Vision Quest

Young adults of Indian tribes went on spirit quests and had dreams that were prophetic, or predicted the future, such as Plenty-coup’s dream. During the ten year old’s dream, Plenty-coup was led to a hole in the earth. After arriving at the top of the hole, buffalo streamed out of the earth, but they charged in all directions. Plenty-coup saw the buffalo fade away. Something else came from the hole, though. Like the buffalo, another creature came from the hole. It was countless cattle.# As seen in the dream, the buffalo would disappear do to them being slaughtered, and white men would replace the land with their cattle. Later on in Plenty-coup’s dream, he had seen his future. The spirit who was leading Plenty-coup through his dream stopped at a house. A feeble old man had been sitting in the shade. “Do you know him, Plenty-coup?” the spirit inquired the boy. Of course Plenty-coup had responded with a “no.” Once he replied, the spirit continued, “This old man is yourself.”# It is true that Plenty-coup had grown to be very old. As the old man he had seen in his vision, Plenty-coup lived on the land he saw himself on. At the end of his dream, Plenty-Coup saw epic destruction showing the future of the tribes of Montana. A mighty forest was before him when the winds came, forcing chaos onto the trees. In the end, one lone tree held firm, a chickadee perched on one of the branches.# The trees of the forest were symbolizing the other tribes, and if they fought the invaders to come, they would fall. Still standing, the lone tree represented Plenty-coup’s tribe, the Crow, and if they befriended the invaders, they would keep their land. Not every dream is a prophetic one, yet Plenty-coup’s dream had been; it may have even saved the Crows.
by Brenna