View source for Crow Nation

{{Infobox ethnic group
|group=Apsáalooke<br/>Crow
|image=[[File:Flag of the Crow Nation.svg|230px|border]]Crow Nation Flag
|poptime=12,000 enrolled members
|popplace= {{Flag|United States}} ({{Flag|Montana}})
|rels= Crow Way, Sundance, Tobacco Society, Christianity
|langs=[[Crow language|Crow]], [[English language|English]]
|related= [[Hidatsa]]
}}
[[File:Crow indians 0013v.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Crow Indians, circa 1840–1843 ([[Karl Bodmer]])]]
[[File:Crow Indians by David F Barry, 1878-1883.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Crow Indians, circa 1878–1883]]

See also [[Crow Indian Reservation]]

The '''Crow''', called the '''Apsáalooke''' in their own [[Siouan language]], or variants including '''Absaroka,''' are [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], who in historical times lived in the [[Yellowstone River]] valley, which extends from present-day [[Wyoming]], through Montana and into [[North Dakota]], where it joins the Missouri River. Today, they are enrolled in the federally recognized '''Crow Tribe of Montana'''.

Pressured by the [[Ojibwe]] and [[Cree]] peoples, who had earlier and better access to guns through the [[fur trade]], they had migrated there from the Ohio Eastern Woodland area via a southwest move to settle south of Lake Winnipeg, Canada. From there, they were pushed to the west by the [[Cheyennes]]. Both the Crow and the Cheyennes were then pushed further west by the [[Lakota people|Lakota]] (Sioux), who took over the territory from the [[Black Hills]] of South Dakota to the [[Big Horn Mountains]] of Montana; the Cheyennes finally became close allies of the Sioux, but the Crows remained bitter enemies of both Sioux and Cheyennes. The Crow were generally friendly with the whites and managed to retain a large [[Crow Indian Reservation|reservation]] of over 9,300 km² despite territorial losses.

Since the 19th century, Crow people have been concentrated on their reservation established south of [[Billings, Montana]].  They also live in several major, mainly western, cities. Tribal headquarters are located at [[Crow Agency, Montana]].

==History==
The name of the tribe, Apsáalooke {{IPA-sio|əˈpsaːloːke|}}, meaning "children of the large-beaked bird", was a name given by the [[Hidatsa]], a neighboring Siouan tribe.  The Apsaalooke are also referred to as the Crow, which the white people introduced because of their lack of perfect communication. The bird that the Crow tribe is actually paired with is the raven, which is not widely known.  French interpreters translated the name as ''gens du corbeaux'' (people of [the] crows), and they became known in English as the Crow.  In 1743 the Absaroka encountered their first people of European descent, the two [[Louis-Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye|La Vérendrye]] brothers from [[New France]].  The explorers called the Apsáalooke ''beaux hommes'' (handsome men).  The Crow called the French explorers''baashchíile'' (persons with yellow eyes).

=== In the Northern Plains ===
The early home of the Crow-Hidatsa ancestral tribe was in the Ohio country, near Lake Erie. Driven from there by better armed, aggressive neighbours, they settled for a while south of [[Lake Winnipeg]] in [[Manitoba]]. Later the people moved to the [[Devil's Lake (North Dakota)|Devil's Lake]] region of [[North Dakota]] before the Crow split from the [[Hidatsa people|Hidatsa]] and moved westward. The Crow were largely pushed westward due to intrusion and influx of the Cheyenne subsequently the [[Sioux]].

To acquire control of their new home, they warred against [[Shoshone]] bands (called ''Bikkaashe''—"People of the Grass Lodges"), and drove them westward.  They allied with local [[Kiowa]] and [[Kiowa Apache]] bands. The Kiowa and Kiowa Apache bands later migrated southward, and the Crow remained dominant in their established area through the 18th and 19th centuries, the era of the North American fur trade.

