Because a man's status in his tribe was based on deeds in combat, Crow history revolves around stories of inter tribal warfare. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Sioux, Cheyenne, Blackfeet, and Shoshoni applied constant pressure in attempts to take over Crow land in the big Horn and yellowstone regions of Montana and Wyoming. The conflict ranged from horse-stealing expeditions to battles where the losing group was "rubbed out." Keefe chronicles many of these encounters in "Red was the Blood of Our Forefathers".