The Great Chiefs [SOLD]

Proud, joyously combative, free as the wind -these were the chiefs of the Old West at the beginning of the 19th Century, when the buffalo ran 30 million strong and the white frontier had barely vaulted the Appalachians.

Popular imagination saw them as powerful feudal lords, reigning over multitudes of bloodthirsty but obedient subjects. In fact, there were neither monarchs nor multitudes between the Mississippi and the far side of the Rockies. The 200,000 Indians of that region were fragmented into bands and tribes ranging in size from a few dozen members to several thousand. Each group regulated its affairs by a system of leadership that was as supple as the Indians' nomadic life style itself.

The relationship of Western tribesmen to their chiefs was recognized as early as 1805 in the journals of the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark: ";Each individual is his own master, and the only control to which his conduct is subjected is the advice of a chief, supported by his influence over the rest of the tribe."; The chief's power was anything but absolute: ";His commands have no effect on those who incline to disobey.";

Only by earning the respect of his peers could a man become chief. Ambitious warriors strove to emulate the eagle, the high-flying predator whose feathers were prized symbols of bold exploits. The warrior who amassed feathers enough to sport a trailing war bonnet was well on his way to attaining a chieftainship.