Their tribal territory stretched from what is now [[Yellowstone National Park]] and the headwaters of the Yellowstone River (''E-chee-dick-karsh-ah-shay''—"Elk River") in the west, north to the [[Musselshell River]], then northeast to the Yellowstone's mouth at the [[Missouri River]], then southeast to the confluence of the Yellowstone and [[Powder River (Montana)|Powder River]]s (''Bilap chashee''—"Powder River" or "Ash River"), south along the South Fork of the Powder River, confined in the SE by the Rattlesnake Mountains and westwards in the SW by the [[Wind River Range]]. Their tribal area included the river valleys of the [[Judith River]] (''Buluhpa'ashe''—"Plum River"), Powder River, [[Tongue River (Montana)|Tongue River]], [[Big Horn River]] and [[Wind River (Wyoming)|Wind River]] as well as the [[Bighorn Mountains]] (''Iisiaxpúatachee Isawaxaawúua''), [[Pryor Mountains]] (''Baahpuuo Isawaxaawúua''), [[Wolf Mountains]] (''Cheetiish''—"Wolf Teeth Mountains") and [[Absaroka Range]] (also called ''Absalaga Mountains'').

Once established in the [[Yellowstone River|Valley of the Yellowstone River]] and its tributaries on the Northern Plains in [[Montana]] and [[Wyoming]], the Crow divided into four groups: the Mountain Crow, River Crow, Kicked in the Bellies and Beaver Dries its Fur. Formerly semi-nomad hunters and farmers in the northeastern woodland, they picked up the [[nomadic]] lifestyle of the [[Plains Indians]] as hunters and gatherers and hunted [[bison]]. Before 1700, they were using [[Travois|dog travois]] for carrying goods. They obtained horses from the Spanish.

=== Enemies and allies ===
[[File:Crow warriors and Cheyenne warriors making peace- Ledger drawing.jpg|thumb|left|Ledger drawing of a Cheyenne war chief and warriors (left) coming to a truce with a Crow war chief and warriors (right).]]
[[File:The Scout in Winter, Crow, 1908, Edward S. Curtis (restored II).jpg|thumb|right|A scout on a horse, 1908.]]
From about 1740, the Plains tribes rapidly adopted the horse, which allowed them to move out on to the Plains and hunt buffalo more actively. However, the severe winters in the North kept their herds smaller than those of Plains tribes in the South. The Crow, Hidatsa, [[Shoshone people|Eastern Shoshone]] and [[Northern Shoshone]] soon became noted as horse breeders and dealers, and developed relatively large horse herds.  At the time, other eastern and northern tribes were also moving on to the Plains, in search of game for the fur trade, bison, and more horses. The Crow were subject to raids and horse thefts by horse-poor tribes including the powerful [[Blackfoot Confederacy]], [[Gros Ventre people|Gros Ventre]], [[Assiniboine people|Assiniboine]], [[Pawnee people|Pawnee]], and [[Ute people|Ute]]. Later they had to face the [[Lakota people|Lakota]] and their allies, the [[Arapaho people|Arapaho]] and [[Cheyenne people|Cheyenne]], who also stole horses from their enemies. Their greatest enemies became the tribes of the Blackfoot Confederacy and the Lakota-Cheyenne-Arapaho alliance.

The Crow were generally friendly with the northern Plains tribes of the [[Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation|Flathead]] (although sometimes they had conflicts); [[Nez Perce people|Nez Perce]], [[Kutenai people|Kutenai]], Shoshone, [[Kiowa people|Kiowa]] and [[Kiowa Apache]].  The powerful [[Iron Confederacy]] (''Nehiyaw-Pwat''), an alliance of northern plains Indian nations based around the fur trade developed as enemies of the Crow. It was named after the dominating [[Cree|Plains Cree]] and [[Assiniboine people|Assiniboine]] peoples, and latter included the [[Nakoda (Stoney)|Stoney]], [[Saulteaux]], [[Ojibwe]], and [[Métis people (Canada)|Métis]].

