# XII: On Buffalo Butte explained — Cogewea, the Half-Blood

> Chapter companion for Cogewea, the Half-Blood by Mourning Dove.

## What happens

Jim, the foreman, rides to Buffalo Butte after seeing Cogewea alone, hoping to win her affection. Cogewea, troubled by her feelings for Densmore and the warnings of her grandmother, seeks solitude on the butte. Jim finds her and they talk, with Jim expressing his jealousy and concern. They return home to find Densmore back from fishing and Mary calling them to supper.

## Themes in this chapter

### Identity and Belonging

Cogewea's soliloquy on the butte reveals her deep sense of alienation as a mixed-blood woman, feeling like an outcast among her own people.

### Love and Marriage

Jim's romantic dreams and his confrontation with Cogewea highlight the theme of love and the competition for her affection.

### Betrayal and Deception

Jim and the cowboys suspect Densmore of scheming to win Cogewea, and Jim fears betrayal, setting the stage for future conflict.

## Character check-ins

### Cogewea

Cogewea flees to Buffalo Butte to escape her conflicting emotions about Densmore and the warnings of her grandmother. She is found by Jim and reveals her sadness and loneliness.

### LaGrinder

Jim follows Cogewea to Buffalo Butte, determined to confront her about her attention to Densmore. His anger softens as he rides, and he expresses his love and jealousy.

### Alfred Densmore

Densmore is mentioned as the object of Cogewea's affection and Jim's jealousy. He is seen returning from an unsuccessful fishing trip at the end of the chapter.

### Celluloid Bill

Celluloid Bill teases Jim about the tenderfoot, urging him not to let Densmore steal Cogewea away.

### Rodeo Jack

Rodeo Jack joins in the banter, sarcastically suggesting that Densmore is a schemer and warning Jim of the danger.

### Mary McDonald

Mary is seen beating a tin pan as a supper call, welcoming the riders home.

## Key lines

> What girl could afford to ignore the hand of the best rider of the Flathead?

Jim believes that no woman would reject the advances of the finest horseman in the region.

_Jim's pride and confidence in his skills as a rider are central to his self-worth._

> My beautiful Eden! I love you! My valley and mountains! It is too bad that you be redeemed from the wild, once the home of my vanishing race and where the buffalo roamed at will.

Cogewea expresses her deep love for the land and her sorrow that it is being taken over by settlers, ending the traditional way of life.

_This lament underscores the theme of colonialism and dispossession._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/cogewea_the_half_blood_se/chapters/xii-on-buffalo-butte
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/cogewea_the_half_blood_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/cogewea_the_half_blood_se/chapters