66 pages • 2 hours read
Kathleen GrissomCrow Mary
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Part 2, Chapters 20-26Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 2, Chapter 20 Summary: “1872”
Crow Mary and Jeannie go to the fort’s store, where they find bottles of strychnine. Jeannie explains that strychnine is a dangerous poison that Farwell presumably sells to the wolfers. Later, Crow Mary watches Jeannie leave, and Farwell finds her crying since her fears have returned. She decides to go to the river with her dog and pray. She performs a ritual, asking the First Maker to show her a spirit animal for help. At night, Crow Mary dreams of a grizzly bear and thinks that it might be the one she killed. In her dream, the bear tells her that she carries its heart and that it will offer her strength. When awake, Crow Mary recalls praising the bear after killing it and eating a piece of its heart. Crow Mary dislikes Hammond, a new hired worker.
Crow Mary understands “the structure of the community” in Farwell’s fort as analogous to that of her Crow village (157): Farwell is the “chief” responsible for decision-making, while other men serve as advisors. Crow Mary recalls how her village functioned similarly, as a men’s council always helped her father. A community of “peacekeepers” from “men’s societies” also decided on punishments for people with inappropriate behaviors.
Métis and other Indigenous people arrive for trading. Crow Mary notices that people in certain camps abuse whiskey. One night, she is awakened by intoxicated Indigenous people shooting their guns at the camps. She feels angry with Farwell, asking him why he must trade whiskey. Farwell confesses his changing feelings about the trade. He tells Crow Mary that by next year, they will be able to afford a ranch closer to her family.
Part 2, Chapter 21 Summary: “1872-1873”
Crow Mary finds Hammond at the trade store and sees him put strychnine into the whiskey traded to Indigenous people. When she finds Farwell, he explains that they use a little strychnine because people want to feel “numb.” To reassure her, he also explains that the substance is used in some medicine. Crow Mary is angry but feels the need to trust him.
Crow Mary questions Farwell about the wolfers who work around Cypress Hills, wanting to know why they hunt wolves. Farwell explains that their pelts are valuable because they are popular for clothing in the east. Crow Mary remembers the buffalo carcasses and feels upset.
One day, Mr. Dubois brings Crow Mary a letter from Jeannie containing English phrases and drawings. The next morning, their dogs are missing. Soon, she sees Mr. Dubois carrying her dog’s body, and he says that the wolfers also killed his dog. Like Dubois, Crow Mary wants to kill the perpetrators, but Farwell stops them, saying that it was an accident. Crow Mary is angry at Farwell, and to calm her, he suggests that they shoot targets. Crow Mary sees a group of trappers from Solomon’s fort watching her. Among them is Stiller. Crow Mary is certain that he killed her dog.
Part 2, Chapter 22 Summary: “1873”
One spring day, a group of Nakoda people arrive at Farwell’s fort in bad condition. They have been traveling for months to escape famine after a hard winter in their territory. Crow Mary is “shocked” by their suffering as Little Soldier, their chief, explains they had to leave dead, old, or ill people behind. Crow Mary feels a “kinship” with them and strives to help. She is particularly impressed by Song Woman, a young woman who lost her newborn child during their journey. She also meets the chief’s wife, The Woman Who Eats Grizzly Bear, as well as Paw and her little daughter, Little Hawk. Crow Mary spends time bonding with the women.
When the Nakoda survivors have regained their strength, Farwell loans the men a few horses to go hunting. Soon, two men from Solomon’s fort accuse the Nakoda of stealing the horses. Farwell explains that he gave them the horses to help them. Nonetheless, the men insist on calling them “horse thieves.”
Time passes, and the Nakoda women invite Crow Mary to eat with them. She observes the “hope” among the community, and it “[feels] like home” (175). For two weeks, Crow Mary spends her afternoons at their camp.
Crow Mary learns that some Nakoda trade for whiskey, and she asks Farwell to stop it. He promises to try to stop Hammond from selling alcohol to them. Crow Mary feels better but struggles to sleep.
Part 2, Chapter 23 Summary: “1873”
Crow Mary and Farwell prepare to leave for Fort Benton. The couple is happy, and Farwell promises to stop trading whiskey. One night, Hammond notifies Farwell that Hardwick, a man from Solomon’s fort, has returned and that he is accusing the Nakoda of stealing his horses. Farwell returns to the cabin much later, and Crow Mary realizes that he is upset. Farwell explains that Hardwick is a wolfer and is determined to cause trouble because he “hates Indians.” Crow Mary protests that the Nakoda do not have horses.
