Red Crow: Warrior Chief. 2nd ed.

Kerry Abel is a professor of history at Carleton University. She is the author of Drum Songs: Glimpses of Dene History, co-editor of Aboriginal Resource Use in Canada: Historical and Legal Aspects, and co-editor of Northern Visions: New Perspectives on the North in Canadian History.

This biography of Blood Indian chief Red Crow was originally published
in 1980. His life spanned crucial decades of change for his people, and
his leadership assisted them in coping with those changes. As a young
man, he rose to prominence as a daring and courageous warrior. Then, as
outsiders began to move onto his people’s lands and the buffalo herds
declined, he became a political leader and statesman, leading the Blood
through the negotiation of Treaty 7 in 1877 and the economic transition
to farming and, later, ranching.

While the author clearly admires Red Crow, this is not an uncritical
study. Dempsey deals diplomatically with Red Crow’s battle with
alcohol and his failure to understand key land issues raised by the
treaty process. He also introduces the reader to Red Crow’s family
life. This well-rounded and always captivating study is intended for a
general audience.