Pretty Eagle Chief Pretty Eagle ( 1846 – 1903 ) was a war chief , warrior , and diplomat of the Crow Nation . He was born in 1840 near present day Crow Agency in Montana to the Mountain Crow division of the Crow Indians , one of three major divisions that made up the nation . During and after his lifetime he was known for his prowess as a war chief and his devotion to his people , often traveling to Washington D . C with Crow delegations to discuss and fight for Crow rights , including land rights . During his life he had 19 wives , many of which were likely temporary marriages which did not last long . War Chief . Pretty Eagle was already a chief of the Crows when the United States Army first started making organized ventures into what is present day Montana and Wyoming , this included the traditional territory of the Crow people which spanned the border of the two states . Pretty Eagle was a member of the fox warrior society ( I ’ axuxke ) and the Piegan ( Ackyā ’ mne ) clan of Crows . The Piegan clan took its name from the Piegan Indian nation , part of the Blackfoot Confederacy and longtime enemies of the Crow Nation . As a warrior Pretty Eagle was well known for and revered for his many war deeds preformed against traditional Crow enemies such as Sioux and Pawnee . Pretty Eagle accumulated enough specific war deeds or coups to be considered a war chief by his people . Relationship with United States Government . Pretty Eagle , like many other Crow warriors , offered his services as an Indian scout for the United States Army . Pretty Eagle , along with famous chief Plenty Coups agreed that it was best to work with the invading U . S government rather than fight against their encroachment . The newly formed alliance between traditional Crow enemies the Sioux , Cheyenne , and Arapaho nations factored heavily into the Crows decisions to help the U . S government . The Crow found themselves sandwiched between enemies on all sides and felt the U . S Army could offer them protection and would therefore also be one less enemy for them to defend themselves against . Pretty Eagle often accompanied other important Crow chiefs on their delegations to Washington D . C to discuss issues regarding Crow rights . In 1880 he accompanied the Crow delegation which met with president Rutherford B . Hayes to speak out against the sale of Crow reservation lands and the construction of the Chicago , Burlington , and Quincy Railroads which had routes passing through the Crow Reservation . Pretty Eagle supported the grazing of cattle and growing of hay on Crow lands to sell to white farmers as a means of income and dependence after the bison herds disappeared . Death and Burial . Pretty Eagle died on November 11 , 1903 . His remains were placed in a wagon box instead of the more common and traditional scaffolds . During the early 1900s his remains along with sixty other Crows were exhumed from their resting place along the Bighorn River by Dr . W . A Russell and sold to various museums around the U . S with some selling for as little as $ 500 . Reburial and Reclamation . The remains of Pretty Eagle were returned to the Crow Nation 72 years after they were exhumed thanks to the efforts of Hugh White Clay and the Crow Cultural Commission . His remains were reburied on June 4 , 1994 at Pretty Eagle point , a place named in his honor , overlooking the Bighorn Canyon . Horse drawn travois made of lodge poles and bison hide were used to cart his remains to his present resting place . The date of the reburial has become a date of celebration for the Crow people and offerings are often placed at the grave sight .