===Historical subgroups===
The ''Apsaalooke'' by the early 19th century were divided into three independent groupings, who came together only for common defense:
* '''Ashalaho''' (‘Many Lodges’, today called Mountain Crow), '''Awaxaawaxammilaxpáake''' (‘Mountain People’) or '''Ashkúale''' (‘The Center Camp’). The ''Ashalaho'' or Mountain Crow, the largest Crow group, split from the Awatixa Hidatsa and were the first to travel west. Their leader No Intestines had received a vision and led his band on a long migratory search for sacred tobacco, finally settling in southeastern Montana. They lived in the Rocky Mountains and foothills on the present-day Wyoming-Montana border along the Upper Yellowstone River, in the Big Horn and Absaroka Range (also Absalaga Mountains) with the [[Black Hills]] comprising the eastern edge of their territory.
* '''Binnéessiippeele''' (‘Those Who Live Amongst the River Banks’), today called River Crow or '''Ashshipíte''' (‘The Black Lodges’) The ''Binnéessiippeele,'' or River Crow, split from the Hidatsa proper, according to tradition because of a dispute over a bison stomach.  As a result, the Hidatsa called the Crow ''Gixáa-iccá''—"Those Who Pout Over Tripe". They lived along the Yellowstone and Musselshell rivers south of the Missouri River and in the river valleys of the Big Horn, Powder and Wind rivers, (historically known as the [[Powder River Country]]), sometimes traveling north up to the [[Milk River (Alberta–Montana)|Milk River]].
* '''Eelalapito''' (''Kicked In The Bellies'') or '''Ammitaalasshé''' (‘Home Away From The Center’, that is, away from the ''Ashkúale'' - Mountain Crow). They claimed the area known as the [[Bighorn Basin]], from the Bighorn Mountains in the east to the Absaroka Range to the west, and south to the Wind River Range in northern Wyoming. Sometimes they settled in the [[Owl Creek Mountains]], [[Bridger Mountains (Montana)|Bridger Mountains]] and along the [[Sweetwater River (Wyoming)|Sweetwater River]] in the south.

The oral tradition of the ''Apsaalooke'' mentions a fourth group, the '''Bilapiluutche''' (‘Beaver Dries its Fur’), who are believed to have merged with the [[Kiowa]] in the second half of the eighteenth century.

=== Gradual displacement from tribal lands ===
When white Americans arrived in numbers, the Crows were resisting heavy pressure from enemies who greatly outnumbered them. In the 1850s, a vision by [[Plenty Coups]], a Crow boy who later became their greatest chief, was interpreted by tribal elders as meaning that the whites would become dominant over the entire country, and that the Crows, if they were to retain any of their land, would need to remain on good terms with the whites.

By 1851 the more numerous Lakota and Cheyenne were established just to the south and east of Crow territory in Montana. These enemy tribes coveted the hunting lands of the Crow and warred against them.  By right of conquest, they took over the eastern hunting lands of the Crow, including the Powder and Tongue River valleys, and pushed the less numerous Crow to the west and northwest upriver on the [[Yellowstone River|Yellowstone]]. After about 1860, the Lakota Sioux claimed all the former Crow lands from the [[Black Hills]] of South Dakota to the [[Big Horn Mountains]] of Montana.  They demanded that the Americans deal with them regarding any intrusion into these areas.

The [[Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851]] with the United States confirmed as Crow lands a large area centered on the Big Horn Mountains: the area ran from the [[Big Horn Basin]] on the west, to the [[Musselshell River]] on the north, and east to the [[Powder River (Montana)|Powder River]]; it included the Tongue River [[Drainage basin|basin]]. But for two centuries the [[Cheyenne people|Cheyenne]] and many bands of [[Lakota people|Lakota Sioux]] had been steadily migrating westward across the plains, and were still pressing hard on the Crows.

