Among the Plains Indians of North America, counting coup is the

warrior A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have be ...

tradition of winning prestige against an enemy in battle. It is one of the traditional ways of showing bravery in the face of an enemy and involves intimidating him, and, it is hoped, persuading him to admit defeat, without having to kill him. These victories may then be remembered, recorded, and recounted as part of the community's

oral The word oral may refer to: Relating to the mouth * Relating to the mouth, the first portion of the alimentary canal that primarily receives food and liquid **Oral administration of medicines ** Oral examination (also known as an oral exam or or ...

, written, or pictorial histories.

Historical precedents

Historically, any blow struck against the enemy counted as a coup, but the most prestigious acts included touching an enemy warrior with a hand, bow, or coup stick and escaping unharmed, and without harming the enemy, except for the enemy's wounded pride.Plenty Coups and Linderman, ''Plenty-Coups, Chief of the Crows'', 2002, p. 31.
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''Antiques Roadshow'', WGBH. Touching the first enemy to die in battle or touching the enemy's defensive works was considered "counting coup", as was, in some nations, simply riding up to an enemy, touching him with a short stick, and riding away unscathed.Mercedes Mejía
"Campfire Stories: 'Counting coup' and a warrior's unbreakable pride"
(text introduction to a broadcast story from Potawatomi elder Colin Wesaw), Michigan Public Radio, 14 August 2018. Counting coup has at times also involved stealing an enemy's weapons or horses tied up to his lodge in camp. Risk of injury or death is traditionally required to count coup."COUNTING COUP"
''Encyclopedia of the Great Plains Indians''. University of Nebraska–Lincoln, 2011. Escaping unharmed while counting coup is traditionally considered a higher honor than being wounded in the attempt. After a battle or exploit, the people of a

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

gathered to recount their acts of bravery. Coups have been recorded by putting notches in a coup stick. Indigenous peoples of the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

traditionally tied an eagle feather to their coup sticks for each coup counted. Among the Blackfoot nation of the upper

Missouri River Valley The Missouri River Valley outlines the journey of the Missouri River from its headwaters where the Madison, Jefferson and Gallatin Rivers flow together in Montana to its confluence with the Mississippi River in the State of Missouri. At long th ...

, coup was recorded by the placement of "coup bars" on the sleeves and shoulders of special shirts bearing paintings of the warrior's exploits in battle. Many shirts of this sort have survived to the present, including some in European museums.Brownstone, Arni. "The Musée de l'Homme's Foureau Robe and Its Moment in the History of Blackfoot Painting". ''Plains Anthropologist'' 46.177 (2001): 249–267: 255. . In some tribes, a warrior who won coup was permitted to wear an eagle feather in his hair, and if wounded in the attempt, was required to paint the feather red to indicate this.

Contemporary accounts

Joe Medicine Crow Joseph Medicine Crow (October 27, 1913 – April 3, 2016) was a Native American writer, historian and war chief of the Crow Nation. His writings on Native American history and reservation culture are considered seminal works, but he is best kn ...

(1913–2016) is credited with achieving the feat while serving with the US Army during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, as on one occasion he overpowered and disarmed a German soldier, and later stole horses from an SS unit. In the fall of 2016, activist, singer, and horseman

Greg Grey Cloud Greg Grey Cloud is a Crow Creek Nation educator, singer and activist. Grey Cloud is a co-founder of Wica Agli, a non-profit to end violence against women, children, and in general in the community. He is a notable ecologist and defender of Nati ...

( Crow Creek Nation) was on the front line blockade at the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, where Native American

water protectors Water protectors are activists, organizers, and cultural workers focused on the defense of the world's water and water systems. The ''water protector'' name, analysis and style of activism arose from Indigenous communities in North America du ...

and their supporters were facing Dakota Access Pipeline security, local police, and police who had been brought in from other jurisdictions. Grey Cloud, on horseback in regalia and as part of a small group of people called the Spirit Riders, rode up to the police line.

References

Bibliography

Plenty Coups and Linderman, Frank Bird. ''Plenty-Coups, Chief of the Crows.'' Lincoln, Neb.: University of Nebraska Press, 2002.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Counting Coup Indigenous culture of the Great Plains Warrior code