Native American Anthropologist, Historian, Author, Veteran, Elder. The last surviving war chief of Montana's Apsáalooke (Crow) Tribe. A member of the Crow Tribe's Whistling Water clan, Chief Joseph was raised by his Grandfather Yellowtail to be a warrior which he did during World War II. While fighting for the U.S. Army's 103rd Infantry Division during World War II, he completed all four tasks to become a Crow war chief: touching an enemy without killing him (counting coup), taking an enemy's weapon, leading a successful war party, and stealing an enemy's horse when he captured 50 Nazi SS horses from a German camp. He was a recipient of a Bronze Star, as well as the Legion d'honneur. He also received both the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. "Warfare was our highest art, but Plains Indian warfare was not about killing. It was about intelligence, leadership, and honor," Medicine Crow wrote in his 2006 book Counting Coup. The National Parks Service claims Medicine Crow was "the last living person with a direct oral history from a participant of the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876." Medicine Crow in 1939 became the first of his tribe to receive a master's degree, in anthropology from the University of Southern California (USC). He began work toward a doctorate, and by 1941 had completed the required coursework, but did not complete his Ph.D., due to the United States' entry into WWII. After USC he became a Crow historian, collecting his nomadic tribe's history through firsthand accounts before 1884. His books include Crow Migration Story, Medicine Crow, Handbook of the Crow Indians Law and Treaties, Crow Indian Buffalo Jump Techniques, and From the Heart of Crow Country. He also authored a children's book entitled Brave Wolf and the Thunderbird. Medicine Crow received honorary doctorates from Rocky Mountain College in 1999, his alma mater the USC in 2003, and Bacone College in 2010. USC renamed a building in his honor in 2022: The Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow Center for International and Public Affairs.
Native American Anthropologist, Historian, Author, Veteran, Elder. The last surviving war chief of Montana's Apsáalooke (Crow) Tribe. A member of the Crow Tribe's Whistling Water clan, Chief Joseph was raised by his Grandfather Yellowtail to be a warrior which he did during World War II. While fighting for the U.S. Army's 103rd Infantry Division during World War II, he completed all four tasks to become a Crow war chief: touching an enemy without killing him (counting coup), taking an enemy's weapon, leading a successful war party, and stealing an enemy's horse when he captured 50 Nazi SS horses from a German camp. He was a recipient of a Bronze Star, as well as the Legion d'honneur. He also received both the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. "Warfare was our highest art, but Plains Indian warfare was not about killing. It was about intelligence, leadership, and honor," Medicine Crow wrote in his 2006 book Counting Coup. The National Parks Service claims Medicine Crow was "the last living person with a direct oral history from a participant of the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876." Medicine Crow in 1939 became the first of his tribe to receive a master's degree, in anthropology from the University of Southern California (USC). He began work toward a doctorate, and by 1941 had completed the required coursework, but did not complete his Ph.D., due to the United States' entry into WWII. After USC he became a Crow historian, collecting his nomadic tribe's history through firsthand accounts before 1884. His books include Crow Migration Story, Medicine Crow, Handbook of the Crow Indians Law and Treaties, Crow Indian Buffalo Jump Techniques, and From the Heart of Crow Country. He also authored a children's book entitled Brave Wolf and the Thunderbird. Medicine Crow received honorary doctorates from Rocky Mountain College in 1999, his alma mater the USC in 2003, and Bacone College in 2010. USC renamed a building in his honor in 2022: The Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow Center for International and Public Affairs.
Bio by: Barbara Campbell
Inscription
Technician Fifth Grade, U.S. Army
World War II
Bronze Star Medal
Medal of Freedom
Family Members
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