[[File:Eight Crow prisoners under guard at Crow agency, Montana, 1887 - NARA - 531126.jpg|thumb|250px|"Eight Crow prisoners under guard at Crow agency, Montana, 1887"]]
[[Red Cloud's War]] (1866–1868) was a challenge by the Lakota Sioux to the United States military presence on the [[Bozeman Trail]], a route along the eastern edge of the Big Horn Mountains to the Montana gold fields. Red Cloud's War ended with victory for the Lakota Sioux.  The [[Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868]] with the United States confirmed the Lakota control over all the high plains from the Black Hills of the Dakotas westward across the [[Powder River Basin]] to the crest of the Big Horn Mountains. Thereafter bands of Lakota Sioux led by [[Sitting Bull]], [[Crazy Horse]] and others, along with their [[Northern Cheyenne]] allies, hunted and raided throughout the length and breadth of [[eastern Montana]] and northeastern [[Wyoming]], which had been for a time ancestral Crow territory.

On June 25, 1876 the Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne achieved a major victory over army forces under Colonel [[George A. Custer]] at the [[Battle of the Little Big Horn]], but the [[Great Sioux War]] (1876–1877) ended in the defeat of the Sioux and their Cheyenne allies. Crow warriors enlisted with the US Army for this war. The Sioux and allies were forced from eastern Montana and Wyoming: some bands fled to [[Canada]], while others suffered forced removal to distant reservations, primarily in present-day South Dakota and Nebraska west of the Missouri River.

In 1918, the Crow organized a gathering to display their culture, and they invited members of other tribes. The Crow Fair is now celebrated yearly on the third weekend of August, with wide participation from other tribes.

==Culture==

===Subsistence===
[[Image:Buffalo jump.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Buffalo Jump]]
[[File:Crow Indians offering food -Edward S. Curtis.jpg|thumb|left|''The Oath Apsaroke'' by [[Edward S. Curtis]] depicting Crow men giving a symbolic oath with a bison meat offering on an arrow.]] 
The main food source for the Crow was the [[American bison]] which was hunted in a variety of ways. Before the use of horses the bison were hunted on foot and required hunters to stalk close to the bison, often with a wolf-pelt disguise, then pursue the animals quickly on foot before killing them with arrows or lances. The horse allowed the Crow to hunt bison easier as well as hunt more at one time. Riders would panic the herd into a stampede and shoot the targeted animals with arrows or bullets from horseback or lance them through the heart. In addition to bison the Crow also hunted [[bighorn sheep]], [[mountain goats]], deer, [[elk]], bear, and other game. Buffalo meat was often roasted or boiled in a stew with prairie [[turnips]]. The rump, tongue, liver, heart, and kidneys all were considered delicacies. Dried bison meat was ground with fat and berries to make ''[[pemmican]]''. In addition to meat, wild edibles were gathered and eaten such as [[Sambucus|elderberries]], wild turnip, and [[Amelanchier alnifolia|Saskatoon berries]].

The Crow often hunted bison by utilizing [[buffalo jump]]s. "Where Buffaloes are Driven Over Cliffs at Long Ridge" was a favorite spot for meat procurement by the Crow Indians for over a century, from 1700 to around 1870 when modern weapons were introduced.  The Crow used this place annually in the autumn, a place of multiple cliffs along a ridge that eventually sloped to the creek. Early in the morning the day of the jump a medicine man would stand on the edge of the upper cliff, facing up the ridge. He would take a pair of bison hindquarters and pointing the feet along the lines of stones he would sing his sacred songs and call upon the Great Spirit to make the operation a success. After this invocation the medicine man would give the two head drivers a pouch of incense. As the two head drivers and their helpers headed up the ridge and the long line of stones they would stop and burn incense on the ground repeating this process four times. The ritual was intended to make the animals come to the line where the incense was burned, then bolt back to the ridge area.

