Kuilix (meaning "Red Shirt" or "Red One"), also known as Kuiliy, Mary Quille, and Marie Quilax, was a woman of the Kalispel or

Pend d'Oreilles The Pend d'Oreille ( ), also known as the Kalispel (), are Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Plateau. Today many of them live in Montana and eastern Washington of the United States. The Kalispel peoples referred to their primary tribal range a ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

. She was the leader of a team of warriors who rescued other warriors while fighting the

Blackfeet The Blackfeet Nation ( bla, Aamsskáápipikani, script=Latn, ), officially named the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, is a federally recognized tribe of Siksikaitsitapi people with an Indian reservation in Monta ...

in 1832. Father

Nicholas Point Nicholas Point; (10 April 1799 – 4 July 1868), was a French people, French Catholic Church, Catholic priest, artist, and member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He is known primarily for the drawings and watercolors he created during his mis ...

, a Jesuit priest who witnessed the battle, wrote:

The first Pend Oreille to dash out at the enemy was a woman named Kuilix, 'The Red One,' ... Her bravery surprised the warriors who were humiliated and indignant because it was a woman who had led the charge, and so they threw themselves into the breach where nature's shelter had protected the enemy. The Blackfeet immediately shot four shots almost at point-blank range; yet not a single Pend d'Oreille went down. Four of the enemy—some claim it was only two—managed to escape death by hiding in the thickets, but the rest were massacred on the spot.

Kuilix also took part in battle against the

Crow tribe The Crow, whose autonym is Apsáalooke (), also spelled Absaroka, are Native Americans living primarily in southern Montana. Today, the Crow people have a federally recognized tribe, the Crow Tribe of Montana, with an Indian reservation locate ...

in 1846. Father Point also described this incident:

The famous Kuilix ... accompanied by a few braves and armed with an axe, gave chase to a whole squadron of Crows. When they got back to camp, she said to her companions, 'I thought that those big talkers were men, but I was wrong. Truly, they are not worth pursuing.'

Women of both the

Pend d'Oreille The Pend d'Oreille ( ), also known as the Kalispel (), are Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Plateau. Today many of them live in Montana and eastern Washington of the United States. The Kalispel peoples referred to their primary tribal range a ...

and the related

Flathead tribe Flathead may refer to: Peoples * Flathead people, one of three tribes of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation in Montana. * The Flathead, or Flathead Indian (or Amerindian) tribe more formally known as the Confe ...

traditionally took an active role in warfare, frequently entering battle. They also joined ritual dances while dressed as warriors.

Sources

*Will Roscoe
Kuilix, Pend d'Oreille Warrior Woman
from ''Changing Ones: Third and Fourth Genders in Native North America'', Palgrave/St. Martin's Press, 1998 Year of birth unknown Year of death missing Military personnel from Montana Native American women in warfare Women in 19th-century warfare Interior Salish 19th-century Native American women {{NorthAm-mil-bio-stub

See also

Sources