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Chief Heavy Runner

Heavy Runner was a Blackfoot leader of the 19th century. He belonged to the Southern Piegan band, whose territory was located in what is today Montana. He was also known as Bear Chief or Tail That Goes Up The Hill. (It was very common for Plains Indian men to have multiple names during their lifetime.) Heavy Runner negotiated a peace treaty with the Americans, but he was tragically killed in 1870 during an attack known as the Marias (or Baker) Massacre. Tradition says that Heavy Runner was actually holding a copy of the peace treaty when he was treacherously shot to death.

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Books about Heavy Runner

Death, Too, for The-Heavy-Runner:
Book about Heavy Runner and the Baker Massacre.

Blood on the Marias: The Baker Massacre:
Good history book about the Marias Massacre.

Blackfeet and Buffalo: Memories of Life Among the Indians:
Collection of Blackfoot oral histories including several about Heavy Runner.

Heavy Runner Resources

Here are some links to online information about Heavy Runner:
The Heavy Runner Massacre
Blackfeet remember massacre of Heavy Runner band
Chief Heavy Runner Genealogy
Wikipedia: Heavy Runner

And here are our webpages about the Blackfoot tribe and language:
Blackfoot
Blackfoot Indians
The Marias Massacre
Blackfoot Indian names
Plains tribes
Algonquian languages

Back to our Native American Indian encyclopedia