The Medicine Calf

"Medicine Calf—mountain man, hunter, scout, leader of Crow warriors, and later, head chief of the Mountain Crows—was otherwise known as Jim Beckwourth, the son of a Virginia aristocrat and a mulatto slave girl. This novel is based on Beckwourth's account of his experiences between 1824 and 1833. At age twenty-four, Beckwourth left his home in St. Louis and joined General William Ashley's team of trappers to cross the Rocky Mountains. A bitter tragedy kindled his hatred for the Blackfeet, launching him on a personal vendetta that earned him a widespread reputation for rash acts of bravery and revenge. Kidnapped by the Crows, he was mistaken for the long-lost son of Chief Big Bowl. Thus began the greatest adventure of Backwourth's career and a remarkable story of how one man gradually gained the respect of an entire Indian nation. Because Beckwourth was assimilated completely into the Crow tribe, there are fascinating glimpeses into their ways and ceremonies. In addition to his many wives, he paid a long courtship to Pine Leaf, a Crow warrior woman (perhaps the first) to participate in the "warpath secret," a privilege traditionally forbidden to women. This novel also captures the savagery, the feral intensity, and the constant preoccupation with survival that was the law of wilderness life for Whites and Indians alike. The author's vivid descriptions recreate the harsh realities of battle and the stark beauty of the mountain terrain. Desperate, whimsical, cruel, joyous, inquisitive, Beckwourth was an archetypal American hero." (from the flyleaf description)