Native Heart and Soul

It was a Cheyenne Woman named Buffalo Calf Road Woman who killed George Armstrong Custer with his own saber at the Battle of Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876. Cheyenne women wear silver drops on their belt to this day to honor her as she proudly wore the saber she claimed from him on that prestigious day.

As the Cheyenne story goes:

Buffalo Calf Road Woman approached Custer, grabbed his saber, and stabbed him, eventually killing him. She told the General “he had it coming.” As Custer lay dead on the ground, Cheyenne and Arapaho women used their awls to stab his ears. It is told that the women chanted “we do this to you so that you will listen to our people in the next world.” The women referred to Custer as Attacker at Dawn because of his role in the Wash*ta Massacre of 1868, in which he attacked Black Kettle’s camp and captured 53 women and children. Many women were r***d as their village burned.

The woman who stabbed Custer claimed his saber. In the days and years to follow, she wore it honorably hanging from her leather belt. This woman was highly respected by all for her warrior deed. After her death, many Cheyenne women continue to honor and remember her by wearing a silver drop on their side attached to their leather belts.

Source: Gordon Yellowman, Cheyenne