It took me way too long to realize that a pine leaf isn’t really leafy.
So, assuming that Pine Leaf and Woman Chief of the Crow nation were the same woman (which seems to mostly be a safe assumption), here’s the short version.
She was kidnapped from the Gros Ventre as a child, and raised by a chief who had lost his sons. She showed no interest in women’s traditional work, preferring to learn hunting, fishing, and the skills of a warrior, but unusually continuing to dress as a woman. She eventually became a member of the council of chiefs and grew rich and powerful enough to take four wives (which is why she’s considered a part of the two-spirit {LGBTQ} community).
She was killed trying to hold peace talks with her original tribe, which is why I wanted her to have one hand holding a weapon, but the other one open. I borrowed the abstracted sun motif from the Crow nation flag, and I found research a ton of places — you can track most of it on my Period WOC Pinterest page if you’re interested.
Neurotic Owl 