Biography:
Moving Robe Woman (Sioux name Taína Máni), also known as Mary Crawler, Her Eagle Robe, She Walks With Her Shawl, Walking Blanket Woman, Moves Robe Woman, Walks With Her Robe, and Tashenamani, was a Hunkpapa Sioux woman who played a significant role in the Battle of Little Bighorn. Born near what is now known as Grand River, South Dakota, Moving Robe Woman was the daughter of Crawler, also known as Siohan, the Hunkpapa band chief, and Sunflower Face.
During her teenage years, Moving Robe Woman traveled with a war party to Montana to battle against the Crows. She displayed her bravery and warrior skills at a young age, setting the tone for her future actions. At the age of 22, she moved with her family to Peji Sla Wakapa, commonly known as the Little Bighorn, in Montana.
In 1876, when Moving Robe Woman was 23 years old, she received devastating news from her parents: her brother, One Hawk, had been killed by Pehin Hanska, the Lakota name for General George Custer, and his soldiers. Fueled by grief and a thirst for justice, she became determined to avenge her brother’s death.
During the Battle of Little Bighorn, Moving Robe Woman found herself in the midst of the chaos as a troop of soldiers charged into the large Lakota village near the Greasy Grass River. Reports from the battle vary, but according to Oglala Lakota warrior Fast Eagle, he claimed to have held Custer’s arms while Moving Robe Woman stabbed him in the back. However, other warriors also claimed to have killed Custer, creating uncertainty surrounding Moving Robe Woman’s exact involvement. Post-mortem accounts of Custer do not mention stab wounds, and officers who found his body described him as having died from gunshot wounds. Nonetheless, Moving Robe Woman’s fierce determination to avenge her brother led her to kill two of Custer’s men, one with a knife and the other with a revolver.
After the Battle of Little Bighorn, Moving Robe Woman and her people relocated to Canada, where they stayed until 1881. They eventually settled in the Kenel area of Standing Rock. According to the Standing Rock Family Information Survey, in 1923, at the age of 70, Moving Robe Woman lived alone in a one-room log house with a connected barn on the Grand River west of Bullhead, South Dakota. The survey also noted that she owned 18 horses and 23 cattle, showcasing her self-sufficiency and resiliency.
Moving Robe Woman’s story was captured in an interview with Frank B. Zahn, conducted at Fort Yates, North Dakota, and published in Richard G. Hardorff’s book, Lakota Recollections of the Custer Fight, New Sources of Indian-military History. In the interview, Moving Robe Woman expressed her anguish upon hearing of her brother’s death, stating, My Heart was bad. Revenge! Her unwavering determination and courage in the face of adversity make her a remarkable figure in Sioux history.