Crow Mary
Crow Mary is based on the life of Goes First, a Crow chief’s daughter. Her story begins in 1863 as a young girl and continues to 1892 into her adulthood. After grieving the death of Big Cloud, the warrior she planned to marry, Goes First agrees to marry a “yellow eye” – Abe Farwell, a white fur-trader – because of the advantages this marriage would bring to her tribe. She is given the white name of Mary, becoming known as Crow Mary. The couple travels into Saskatchewan, Canada to set up a trading post. During their journey, she makes some lifetime friends, and Farwell turns out to be a kind, gentle husband. A genuine love grows between them.
Mary struggles over a lifetime to understand and adapt to the white man’s ways. Farwell expects her to conform to his world and put aside everything she knows, but there are some things she is not ready to change – such as taking charge of her own belongings and her tepee. Mary is a headstrong woman, and Farwell wisely learns when to keep silent. Their relationship is heartwarming and very realistic, but, as in real life, it changes as life’s tragedies mount. A pivotal event that clouds the rest of their lives is the 1873 Cypress Hills Massacre of a Nakoda camp. As more governmental restrictions and changes are expected of the Native people, differences between the Farwells are magnified.
This book highlights the clash between white and Native cultures. The pushing back of the Crow Tribe into a confined territory, the kidnapping and forced education of Native children, and the loss of their way of life and food sources are all well researched and sensitively told by Grissom, with valuable input from Crow Mary’s great granddaughter. This story of a remarkable woman will move you and stay in your thoughts.
