Chief Running Rabbit, known among his people as Aistahan, was a distinguished leader of the Siksika First Nation, born into a prominent family on the northern plains. He was the son of Akkamakai, also called Many Swans, the chief of the Biters band. When his father died in 1871, Running Rabbit assumed leadership of the band, a role he carried with dedication and respect. He was remembered for his generosity, his kindness, and his fierce loyalty to both his family and his people.
His rise to prominence was shaped by family legacy and his own courage. His older brother, Many Swans, was already an established leader of the Biters band. As a young man, Running Rabbit had not yet earned a reputation as a warrior. That changed when his brother gave him a special amulet, an object said to possess spiritual powers.
The amulet was adorned with eagle feathers, fur, and magpie feathers and became a symbol of strength and success. With the amulet in hand, Running Rabbit embarked on his first raid as a warrior. He emerged victorious, capturing two enemy horses, which he presented to Many Swans as a token of gratitude. That early success marked the beginning of his rise in status.
Over time, Running Rabbit’s reputation grew, and he continued to achieve triumphs in battle. His bravery and skill led many to refer to him as the Young Chief even before he officially took on leadership. In 1877, he became a signatory to Treaty 7, a landmark agreement between the Siksika and the Canadian government. Despite signing the treaty, Running Rabbit and his people did not immediately abandon their traditional way of life.
They continued their nomadic existence, hunting bison across the open plains as their ancestors had done for generations. That way of life came to an end in 1881. The bison herds that had sustained the plains peoples for centuries had collapsed, and the Canadian government was pressing the Siksika to settle. Running Rabbit and his band were forced to move onto a reserve located about sixty miles east of what is now Calgary, Alberta.
The transition marked the end of the nomadic hunting life the Siksika had known. For a people whose identity, economy, and social structure were built around the buffalo, the confinement to a reserve was a profound rupture. Yet Running Rabbit’s leadership continued through this difficult period. He was not simply a warrior who had earned his place through raids and victories.
He was a chief who understood the welfare of his people came before his own honor. The same generosity and kindness that had defined him as a young man guided him as a leader facing the pressures of colonial settlement, the loss of the buffalo, and the hard realities of reserve life. His legacy endured long after his death, remembered not only for his personal achievements in battle but for his deep commitment to the welfare of his people. As a signatory to Treaty 7, Running Rabbit had placed his mark on a document that would shape the future of the Siksika for generations.
As a chief, he had guided his band through the end of one world and the beginning of another. The amulet given to him by his brother had once been a symbol of strength and success in the old ways. The strength and success he ultimately displayed, however, were of a different kind, the quiet endurance of a leader who carried his people through the hardest transition they had ever faced.
