Joe Medicine Crow
| Joe Medicine Crow | |
|---|---|
With President Barack Obama in 2009
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| Born |
Joseph Medicine Crow October 27, 1913 Near Lodge Grass, Montana, U.S. |
| Died | April 3, 2016 (aged 102) Billings, Montana, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
Linfield College University of Southern California |
| Occupation | Historian, war chief, anthropologist, author |
| Relatives |
Pauline Small (cousin) White Man Runs Him (step-grandfather) |
| Awards |
.png){kind=small} Presidential Medal of Freedom
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| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
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| Years of service | 1943–1946 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | 103rd Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |
 Bronze Star Légion d'honneur
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| Audio | |
|---|---|
 A Crow Warrior vs. The Nazis, Joseph Medicine Crow on StoryCorps
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| Video | |
 President Obama Honors Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients, see 24:25-25:50, White House
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Joseph "Joe" Medicine Crow (October 27, 1913 – April 3, 2016) was a war chief, author and historian of the Crow Nation of Native Americans. His writings on Native American history and reservation culture are considered seminal works, but he is best known for his writings and lectures concerning the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. He received the Bronze Star Medal and the Légion d'honneur for service during World War II, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.
He was the last surviving war chief of the Crow Tribe, and was the last living Plains Indian war chief. He was a founding member of the Traditional Circle of Indian Elders and Youth.
Joseph Medicine Crow (his Crow name meant High Bird) was born in 1913 on the Crow Indian Reservation near Lodge Grass, Montana, to Amy Yellowtail and Leo Medicine Crow. As the Crow kinship system was matrilineal, he was considered born for his mother's people, and gained his social status from that line. Property and hereditary positions were passed through the maternal line. Chief Medicine Crow, Leo's father, was a highly distinguished and honored chief in his own right, who at the age of 22 became a war chief. He set a standard for aspiring warriors and was his son's inspiration.
His maternal step-grandfather, White Man Runs Him, was a scout for US General George Armstrong Custer and an eyewitness to the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. Joe Medicine Crow's cousin is Pauline Small, the first woman elected to office in the Crow Tribe of Indians.
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Wikipedia