Years ago, when the Great Plains of North America were its frontier, the dozens of Native American Indian tribes living there practiced a custom and tradition of warfare so dangerous, daring, and bizarre that it seems unbelievable to us today. Known as “counting coup” (pronounced “coo”), it involved approaching and intentionally touching an armed enemy warrior during battle without hurting him, then simply running away, escaping unharmed.
Rather than shooting an enemy from a safe distance with a gun or bow, counting coup brought more honor and glory to the attacking warrior and essentially humiliated the enemy. Honor, not necessarily killing, was a large part of Native American plains warfare. And yes, many warriors were wounded or killed attempting to count coup.
In the book titled By Cheyenne Campfires, published by Yale University Press in 1926, the author describes how important and highly valued honor and bravery were in the Cheyenne culture.
“The Cheyennes were a warlike tribe, and almost the first lesson taught a growing boy was that he must be brave. He was told that success in war would cause him to be respected and praised by all the people, and was reminded that the most important men of the tribe had reached their distinction through their bravery and triumph in war. If he wished to become the equal of those men, to be talked about and respected by the people, and at last to become a brave and a chief, he too must display courage and do his best in war.”
“Coup” is a French word, one of its several definitions meaning to strike a blow or to hit. Coups were ranked by the Plains Indians in a hierarchy: first, second, and third. The first or highest honor coup went to the warrior who first touched a living enemy. This earned him an eagle feather as a reward. But if the attacker was wounded by the enemy in his attempt to count coup, he must paint the feather red, signifying that he had been injured and his blood was shed. That took a bit of the bragging rights away, but was considered a coup nonetheless.
A warrior could also claim a coup if he was the second or third person to touch a live enemy, or by touching a wounded or dead enemy. Running over an enemy warrior with your horse also counted as a coup, and warriors who did this would paint their horses to commemorate this accomplishment in battle.
The ritual touching could be by hand, with a weapon, or a specialized “coup stick.” A coup stick was a thin, lightweight wooden rod about 5-6’ long, and a warrior’s eagle feathers would be tied to it. Or, notches could be carved into the stick designating how many coup a warrior had earned. But too many eagle feathers or notches on a coup stick was considered bragging, so oftentimes only a few were added, just enough to let everyone know that the coup stick owner was no rookie. The wearing of coup eagle feathers in a warrior’s hair was similar; one or two was all that was needed to inform others of what he had accomplished.
Following a battle, the official awarding of coups was serious business. All the members of a war party gathered to discuss how each warrior had contributed to the fight, and everyone was expected to tell the truth. For instance if, in the immediate future, something bad happened to you or your family, it might be suspected that you had been less than truthful about your coup claims.
In one contested case, two warriors were chasing down an enemy when the first warrior reached out to touch the enemy with his lance. As he was doing so, the second warrior grabbed the middle of the lance just as it made contact with the enemy. So who was awarded first coup? The second warrior, because it was decided that he was closer to the enemy so in more danger. Unfortunately, the lance owner had to settle for second coup.
Counting coup by Plains tribes carried over to fighting against soldiers when the U.S. Army arrived on the Great Plains during the late 1800s. According to the Encyclopedia of the Great Plains:
“The Northern Cheyenne warrior Wooden Leg related how, as a young man at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, he and his friend Little Bird chased a soldier across the river, counting coup on him with their [horse] whips and grabbing his carbine. They did not kill him, said Wooden Leg, because after counting coup it did not seem particularly brave, and besides, it would waste bullets.”
A more modern example of counting coup happened during World War II. Joe Medicine Crow, a Crow Indian from Montana, was serving with the 103rd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army in Europe when he unexpectedly came face to face with an armed German soldier in an alleyway in France. Knocking the German’s rifle away, Joe began fighting with the man and choking him before relenting and letting the soldier go.
Returning home after the war, Joe was informed by his tribal elders that his act of bravery qualified him for an official coup and that he now met the requirements to become a Crow war chief. As a result, Joe Medicine Crow (1913–2016) became famous as the last war chief of the Plains Indian tribes, passing away at age 102.
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