===Habitation and Transportation===
[[File:Crow Tipi or Lodge- George Catlin.jpg|thumb|left|''Crow Lodge of Twenty-five Buffalo Skins'', 1832–33 by [[George Catlin]].]]
[[File:Crow men trading on horseback- Edward S. Curtis.jpg|thumb|Crow men trading on horseback.]]
[[File:Three Crow horsemen- Edward S. Curtis.jpg|thumb|Three Crow men on their horses, [[Edward S. Curtis]] 1908.]]
The traditional Crow shelter is the [[tipi|tipi or skin lodge]] made with [[American Bison|bison]] hides stretched over wooden poles.  The Crow are historically known to construct some of the largest tipis. Tipi poles were harvested from the [[lodgepole pine]] which acquired its name from its use as support for tipis. Inside the tipi, mattresses and buffalo-hide seats were arranged around the edge, with a fireplace in the center. The smoke from the fire escaped through a hole or smoke-flap in the top of the tipi. At least one entrance hole with collapsible flap allowed entry into the tipi. Often hide paintings adorned the outside and inside of tipis with specific meanings attached to the images. Often specific tipi designs were unique to the individual owner, family, or society that resided in the tipi. Tipis are easily raised and collapsed and are light weight which is ideal for nomadic people like the Crow who move frequently and quickly. Once collapsed the tipi poles are used to create a [[travois]]. Travois are a horse pulled frame structure used by plains Indians to carry and pull belongings as well as small children. Many Crow families still own and use the tipi, especially when traveling.  The annual Crow Fair has been described as the largest gathering of tipis in the world.

The most widely used form of transportation used by the Crow was the horse. Horses were acquired through raiding and trading with other Plains nations. People of the northern plains like the Crow mostly got their horses from people from the southern plains such as the Comanche and Kiowa who originally got their horses from the Spanish and southwestern Indians such as the various Pueblo people. The Crow had large horse herds which were among the largest owned by Plains Indians; in 1914 they had approximately thirty to forty thousand head. By 1921 the number of mounts had dwindled to just one thousand due to increased raiding from Crow enemies such as Cheyenne, Sioux, and Blackfeet. Like other plains people the horse was central to the Crow economy and were a highly valuable trade item and were frequently stolen from other tribes to gain wealth and prestige as a warrior. The horse allowed the Crow to become powerful and skilled mounted warriors, being able to perform daring maneuvers during battle including hanging underneath a galloping horse and shooting arrows by holding onto its mane. They also had many dogs; one source counted five to six hundred. Dogs were used as guards and pack animals to carry belongings and pull travois. The introduction of horses into Crow society allowed them to pull heavier loads faster, greatly reducing the number of dogs used as pack animals.

===Clothing and Beadwork===
[[File:Holds The Enemy- Crow Indian-E.A Burbank.jpg|thumb|left|Painting of Holds The Enemy, a Crow warrior with split horn headdress and beaded wool leggings by [[Elbridge Ayer Burbank|E.A Burbank]].]]
[[File:Hó-ra-tó-a, a Brave.jpg|thumb|250px|Hó-ra-tó-a, a Crow warrior with headdress, bison robe, and hair reaching the ground. Painted by [[George Catlin]], [[Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site|Fort Union]] 1832.]]
[[File:Swallow Bird- Crow Indian- Edward S. Curtis.jpg|thumb|Swallow Bird, a Crow man with Crow style pompadour and beaded hair pipes. Photographed by [[Edward S. Curtis]], 1908.]]
[[File:Crow moccasins white with beadwork of red flowers.JPG|thumb|Crow [[moccasins]]]]
[[File:Crow beaded moccasins from around 1940.JPG|thumb|Crow [[moccasins]], ca. 1940]]
The Crow wore clothing distinguished by gender. Women wore dresses made of [[deer]] and [[Bison|buffalo]] skins, decorated with [[elk]] teeth or shells. They covered their legs with leggings during winter and their feet with [[moccasin]]s. Crow women wore their hair in two braids. Male clothing usually consisted of a shirt, trimmed leggings with a belt, a long [[breechcloth]], and moccasins. Robes made from the furred hide of a bison were often worn in winter. Leggings were either made of animal hide which the Crow made for themselves or made of wool which were highly valued trade items made specifically for Indians in Europe. Their hair was worn long, in some cases reaching the ground. The Crow are famous for often wearing their hair into a [[pompadour (hairstyle)|pompadour]] which is often coloured white with paint. Crow men were notable for wearing two hair pipes made from beads on both sides of their hair. Men often wore their hair in two braids wrapped in the fur from beavers or otters. Bear grease is used to give shine to hair. Stuffed birds were often worn in the hair of warriors and medicine men. Like other plains Indians the Crow wear feathers from eagles, crows, owls, and other birds in their hair for symbolic reasons. The Crow wear a variety of headdresses including the famous [[war bonnet|eagle feather headdress]], bison scalp headdress with horns and beaded rim, and split horn headdress. The split horn headdress is made from a single bison horn split in half and polished into two nearly identical horns which are attached to a leather cap and decorated with feathers and beadwork. Traditional clothing worn by the Crow is still worn today with varying degrees of regularity.