Farwell invites Solomon’s men for breakfast to calm them, explaining that the Nakoda did not steal their horses. When Stiller appears, Farwell is surprised. Stiller invites the men to drink at Solomon’s fort, and they seem convinced by Farwell’s explanations.
Part 2, Chapter 24 Summary: “1873”
Crow Mary goes to the Nakoda camp to say goodbye to the women but finds unrest at the camp. Little Hawk leads her to Little Soldier’s tipi, which smells like “whiskey and urine” (185). She sees that Little Soldier is intoxicated and realizes that Hardwick and his men traded whiskey to the Nakoda. Crow Mary then hears a gunshot and runs to hide. She hears Farwell talking with the Nakoda, who explain that they quarreled with Hammond after he tried to steal their horses. Hammond is with the intoxicated wolfers from Solomon’s fort. Suddenly, Crow Mary hears Farwell pleading with Hardwick to stop, but soon shooting starts.
Crow Mary finds herself amidst horrifying screams and cries. Nakoda children, women, and men are being shot. The men try to defend their camp while others try to escape. Crow Mary hides until the fight stops. She witnesses the wolfers coming to Little Soldier’s tipi, dragging out the women and children and pulling the women toward Solomon’s fort. The women try to resist in vain, and Crow Mary calls Little Hawk to her. She crosses the river carrying the child and finds Dubois, who says that Farwell is looking for her.
Crow Mary and Farwell are relieved to find each other well. Farwell explains that the wolfers are drunk and that Hammond persuaded them that the Nakoda stole his horse. Crow Mary tells him that they took the women to the fort. While Farwell is upset, he responds that they cannot help them. Crow Mary wants to go for them, but he forbids it, saying that the wolfers would kill them both. Crow Mary thinks of Song Woman, knowing that she must help her. She feels angry with Farwell for doing nothing.
Part 2, Chapter 25 Summary: “1873”
During the night, Crow Mary wonders if the Nakoda women are alive. While Farwell is absent, she finds a chance to run to Solomon’s fort. Once there, she feels terrified but resolves to step in, asking the grizzly bear, her spirit animal, for help and recalling the courage of the Crow people. Moving closer, she sees a “brutalized” woman, Little Soldier’s mother, sitting at the fort’s entrance. The man who killed Little Soldier forces her to drink and leaves her vomiting. When he leaves, Crow Mary approaches her, asking about the women.
Crow Mary moves toward a shed and sees Stiller raping Song Woman. Crow Mary hits him in the head with her gun and takes Song Woman out. Passing by another cabin, she overhears the other men sexually abusing the women and forcing them to drink. Enraged, Crow Mary enters, pointing two guns at the men. Finally, the men leave the Nakoda women, and Crow Mary saves them. She runs back to the fort, finds Dubois, and leads them back to the women; Dubois and another man from the fort help them.
Back at the fort, Dubois praises Crow Mary’s strength and courage. When Farwell returns, she is furious with him. He brings Hardwick’s men for lunch, and as they tease her about what she likes to shoot, she retorts.
Part 2, Chapter 26 Summary: “1873”
The next day, the survivors of the Nakoda camp disappear. Crow Mary and Farwell see that Solomon’s men have burned the fort. Crow Mary is relieved to learn that the women were taken to the Métis village. The memory of Stiller raping Song Woman torments her, and she fears that Stiller will search for her.
As they travel, Crow Mary sees that Farwell is downcast, and she wonders about his reluctance to help the Nakoda women. A week passes, and Farwell acknowledges Crow Mary’s disappointment in him. He stresses that he has never before witnessed a massacre and that the men must be brought to justice. He decides to go to Fort Benton and report Hardwick’s men. He says that he must be careful because he has been working with the men for years and will be considered their enemy. Crow Mary reveals that she saved the women, and Farwell freezes. He praises her bravery but chastises her for endangering her life. Crow Mary tells him that they should kill the men in the Crow way. Farwell argues that “the white man’s way […] is a lot less violent” and that the men must go to court (206).
The couple approaches Jeannie’s village, and Crow Mary soon meets her. She sees that Jeannie is sad, and Jeannie explains that her baby was born premature and died. Crow Mary comforts her, assuring her that the baby is with her ancestors.
Farwell returns from Fort Benton furious, hearing that Hardwick’s men are bragging about killing the Nakoda people. He says that he is certain that Stiller was not involved in the shooting and that he is his one remaining friend. He comforts Crow Mary as she still thinks about the sexual assault against the women. Farwell decides to go to Fort Peck and demand a trial.
