Crow Mary

Crow Mary and Jeannie go to the fort’s store, where they find bottles of strychnine. Jeannie explains that strychnine is a dangerous poison that Farwell presumably sells to the wolfers. Later, Crow Mary watches Jeannie leave, and Farwell finds her crying since her fears have returned. She decides to go to the river with her dog and pray. She performs a ritual, asking the First Maker to show her a spirit animal for help. At night, Crow Mary dreams of a grizzly bear and thinks that it might be the one she killed. In her dream, the bear tells her that she carries its heart and that it will offer her strength. When awake, Crow Mary recalls praising the bear after killing it and eating a piece of its heart. Crow Mary dislikes Hammond, a new hired worker.

Crow Mary understands “the structure of the community” in Farwell’s fort as analogous to that of her Crow village (157): Farwell is the “chief” responsible for decision-making, while other men serve as advisors. Crow Mary recalls how her village functioned similarly, as a men’s council always helped her father. A community of “peacekeepers” from “men’s societies” also decided on punishments for people with inappropriate behaviors.