Osh-Tisch (

Crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifical ...

: "Finds Them and Kills Them")Also spelled ''Ohchiish''; from ''óhchikaapi'' "find". was a

''badé''. A ''badé'' (also spelled ''baté'') is a male-bodied person in a Crow community who takes part in some of the social and ceremonial roles usually filled by women in that culture. Osh-Tisch fought in the 1876

Battle of the Rosebud The Battle of the Rosebud (also known as the Battle of Rosebud Creek) took place on June 17, 1876, in the Montana Territory between the United States Army and its Crow and Shoshoni allies against a force consisting mostly of Lakota Sioux and Nort ...

, as recounted by

Pretty Shield Pretty Shield (1856–1944) was a medicine woman of the Crow Nation. Her biography, perhaps the first record of female Native American life, was written by Frank B. Linderman, who interviewed her using an interpreter and sign language.Linderm ...

. During the battle, Osh-Tisch and a woman named The Other Magpie saved Bull Snake, and Osh-Tisch later shot a

Lakota Lakota may refer to: * Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes *Lakota language, the language of the Lakota peoples Place names In the United States: * Lakota, Iowa * Lakota, North Dakota, seat of Nelson County * La ...

warrior, for which Osh-Tisch received her name. In the late 1890s, an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuranc ...

named Briskow, tasked with forcing the

Plains Indians Plains Indians or Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies are the Native American tribes and First Nation band governments who have historically lived on the Interior Plains (the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies) of N ...

to assimilate into the dominant culture, jailed Osh-Tisch and the other ''badés'', and forced them to get masculine haircuts, wear masculine clothing, and perform manual labor such as

planting trees Tree-planting is the process of transplanting tree seedlings, generally for forestry, land reclamation, or landscaping purpose. It differs from the transplantation of larger trees in arboriculture, and from the lower cost but slower and less re ...

. The Crow, who considered their ''badés'' valuable members of their community, particularly known for their needlework and cooking,''Transgender Warriors'' by

Leslie Feinberg Leslie Feinberg (September 1, 1949 – November 15, 2014) was an American butch lesbian, transgender activist, communist, and author. Feinberg authored '' Stone Butch Blues'' in 1993.

Beacon Press Beacon Press is an American left-wing non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is known for publishing authors such as James B ...

, Massachusetts, 1996, p. 26. were outraged, saying this abuse went against their nature. Chief Pretty Eagle used what power he had to compel the agent to resign and leave tribal lands. Crow historian

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 ...

, delivering this oral history in 1982 said, "It was a tragedy, trying to change them."''Transgender Warriors'' by

Leslie Feinberg Leslie Feinberg (September 1, 1949 – November 15, 2014) was an American butch lesbian, transgender activist, communist, and author. Feinberg authored '' Stone Butch Blues'' in 1993.

, Massachusetts, 1996, pp. 22–23. Osh-Tisch was one of the last known ''badés'' of the Crow Nation, and the institution of the ''badé'' is said to have gone into decline during Osh-Tisch's life. With modern

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

communities providing more options in current society, some contemporary ''badé'' people may participate in a revival of these traditions, or in the modern,

pan-Indian Pan-Indianism is a philosophical and political approach promoting unity, and to some extent cultural homogenization, among different Indigenous groups in the Americas regardless of tribal distinctions and cultural differences. This approach to ...

two-spirit Two-spirit (also two spirit, 2S or, occasionally, twospirited) is a modern, , umbrella term used by some Indigenous North Americans to describe Native people in their communities who fulfill a traditional third-gender (or other gender-variant) ...

or LGBT communities.

Sources

Crow tribe Two-spirit people