Plenty Coups
Plenty Coups (Crow: Alaxchíia Ahú, "many achievements"; c. 1848 – 1932) was the principal chief of the Crow Tribe and a visionary leader.
Plenty Coups | |
|---|---|
| Alaxchíia Ahú | |
Portrait of Plenty Coups (c. 1908, aged about 60) | |
| Crow Tribe leader | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Chíilaphuchissaaleesh ("Buffalo Bull Facing The Wind") c. 1848 The-cliffs-that-have-no-name (possibly near Billings, Montana) |
| Died | 1932 Chief Plenty Coups (Alek-Chea-Ahoosh) State Park and Home, Crow Indian Reservation, Montana |
| Spouse | Strikes-the-iron |
| Parent(s) | Medicine-Bird, Otter-woman |
| Known for | Defending Crow lands in Washington, D.C., promoting education for Indian youth |
He allied the Crow with the whites when the war for the West was being fought because the Sioux and Cheyenne (who opposed white settlement of the area) were the traditional enemies of the Crow. Plenty Coups had also experienced a vision when he was very young that non-Native American people would ultimately take control of his homeland (Montana), so he always felt that cooperation would benefit his people much more than opposition. He very much wanted the Crow to survive as a people and their customs and spiritual beliefs to carry on. His efforts on their behalf ensured that this happened, and he led his people peacefully into the 20th century.
One of his famous quotes is: "Education is your greatest weapon. With education you are the white man's equal, without education you are his victim and so shall remain all of your lives. Study, learn, help one another always. Remember there is only poverty and misery in idleness and dreams – but in work there is self respect and independence." Chief Plenty Coups became a chief at the age of twenty-nine; he is the last chief who was elected a chief by other chiefs.