Culture and Coexistence into the Great Unknown
The original lands of the Crow or Apsáalooke peoples were east of Yellowstone National Park in Montana/Wyoming, the Absarokas, across the Basin to the Big Horn Mountains, and southeast to the Wind Rivers. This story, recounted to anthropologist Robert Lowie at the turn of the 20th Century, reveals the esoteric visionary experience of a young Crow, and his interest to visit the Land of the Birds.
The amazing bison, revered by native societies, survives despite its continued sacrifice at the demand of the cattle industry. While slaughter continues at the borders of Yellowstone National Park, bison managers consider alternative management policies. Also watch the documentary, “Silencing the Thunder.”
An Apsáalooke Crow man falls in love and has a child with the magical Buffalo Woman, which requires him to prove his love and devotion to her and her Buffalo Nation.
For more than 12,000 years, the Intermountain West’s Native peoples have called the lands known as Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks “home.” This program explores modern Indigenous perspectives on these great wilderness areas and explores the cultural divide that separates modern times from the not-so-distant past.
On the plains of Montana, down the hill from the Little Bighorn National Monument, is the annual Crow Fair. Thousands of tipis are set up along the Little Bighorn River, said to be the largest gathering in the world. As well, an array of Native American singers and dancers appear over the four-day event in late August.