Owl Woman

Owl Woman (Cheyenne name: Mis-stan-stur; died 1847) was a Cheyenne woman, a daughter of White Thunder (and Tall Woman), a well-respected medicine man of the Cheyenne tribe. She was married to an Anglo-American trader named William Bent, with whom she had four children. Owl Woman was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame for her role in managing relations between Native American tribes and the Anglo-American men.

Background

Native American tribes of the central plains In the 1820s, the central plains area in which several Native American tribes lived had been subject to political and economic turmoil resulting from the Mexican War of Independence. The Arkansas River delineated the border, with Mexico to the south and the United States northwards. There were many opportunities for trade alliances, in part to replace those that had involved the now-deposed Spanish governors, and there was also encroachment on the area by the United States as that nation pursued its policy of manifest destiny.

The area was also subject to turmoil as Native American plains tribes of the central and southern plains sought to define or redefine their territory. Tribes moved to new lands within the plains for various reasons: they may have been displaced in their previous land, had internal disputes that caused them to relocate, sought better hunting or gathering grounds, or sought land that was most conducive to their way of life. The Comanche, Kiowa, Cheyenne and Arapahoe were among the disputing tribes. The Cheyenne likely moved into the plains in the 17th and 18th century from Minnesota and by the mid-1800s lived with the Arapaho north of the Arkansas River in land near Bent's Fort in Colorado.

Like other Native American tribes, the Comanche came to the grasslands of southern plains for a better life which put them at odds with other tribes. In an agreement reached with the Cheyenne, "The Great Peace of 1840", they agreed to stay south of the Arkansas River and the Cheyenne and Arapaho above it.

William Bent and the Santa Fe trail

William Bent, a white trader from St Louis, came to the Arkansas River region towards the end of the 1820s. By around 1832, although possibly as late as 1834, a permanent trading post called Bent's Fort, which was a substantial adobe construction capable of accommodating 200 people, had been built on the northern "Mountain Route" of the Santa Fe Trail and was open for business. The location of this building was determined after discussions with the Cheyenne The fort was operated in partnership with his brother, Charles,

Children The real fruit of the marriage was always anticipated to be the children, of whom they raised four together.

Mary, named for Bent's favorite sister, was born January 22, 1838. Her Cheyenne name was Ho-ka. Robert, named for Bent's youngest brother, was born about 1840, d. 1841. His Cheyenne name was Octavi-wee-his. George, was born July 7, 1843, named after Bent's brother. George was also named Ho-my-ike. Julia or Um-ah was born in 1847 and her English name was that of Bent's oldest sister. She married the French-Cheyenne merchant, rancher and interpreter Edmund Guerrier, whose father William Guerrier worked for Owl Woman's husband (Julia's father) William Bent.

George, Julia, and their brother Charley (son of William Bent and Owl Woman's sister Yellow Woman) all survived the Sand Creek Massacre, in which the US Army massacred approximately 150 people. George, Charley, and Yellow Woman left to join the Dog Soldiers to retaliate for the massacre.

Life at the fort, called the "mud castle of the plains", reflected the heritage of both parents. The children's clothes included linen shirts and soft-leather moccasins. There they ate on fine china and, according to Cheyenne custom, slept on the ground in soft hides. The furnishings and household goods included items from America, Mexico and international locations. Children enjoyed pumpkin pie and pancakes made by the Charlotte, a slave in service to the Bents. Chipita, the French-Mexican wife to a Bent worker, made taffy for the children; She performed housekeeping and laundry services at the fort.

Owl Woman's mother taught the children to be respectful and courteous of their elders. Discipline was given through stern glances and waving fingers by his mother and his aunts. In their multi-cultural environment, the children learned to speak many languages; George learned how to speak Cheyenne, English, Spanish, Comanche, Kiowa and Arapaho. The boys learned to ride horses bareback, control the horses actions through softly worded commands, hunt and to be warriors. The girls learned how to perform chores, like gathering wood, fetching water, and picking berries. Girls were also taught to be gracious, generous hosts. George Bent recalled of his childhood at the fort: Bent mourned deeply for Owl Woman. Her sister Island took responsibility for raising Bent and Owl Woman's children.

Owl Woman, described as "a most estimable good woman of much influence in the tribe", had worked to manage and improve relations between Native American tribes and the white man during her life. Hyde notes that

Their vision did not last, being overtaken by wider events as the years passed by,

In 2021 a mountain southwest of Denver (formerly "Squaw Mountain") was renamed in her honor. It will now be named "Mestaa'ėhehe (Pronounced Mes-ta-heh or Mes-ta-het) Mountain".