South Piegan speaker passes on

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Annie Dorothy (Mad Plume) Wall, 95, of  Browning died of natural causes 
Sunday at the Kalispell Regional Medical  Center.

A memorial service is planned for Thursday at 7 p.m. at the  Four Winds 
Assembly of God in Browning. Her funeral service is 11 a.m. Friday at  the Four 
Winds Assembly of God with burial in the Willow Creek Cemetery in  
Browning. A wake is in progress at the Glacier Homes Community  Center.

Annie was born on Big Badger Creek on March 10,  1914.  She was named 
Yellow Fox Woman by her grandfather Middle Rider. Her  parents were Elmer Mad 
Plume and Red Shell Woman (or Minnie Kaluse).  Unfortunately when Annie was 1 ½ 
years old her mother Red Shell Woman died due  to complications of 
childbirth. Annie was then raised in Little Badger by her  maternal grandparents Not 
Real Beaver Woman (or Mary Spotted Bear) and Under  Mink (or Tim No 
Runner), and her great-grandmother Big Mountain Lion Woman. All  of Annie’s 
grandparent’s grew up during the buffalo days and had lived a nomadic  lifestyle.  


Annie was one of the last fluent speakers of the South  Piegan language. It 
saddened her as she grew older to see that there were  fewer and fewer 
people who spoke the language. She helped perpetuate the  language by being 
interviewed by the National Museum of Natural History at the  Smithsonian as 
they developed a lexicon of Blackfeet terms for material culture.  She also 
recorded stories of family and community life.
 
Annie grew up in the area that is now called the Badger-Two  Medicine. 
Annie was a treasure trove of the local history. She knew the names of  each 
family that lived in that region and their society affiliations. The  Blackfeet 
believe that names gave an individual supernatural power. And because  of 
this names became personal property that could be “transferred” from person  
to person or new names were created. Annie named most of her grandchildren 
with  family names or names that she created. Annie transferred her own name 
Yellow  Fox Woman to her granddaughter Rosalyn LaPier in the early  1970s.




Annie learned many of the old ways from her two grandmothers,  including 
the knowledge of Native plants. Annie was well known for her medicinal  plant 
knowledge and many people came to her for medicine. Annie was featured in  a 
magazine article, “Blackfeet Botanist: Annie Mad Plume Wall” in the 
Montana  Naturalist Magazine in Fall 2005.  This article was also republished by 
the  Montana Native Plant Society in Summer 2009. Annie continued, until the 
last  couple years of her life, to go out and gather roots, berries and 
other plants  with her family during the spring and summer. She utilized these 
plants for her  daily use and to share with those in need.
 
Annie attended Holy Family Mission boarding school on the Two  Medicine 
river. She told a story of her experiences at Holy Family in the  documentary “
Inside/Out” produced by the Missoula YWCA. Holy Family became her  second 
home and she had many happy memories of the time she spent there. She  even 
returned to work there as a young adult. Annie was raised with Blackfeet  
religious ways, however, she was a Catholic most of her life. Later in life she  
became an evangelical Christian. Annie deeply respected Blackfeet ways and  
religion. With each season of the year, she recounted to her family the 
various  society functions that used to occur and what should be happening at 
those  occasions.


Annie married Francis (Aimsback) Wall in 1936. They remained  married until 
his death in 1973.  Francis was raised and adopted by  Aimsback and Minnie 
Aimsback on Blacktail creek. His family was also from a  deeply religious 
Blackfeet family. Annie told many stories of their early life  together living 
with his parents. Annie and Francis attended and participated in  many 
society gatherings and the annual Medicine Lodge’s in the Heart Butte  
community. Annie served as an attendant to the Holy Medicine woman, while  Francis 
served as a singer to different society activities.
 
Annie and Francis had 12 children and eventually raised 8  children into 
adulthood. They moved into Browning and bought a house on Willow  Creek. After 
they moved into town, their house served as a social gathering  place for 
friends and relatives from the Little Badger and Blacktail  community’s. 
Annie loved to visit, play cards and do puzzles. And as she got  older she loved 
to tell stories about day’s gone by. She enjoyed telling stories  about 
family picnics, society gatherings and attending Medicine Lodges. She  loved to 
tell stories about riding her horse on the hills around the Badger-Two  
Medicine area.


Annie also learned from her two grandmothers how to do  beadwork and other 
Blackfeet crafts. She beaded elaborate bags which she sold to  at Glacier 
National Park. Her family cherishes the finely beaded medallions with  the 
face of Jesus on them which she created. She also made many quilts. She made  a 
quilt for each grandchild of her friend and neighbor the late Mary Grounds. 
 
Annie is survived by five generations, including her son’s  Francis 
(Shirley) Wall of Helena, Thomas Wall of Browning and her daughter’s  Irene Old 
Chief of Browning, Angeline Wall of Browning, Rosalyn Azure of Cut  Bank and 
Bernadette Wall of Browning, and 30 grandchildren, 80  great-grandchildren and 
32 great-great-grandchildren. 


She is proceeded in death by her husband Francis (Aimsback)  Wall, a 
daughter Theresa Still Smoking, an infant daughter Elizabeth, a son  Gilbert Wall 
and three newborn sons.


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