‘Yellowstone’: What Is Counting Coup?

The first thing you should know about the title of Sunday’s episode of Yellowstone is it’s pronounced counting “coo,” not “coop.”

John Dutton’s kids aren’t out there adding up chickens.

The phrase has a very specific meaning that Kayce Dutton illustrates while in the car with Grant Horton, the man who ordered the hit on John Dutton.

“Where I come from we call that counting coup. It means I took a piece of your soul and I’m gonna keep it,” he tells Grant.

Related: Yellowstone Fans Think Season 6 Is Coming + I Think I Know Why

While it’s true Kayce is from Montana, he’s also accepted on the Broken Rock Reservation, a Native American ranch near Bozeman. That’s where you need to begin to understand “counting coup.”

What Is Counting Coup?

There are dozens of articles on the topic, but we’re going to rely on the University of Nebraska’s Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. Counting coup is striking an enemy by hand or with a coup stick and getting away unharmed. The enemy is generally unharmed, but deeply humiliated. It’s seen as a great act of courage for a warrior.

Counting coup traces its origins to the intertribal wars of the great plains and is the highest honor for a warrior. While other articles have emphasized other elements of the action, the key points are the proximity of the warrior to his opponent, and bravery he is showing by getting so close without killing and then getting away.

Actor Mo Brings Plenty (Mo) is the show’s Native affairs coordinator, and by all accounts the creators of the show have let him and his team remain true to actual Native traditions. Mo is actually in the SUV with Kayce after he performs the ritual. There we learn that the two men had a conversation about it beforehand.

The scene between Grant and Kayce seemingly ties a bow on the threat presented by John Dutton’s killers. Two Yellowstone episodes remain for this fifth and final season. The Dutton Rules podcast team will continue to breakdown episodes and provide analysis and opinions until the very end.