Blackfoot and Blood Chiefs at the unveiling of the Brant Memorial 13 Oct 1886. Taken 16 Oct 1886.
Left to right: One Spot, Pipebearer of Crowfoot; Red Crow; Interpreter; North Axe.
Photographer: Park & Co., Brantford, Ontario
Courtesy of the National Archives of Canada

Born in approximately 1830 into the Fish Eaters clan of the Kainaiwa, Red Crow early distinguished himself as a warrior against the Crow, Cree, Assiniboine, Shoshoni, and Nez Percé. When his father died of smallpox in 1869, Red Crow assumed leadership of the Fish Eaters. Alarmed by the effects of the whisky trade, he welcomed the arrival and assistance of the North-West Mounted Police. In the years leading up to Treaty Seven, Red Crow brought a number of clans together under his leadership – this development made him an important participant at the negotiations. His friendship with Colonel James Macleod enhanced the success of both nations at Treaty Seven. Red Crow later became disappointed because he felt the treaty provisions were not enforced. Although he remained a religious traditionalist, he supported the presence of Christian missions, for education purposes, on the Kainaiwa reserve.