The Crow People are well known for their intercut beadwork. They adorned basically every aspect of their lives with these beads, giving special attention to ceremonial and ornamental items. Their clothing, horses, cradles, ornamental and ceremonial gear, in addition to leather cases of all shapes, sizes and uses were decorated in beadwork. They gave reverence to the animals they ate by using as much of it as they could.  The leather for their clothing, robes and pouches were created from the skin of buffalo, deer and elk. The work was done by the tribeswomen, with some being considered experts and were often sought by the younger, less experienced women for design and symbolic advice. The Crow are an innovative people and are credited with developing their own style of stitch-work for adhering beads.  This stitch, which is contemporarily called the over-lay, is even still also known as the "Crow Stitch". In their beadwork, geometric shapes were primarily used with triangles, diamonds and hour-glass structures being the most prevalent. A wide range of colors were utilized by the Crow, but blues and various shades of pink were the most dominantly used.  To intensify or to draw out a certain color or shape, they would surround that figure or color in a white outline.

The colors chosen were not just merely used to be aesthetically pleasing, but rather had a deeper symbolic meaning. Pinks represented the various shades of the rising sun with yellow being the East the origin of the sun's arrival.  Blues are symbolic of the sky; red represented the setting sun or the West; green symbolizing mother earth, black the slaying of an enemy  and white representing clouds, rain or sleet.  Although most colors had a common symbolism, each piece's symbolic significance was fairly subjective to its creator, especially when in reference to the individual shapes. One person's triangle might symbolize a teepee, a spear head to a different individual or a range of mountains to yet another. Regardless of the individual significance of each piece, the Crow People give reverence to the land and sky with the symbolic references found in the various colors and shapes found on their ornamental gear and even clothing.

Some of the clothing that the Crow People decorated with beads included robes, vests, pants, shirts, moccasins and various forms of celebratory and ceremonial gear. In addition to creating a connection with the land, from which they are a part, the various shapes and colors reflected one's standing and achievements. For example if a warrior were to slay, wound or disarm an enemy, he would return with a blackened face. The black color would then be incorporated in the clothing of that man, most likely in his war attire. A beaded robe, which was often given to a bride to be, could take over a year to produce and was usually created by the bride's mother-in-law or another female relative-in-law. These robes were often characterized by a series of parallel horizontal lines, usually consisting of light blue. The lines represented the young women's new role as a wife and mother; also the new bride was encouraged to wear the robe at the next ceremonial gathering to symbolize her addition and welcoming to a new family. In modern times the Crow still often decorate their clothing with intricate bead designs for powwow and everyday clothing.

===Kinship system ===
The Crow had a [[matrilineal]] system. After marriage, the couple was [[matrilocal]] (the husband moved to the wife's mother's house upon marriage). Women held a significant role within the tribe.

[[Crow kinship]] is a system used to describe and define family members. Identified by [[Lewis Henry Morgan]] in his 1871 work ''Systems of Consanguinity and Affinity of the Human Family'', the Crow system is one of the six major types which he described: [[Eskimo kinship|Eskimo]], [[Hawaiian kinship|Hawaiian]], [[Iroquois kinship|Iroquois]], Crow, [[Omaha kinship|Omaha]], and [[Sudanese kinship|Sudanese]].

