In most North American Indian tribes the men were warriors, and that was not an honorary title. A man's character was judged by his bravery in battle, how many captives he had taken, what he had stolen, how many coup he had counted, and scalps he had taken. The Plains Indian War Bonnet is essentially a recounting of a warrior's violent acts, represented by each feather. Violence was essential to their culture, and they had traditional bloody feuds going on long before the white man appeared, like between the Iroquois and the Algonquin speakers. When Europeans first began to trade with the Indians the first things they wanted were knives, guns, powder, and tomohawks. Their culture was destroyed because all the white man wanted to do was make money, not fight.

The idea that Native Americans were peaceful somehow is a disrespectful lie since it ignores the main thing that made a man a man in their societies. The Plains Indians were the best light cavalry in the history of the world.