How did Plenty Coups set an example for the Crow Indian people?

The chickadee quietly listens to what is going on around him. He learns from others what is best to do and what would be a mistake. Plenty Coups was like the chickadee. He listened, he learned, and he passed these lessons along to the Crow Indian people. The chickadee to Plenty Coups and to the Crow Indian people was a symbol of using your mind rather than your physical strength. They observed how the chickadee listened to what was going on around him and how he learned from the successes or failures of others; so he would not make the same mistakes. Plenty Coups followed the chickadee by being quiet and respectful and by not interfering with others. Instead on many occasions, he practiced listening to what was going on around him.

Some people say that Plenty Coups could not speak or write English, but there is much evidence that he understood a lot more English than he let on. He could certainly sign his name and understand or write some English words. Maybe Plenty Coups was living as the chickadee did, just being quiet and learning about what was happening and what he had to do to be successful. This was a direct tie to education and how the Crow Indian people needed to use their minds rather than their physical abilities to succeed. From: Chief Plenty Coups State Park Museum Tour Content