== The modern Crow Tribe Apsáalooke Nation ==

=== Geography ===
The [[Crow Indian Reservation]] in south-central Montana is a large reservation covering approximately {{convert|2300000|acre|km2}} of land area, the fifth-largest [[Indian reservation]] in the United States. The reservation is primarily in [[Big Horn County, Montana|Big Horn]] and [[Yellowstone County, Montana|Yellowstone]] counties with ceded lands in [[Rosebud County, Montana|Rosebud]], [[Carbon County, Montana|Carbon]], and [[Treasure County, Montana|Treasure]] Counties. The Crow Indian Reservation's eastern border is the [[107th meridian west|107th meridian]] line, except along the border line of the [[Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation]].

The southern border is from the 107th meridian line west to the east bank of the [[Big Horn River]]. The line travels downstream to [[Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area]] and west to the [[Pryor Mountains]] and north-easterly to Billings. The northern border travels east and through [[Hardin, Montana]], to the 107th meridian line. The [[United States Census, 2000|2000 census]] reported a total population of 6,894 on reservation lands. Its largest community is Crow Agency.

=== Government ===
[[File:Bandera Crow.png|thumb|left|Flag of the Crow Nation.]]

Prior to the 2001 Constitution, the Crow Nation was governed by a 1948 Constitution. The former constitution organized the tribe as a General Council ([[Tribal Council]]). The General Council in essence held the executive, legislative, and judicial powers of the government, and was composed of all enrolled members of the Crow Nation, provided that females were 18 years or older and males were 21 or older. The General Council was a [[direct democracy]], comparable to that of ancient [[Athens]].

The Crow Nation, or Crow Tribe of Indians, established a three-branch government at a 2001 Council Meeting. The new government is known as the 2001 Constitution. The General Council remains the governing body of the tribe; however, the powers were distributed to a three-branch government. In theory, the General Council is still the governing body of the Crow Nation, yet in reality the General Council has not convened since the establishment of the 2001 Constitution.

The Executive Branch has four officials. These officials are known as the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, [[Secretary]], and Vice-Secretary. The Executive Branch officials are also the officials within the Crow Tribal General Council, which has not met since July 15, 2001. These officials established the 2001 Constitution. The Chairman is Darrin Old Coyote.

The Legislative Branch consists of three members from each district on the Crow Indian Reservation. The Crow Indian Reservation is divided into six districts known as The Valley of the Chiefs, Reno, Black Lodge, Mighty Few, Big Horn, and Pryor Districts. The Valley of the Chiefs District is the largest district by population.

The Judicial Branch consists of all courts established by the Crow Law and Order Code and in accordance with the 2001 Constitution. The Judicial Branch has jurisdiction over all matters defined in the Crow Law and Order Code. The Judicial Branch attempts to be a separate and distinct branch of government from the Legislative and Executive Branches of Crow Tribal Government. The Judicial Branch consists of an elected Chief Judge and two Associate Judges. The Crow Court of Appeals, similar to State Court of Appeals, receives all appeals from the lower courts. The Chief Judge of the Crow Nation is Julie Yarlott.

==== Constitution controversy ====
According to the 1948 [[Constitution]], Resolution 63-01,(Please note; in a letter of communication from Phileo Nash,then Commissioner of Indian Affairs, to the B.I.A. Area Director- as stated in the letter And confirmed that 63-01 is an Ordinance in said letter) all constitutional amendments must be voted on by secret ballot or referendum vote.  In 2001, major actions were taken by the former Chairperson Birdinground without complying with those requirements.  The quarterly council meeting on July 15, 2001 passed all resolutions by voice vote, including the measure to repeal the current constitution and approve a new constitution.  An opposition has arisen to challenge the new constitution's validity.  The challenge is now in Crow Tribal Courts awaiting a decision on.