Part 2, Chapters 20-26 Analysis
The theme of Cultural Conflict and Cross-Cultural Understanding expands as Crow Mary experiences cultural alienation in Farwell’s fort. She compares the social structure of Farwell’s fort unfavorably to that of the Crow tribe. Farwell is the fort’s leader and rules it alone. This social structure reflects the centralized power of Western states that undermine communal decision-making. Crow Mary realizes the difference between individualism and community, highlighting the conflict between the Indigenous and white mindsets. The text highlights the communal structure of Crow society, where the chief’s leadership is shared among groups with different social responsibilities that ensure community well-being. The text not only underscores this contrast but also criticizes the Western mindset through Crow Mary’s viewpoint, suggesting that an individual cannot bear the “weight” of social leadership alone.
When the wolfers kill Crow Mary’s dog, the incident foreshadows the coming Cypress Hills massacre. The dog is a symbol of hope for Crow Mary, and the wolfers embody the predatory settler colonialism that threatens Crow Mary and her people. The wolfers destroy the natural world as they continually abuse animals, killing them for sport or profit, hence advancing the devastation of the Indigenous way of life. The dog, symbolizing Big Cloud’s spirit, also represents Crow Mary’s former traditional life. Its killing by the wolfers connects to the cultural genocide of Indigenous people and, again, to the killing of their “spirit” as a result of colonialism.
Farwell’s character develops in this section. He remains a kind and loving husband, but the revelation of his past complicates his personality. He confesses that he struggled with alcohol addiction, evidence that addiction affects white and Indigenous people alike, though white traders like Farwell are the ones who profit from it. Farwell’s relationship with Indigenous tribes also remains ambivalent. Like other illegal whiskey traders, he uses strychnine in the alcohol traded to Indigenous tribes. Farwell states, “The amount we put in doesn’t kill them. It just gives them what they’ve come to expect. It makes their hands and feet go numb” (162), an admission of reckless disregard for the safety of his Indigenous customers. While he tries to help and negotiate for the Nakoda to inhibit a violent turn of events, he tolerates the behavior of the wolfers and ultimately fails to impede the massacre. Farwell’s good intentions, with his decision to stop whiskey trading and his impulse to pursue justice for the tribe, are limited by his adherence to the colonial mindset. He manifests an ideology of the “white savior,” insisting on his view of justice. This decision signals a turning point for the character.
The Cypress Hills massacre illuminates the history of genocide against Indigenous people, highlighting the theme of Colonial Trauma and Indigenous Survival. Crow Mary’s feeling of “kinship” with the “suffering” Nakoda people underscores the common experience of colonial trauma and demonstrates the principle of solidarity among Indigenous people. The Nakoda arrive in Cypress Hills having faced starvation in their land, a result of environmental destruction by colonization. While historical sources about the massacre are unreliable, Grissom highlights the factors that frequently instigated similar events of colonial violence. The wolfers who intimidate the Nakoda are motivated by racial hatred, as Farwell explains to Crow Mary: “[T]his Hardwick—he has a bad reputation. They say he kills for sport, and he especially hates Indians” (180). The wolfers’ false characterization of the Nakoda as “horse thieves”—a libel directed at many Indigenous groups in the North American west throughout the 19th century and frequently used as a justification for genocide—escalates tensions that culminate in a massacre. Grissom suggests that the genocide against Indigenous people also occurred in a less organized fashion, through racism and dehumanization.
Grissom creates visual imagery to describe the events during and after the massacre, emphasizing the suffering of Indigenous women and children. Crow Mary witnesses the events that haunt her memory in the following chapters: “Screams followed, and I watched in horror as Nakoda women, children, and men fell” (188). Crow Mary must summon the courage that Red Fox taught her to place herself in danger in an effort to save the Nakoda. She does so because she has come to see them as kin through their shared experience of racist persecution.
Grissom juxtaposes this imagery of suffering and violence with The Resilience of Indigenous Women. Crow Mary witnesses the Nakoda women’s abduction by the wolfers and resolves to save them, demonstrating Indigenous women’s impulse for survival. Her actions in the story highlight the Indigenous agency regarding the people’s survival. Crow Mary adheres to Red Fox’s teachings of bravery; she is more terrified than ever but forces herself to go to the fort and neutralize Stiller and the other rapists of the Nakota women: “I thought of Grandmother, and her friend Sees Much, at the battle of Arrow Creek, and the courage of my people who had fought there for their lives against all odds” (196). Crow Mary acts despite her fear, just as Red Fox taught her when she was a child. She confronts the wolfers while drawing strength from her Indigenous values. Crow Mary’s act of resistance as a Crow “warrior” and a “brave” emphasizes her identity.
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