people faced
Born sometime around 1844, she grew up and began working as an interpreter for Indian
affairs in 1871. In 1878, she began working as an interpreter and a scout during the Bannock War
In one story, it's reported that she was able to save her father by traveling over 200 miles
without sleep. Sarah was most notable for straddling the line between her tribal origins and her work
with the United States. She was a peacemaker and desired for both sides to come to an agreement
Unfortunately this didn ultimately come to pass In 1883 she wrote Life Among the Paiutes Their Wrongs and Claims but the Paiute tribe was not allowed to return to its land despite congressional legislation The test rode with her husband and eventually joined Geronimo band
She was known for being an aggressive and lethal warrior, but she also worked to translate
negotiate, and mediate. Many Native American warrior women are remembered for being both
warriors and diplomats, and DeTest was part of this group. In fact, some say that DeTest and
Lozen, another famous Apache warrior, were in a relationship. While they did fight together and
were arrested together, there is little evidence to support the claim that they were in a romantic
relationship. However, they were close, and an interviewer noted that DeTest mourned Lozen's
death until the day she died. DeTest, like Lozen, is believed to have been two-spirit
She dressed and fought like a man for much of her life. Detest proved herself on the battlefield, fought side by side with other women, and
survived her encounters with the settlers. With the nickname Apache Joan of Arc, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Lozen was known as
a feared and fearless leader. She was both a medicine woman and a warrior, and was rumored
to have incredible powers. She traveled with both Geronimo and Detest. Before that, she defended
her lands with her brother against the U.S. Army. Before battles, the Apache would often pray for
guidance. Lozen had the uncanny ability to use these prayer sessions to tell exactly where the
enemy might be. Thus, she was known to be an excellent strategist. She also excelled at both
writing and shooting. Lozen spent years in skirmishes and raids, eventually falling in with
Geronimo until he surrendered in 1885. She was battle sisters with other Apache women, including
Detest. After repeatedly coming to blows with the U.S. Army in battle, Lozen was taken prisoner
She died of tuberculosis in Alabama. Alishanx was the chief of the Sacanet people in what is now Rhode Island. Born around 1620 and most
active in the 1670s, Alishanx would eventually become one of the signatories of a peace treaty
between the local tribes and Plymouth Colony. It's not known what her real name was. Alishanx
was a granted title that meant, she who is queen. When her husband died in 1660, she became the
leader, but it's also believed that she held the position because of her strength and wisdom
She would eventually marry two husbands and have three children. Awashanks participated in King Philip's War, which is when she appears most frequently in records
She initially supported Metacomet's fight against the British colonizers, but then switched sides in a deal to protect her people from retribution and enslavement
The deal worked at first, but eventually her people were ultimately displaced, as were many other tribes, and some were enslaved as well
A tribal leader of the Navajo Nation, Annie Dodge Wanaka was a different type of warrior
In 1951, she became the second woman ever elected to the tribal council
She spent her time on weekly radio broadcasts to the Navajo Nation about medical techniques such as vaccination She eventually became the first Native American to get the Presidential Medal of Freedom Wanaka was born in 1910 to the cliff people of the Navajo tribe
She started her medical administrations at the age of eight, after surviving the flu
She then married and studied health, becoming an activist for the Navajo Nation
In 1918, the Spanish flu tore through the United States. The disease wreaked havoc throughout the already suffering Native American community
Thus, Wanaka's calling became to help the indigenous people learn more about health
and public safety. Nannehi, or She Who Walks Among the Spirits, was a Cherokee woman born in 1738
Nannehi was influenced by her uncle, a Cherokee chief, to believe that the only way Native
Americans would survive contact with the settlers was to coexist with them
She wanted to find ways to make peace between the people. When her husband was killed in a battle against Creek Nation, Nannehi took up his rifle and
fought until they were victorious, earning herself the title of beloved woman
She would go on to be named the head of the Women's Council and given a place in the Cherokee
General Council. She was the first woman to be given that honor, which led to one of her descendants, songwriter
Becky Hobbs, to write a musical about her. She's not only remembered as an iconic historical figure with the Cherokee people, but she's
also a pioneer for women in American history. Nannehill would eventually marry an Englishman and take his name, consequently taking the
name Nancy Ward. She would continue to try her best to prevent violence between the Cherokee tribe and the
settlers, once saving a woman from being burned alive and bringing her to her own home
Toward the end of her life, Nanahee began to believe that the settlers would continue to take more and more land and pleaded with her people not to give up any more of it
But her protests were fruitless, and much of her native land was sold. She died in 1822, living a peaceful life as an innkeeper
Toy Perina was only 25 when she inspired a revolt against the Spanish in 1785
Though many denied their role in the rebellion, Torperina proudly admitted hers
She famously said to them, quote, A medicine woman of her tribe, Torperina had become defiant after witnessing Spanish brutality
against the natives. At the time, 5,000 of her people lived in what is now the San Gabriel Valley in California
Many of the Tongva were left without land, as the Spanish took over much of the resources
within the area. Further, many of the native Tongva were converted into the Spanish faith
Now called gabrielinos, they were seen as enemies by some. Those who were not converted felt these new worshipers disrupted the Tongva's native way
of life. Torperina took it upon herself to ally eight Tongva villages against the Spanish
They intended to kill the leaders, but they were betrayed and captured. Seventeen of them were whipped in public as a warning
Torperina, along with other leaders, was held for questioning. She was eventually imprisoned for a year and a half
Today, a 60-foot mural honors her memory and bravery. Thank you