Sa ko ek an os 'James' Chief Crow

James was a Piegan (Blackfoot) man

The Piegan Indians are a North American tribe that is part of the Blackfoot Confederacy. The Piegan are also known as the Pikuni, Piikuni, Pikani, and Piikáni. The Blackfoot Confederacy is made up of three tribes: the Piegan, the Blood, and the Siksika.

Photo by Kenzie LP Valladolid - 91PerksPhotography - Photography Gallery - Gunnison, Colorado

Biography:
Born c. 1880 to Piegan Blackfeet parents Ne-Asto Chief Crow and Na ma it si pek se Chief Crow (Strikes With Gun) on the Blackfeet Reservation near Browning, Glacier County, Montana.

According to Carla Joinson in her book Vanished in Hiawatha, James was admitted to the Canton Asylum at age 26 on June 19, 1906, and diagnosed with Epileptic dementia. (Most epileptic seizures in people with dementia are known as focal onset seizures. These can involve brief periods of increased amnesia or unresponsiveness. We see involuntary repeating movements, often of the hands and arms, or of the face (chewing, lip-smacking, or swallowing. There are many underlying causes for developing epilepsy but in people in their later years dementia is a significant factor.) So, why did James at 26, certainly NOT in his later years, develop or was simply diagnosed with Epileptic dementia?

According to the letter from Dr. L.L. Culp to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs dated February 23, 1934, James died on October 24, 1908, and was buried in the Canton Hiawatha Cemetery tier 4 plot 37.

His profile is part of the The Canton Asylum One Place Study.

Research Notes:
-Apparently, in the Blackfeet Indians females did not necessarily take the surname of the father and often had their own, ie. Ak-se-put-ta Good Flyer, E-ko-tse-cun-na Red Blaze and Sok-o-wo-kome Calling Last. See the 1890 census for Indian names.
-Person in the Center (aka Middle Person) was a plural wife of Ne-nasto Chief Crow who married twice apparently in the Indian manner.
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Sources:

1890 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:74D3-LH2M : Thu Oct 05 18:07:45 UTC 2023), Entry for Chief Crow, 1890, pg. 121/705, line 366, census of the Blackfeet Indians

(Possible Indian/English naming connections)

• Chief Crow Nena-Astis = Ne-nasto Chief Crow? M30
• Hip Wish-Gun Nena-Astis = Nama-tsi-pix-e Strikes with Gun? F27
  • Red Light Nena-Astis = E-ko-tse-cun-na Red Blaze? F3
  • Good Looking Nena-Astis = Ak-se-put-ta Good Flyer? F5
  • Last Coming Nena-Astis = James Chief Crow? M11 - based on age and note that this is a male 11 in 1890
  • Prairie Chicken Nena-Astis = Chicken? M7
  • Jumping Up Nena-Astis = ? M1

1892 Jun 30 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:74Z7-6X6Z : Thu Oct 05 21:40:52 UTC 2023), Entry for Chief Crow, 1892, pg. 285/705, line 514-521, census of the Blackfeet Blood and Piegan, Blackfeet Agency, Montana

514 Me nas to = Chief Crow
515 Na ma it si pek se = Hits With Gun
516 Sa ko ek an os = James Chief Crow
517 Kit ake = Ed Kitokee (Edward)
518 Ak si pot a = Good Flyer
519 So kok ome = Last Call
520 A Ku tsi kone = Yellow (Red) Blaze
521 Piots i Kem o = Meet at Bed = Big Woman? (Big Woman is his sister, Meet at Bed would be inappropriate?)

1894 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPQH-DW2Y : Thu Oct 05 05:52:37 UTC 2023), Entry for James Chief Crow, 1894, pg. 448/705, line 510-517, census of the Blackfeet Blood and Piegan, Blackfeet Agency, Mont.

1895 Jun 30 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:74H8-8MPZ : Thu Oct 05 22:53:44 UTC 2023), Entry for James Chief Crow, 1895, pg. 530/705, line 6, census of the Blackfeet Blood and Piegan, Blackfeet Agency

1896 Jun 30 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:744D-7FT2 : Thu Oct 05 22:11:07 UTC 2023), Entry for Chief Crow, 1896, pg. 619/705, line 511-516, census of the Piegan Indians, Blackfeet Agency, Montana

511 Chief Crow
512 Strikes with Gun
513 James
514 Chicken
515 Lizzie
516 Maggie

1903 Jun 30 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGRH-XDWQ : Wed Oct 04 16:47:28 UTC 2023), Entry for James Chief Crow, from 1900 to 1909, pg. 473/698, line 524-527, census of the Piegan Indians, Blackfeet Reservation, Montana

1904 Jun 30 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:7WB2-DT6Z : Fri Oct 06 21:29:24 UTC 2023), Entry for Chief Crow, 1904, pg. 526/698, line 300, census of the Piegan Indians, Blackfeet Agency, Montana

1908 Oct 24 - Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14493829/james-chief_crow: accessed 27 January 2024), memorial page for James Chief Crow (1879–24 Oct 1908), Find a Grave Memorial ID 14493829, citing Hiawatha Asylum Cemetery, Canton, Lincoln County, South Dakota, USA; Maintained by Graveaddiction (contributor 46528400).

1908 Oct 24 - Hilton, M. (Ed.). (2023, July 10). Hiawatha Asylum for Insane Indians Historical Marker. Historical Marker. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=183486 Photo by Ruth VanSteenwyk, July 10, 2023, courtesy of HMdb.org

Toistoto 5-17-08 · James Chief Crow 10-24-08 · Yells At Night 11-21-08

1909 Jun 30 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPRT-XWBY : Wed Oct 04 17:54:37 UTC 2023), Entry for James Chief Crow, 1909, pg. 100/885, line 302 (Died Oct 24, 1908), Blackfeet Blood and Piegan, Blackfeet Agency, Mont.