Crazy Bear

Who is Crazy Bear?

Crazy Bear was an Indian chief of the Assiniboine tribes of the northern plains. Their territory included Montana, North Dakota, Alberta and Saskatchewan. He is known as a skilled negotiator with the American Fur Company at Fort Union, North Dakota;" and for his participation and representation at the Fort Laramie Treaty Council of 1851—where he was a signatory of the treaty' He earned the name Mah-To-Wit-Ko because he fought like a crazy bear. "Wit-Ko" is a Siouan word that has multiple translations: crazy, foolish, frightening and mad. Crazy Bear has been recorded by these names and also in French as "Ours Fou".

He had three granddaughters; Iron Cradle, Turtle Door, Small Earth and two grandsons; Black Bull, and Kill Eagle. Iron Cradle later became an historical figure of the early Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, now located in Montana.