[Transcript]

Road to the Park

Alright folks, right now we're winding our way down Highway 49, also known as Looking Glass Road. It was named after the famous Nez Perce leader and battle strategist Looking Glass. Now, while I'm going to take us straight into the park, we are going to pass by a few overlooks on our way down. 

Feel free to pause the audio if you decide to stop on your own to take in the Then, just unpause when you're ready to keep going. The Blackfoot Nation has a proud history of brave warriors, epic battles, and heroic figures. Among these heroes, some have achieved near-legendary status with deeds and stories almost too extraordinary to believe. 

The Rise of Running Eagle

Let's unravel the legend of Running Eagle and reveal the true story of this flesh-and-blood warrior woman. Now, heads up listeners, this story does have some violence, so if that's not appropriate for the audience, you might want to pause this one. Born to the Bikani tribe of the Blackfoot Nation in the early 1800s, Brown Weasel Woman was a tomboy from the start. 

Instead of cooking or gathering, she preferred dressing like a boy, playing with the boys, and hunting and fighting with them too. Although her mother disapproved, her father was a renowned warrior who encouraged her interests. He taught her to fight and ride and brought her on hunting expeditions.

A Heroic Rescue

It was during one such hunt that Brown Weasel would have a chance to show her true character. What was supposed to be an ordinary hunt took a disastrous turn. The party found themselves caught in an enemy tribe's ambush.

A storm of Assiniboine horsemen thundered over the horizon. Chaos ensued as the hunting party desperately kicked their horses into a frantic flight for survival. Suddenly, Brown Weasel's father hit the ground, his horse crumpling beneath him.

Brown Weasel's blood ran cold as her horse raced past. The enemy hoops grew closer and she made a split-second choice. Gritting her teeth, she turned around and charged back into the melee.

With arrows and bullets whirring past her ears, she dismounted and in one heaving motion hefted her father onto her horse. Springing up behind him, she grabbed the reins of the horse with one hand and her father with the other. Clinging to each other and to life itself, the two raced away, barely escaping the enemy's grasp.

Celebrated Yet Questioned

Upon their safe return to the village, Brown Weasel's bravery was celebrated with traditional songs and dances, marking her courage with a joyful and heartfelt celebration. Some hailed her as a hero, while others felt she should leave the hunting and fighting to the men.

After all they reasoned, what if other Blackfoot women decided to follow her example? Tragically, despite her heroics, Brown Weasel's father would soon fall in another battle against their enemy, the Crow Tribe, and this time, there was no saving him.

Loss and Responsibility

Suddenly, her greatest supporter and the person she admired most was gone. Soon after, her mother, who had been sick for some time, succumbed to a broken heart at the loss of her husband. As the eldest, the duty to care for her five younger siblings fell on Brown Weasel.

Though she didn't enjoy these domestic duties, she took care of her siblings for a while before moving in a local widow to help. And despite the loss of her father, her warrior's heart was never deterred. When braves from her tribe planned a raid to reclaim horses stolen by their enemies from the Crow Tribe, Brown Weasel snuck along behind them.

When the leader of the raiding party spotted her, she refused to go home, saying she'd carry on alone if she had to. The others relented, and Brown Weasel went on, rescuing eleven horses herself. On their way back home, they stopped for the night, and Brown Weasel kept watch.

In the darkness, she spotted and killed two Crow warriors, and their party returned triumphant. Again, some celebrated her bravery, but many of the elders still opposed her warring ways.

Vision Quest and Transformation

In order to find her a place in the tribe, the chief decreed she would take a vision quest, though traditionally only taken by young men.

If Brown Weasel survived and received her vision, she would be accepted as a warrior. To complete her vision quest, she would fast for many days, alone in the wilderness, praying for a vision to guide her passage to adulthood. There was danger, isolation, and ultimately, transformation.

After four days, Brown Weasel was given a vision from the sun. Some accounts say that the sun promised her great power in battle, so long as she never laid with a man. When she returned, she shared her vision in the medicine lodge, and Brown Weasel was then given a new name of Running Eagle, a moniker that had only ever been given to great warriors, and never before to a woman.

Legacy of Running Eagle

Running Eagle went on to lead the Blackfoot to many victories, and eventually became their brave and capable warchief, a title given to those who have performed remarkable feats in battle. Then, in 1878, Running Eagle fell in combat against the Flathead tribe. She was likely in her mid to late 60s at the time.

Some people say the sun stopped protecting her after she broke her oath and took a lover. And in a way, I think that's somewhat true. But her love was no man.

It was fearlessly fighting for her people, time and again, as a proud Blackfoot warrior.