Critics contend the new constitution is contrary to the spirit of the Crow Nation, as it provides authority for the US [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]] (BIA) to approve Crow legislation and decisions.  The Crow people have guarded their sovereignty and Treaty Rights. The alleged New Constitution was not voted on to add it to the agenda of the Tribal Council. The former constitution mandated that constitutional changes be conducted by referendum vote, using the secret ballot election method and criteria.  In addition, a constitutional change can only be conducted in a specially called election, which was never approved by council action for the 2001 Constitution.  The agenda was not voted on or accepted at the council.

The only vote taken at the council was whether to conduct the voting by voice vote or walking through the line.  Critics say the Chairman ignored and suppressed attempts to discuss the Constitution.  This council and constitutional change was never ratified by any subsequent council action.  The Tribal Secretary, who was removed from office by the BirdinGround Administration, was the leader of the opposition.  All activity occurred without his signature.

When the opposition challenged, citing the violation of the Constitutional Process and the Right to Vote, the Birdinground Administration sought the approval of the [[United States Department of the Interior]] (USDOI), [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]] (BIA).  The latter stated it could not interfere in an internal tribal affair.  The federal court also ruled that the constitutional change was an internal tribal matter.{{Citation needed|reason=Jan 2010|date=January 2010}}

=== Leadership ===
{{Further|Crow Tribal Administration}}
[[File:CarlVenneANDBarackObama-May19-2008.JPG|thumb|left|250px|Crow Tribal Council Chairperson Carl Venne and Barack Obama at the presidential campaign rally for Obama on the Crow Indian Reservation in [[Montana]] on May 19, 2008. Obama was the first presidential candidate to visit the Crow Nation.]]
[[File:Pauline Small.jpg|right|thumb|250px|[[Pauline Small]] on horseback.  She carries the flag of the Crow Tribe of Indians. As a tribal official, she is entitled to carry the flag during the Crow Fair Parade.]]
The seat of government and capital of the [[Crow Indian]] Reservation is Crow Agency, [[Montana]].

The Crow Nation has traditionally elected a chairperson of the Crow Tribal Council biennially; however, in 2001, the term of office was extended to four years. The previous chairperson was [[Carl Venne]]. The chairperson serves as chief executive officer, speaker of the council, and majority leader of the Crow Tribal Council. The constitutional changes of 2001 created a three-branch government. The chairperson serves as the head of the executive branch, which includes the offices of vice-chairperson, secretary, vice-secretary, and the tribal offices and departments of the Crow Tribal Administration. Notable chairs are [[Clara Nomee]], [[Edison Real Bird Administration|Edison Real Bird]], and [[Robert Yellowtail|Robert "Robie" Yellowtail]].

On May 19, 2008, Hartford and Mary Black Eagle of the Crow Nation adopted U.S. Senator (now President) [[Barack Obama]] into the tribe on the date of the first visit of a U.S. presidential candidate to the nation.  Crow representatives also took part in President Obama's inaugural parade.  In 2009 Dr. [[Joe Medicine Crow|Joseph Medicine Crow]] was one of 16 people awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]].

During the [[United States federal government shutdown of 2013]], the Crow Nation furloughed 316 employees and suspended programs providing health care, bus services and improvements to irrigation.

== Popular culture ==
[[Edgar Allan Poe]]'s 1838 novel ''[[The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket]]'' features a character, Dirk Peters, who is the son of an Upsaroka (Absaroka) mother and a French father.

The cover of the popular music album ''America,'' which contained the Top Ten song, "Horse With No Name", featured the three group members sitting on the floor in front of a mural of ''Eight Crows''.

The tribe hosts a large [[pow wow]], [[rodeo]], and [[parade]] annually; the 86th [[Crow Fair]] was held in Crow Agency from August 17–21, 2006.  Called ''Baasaxpilue'' (to make much noise), it is the largest and most spectacular of Indian celebrations in the northern Plains. The photographer [[Elsa Spear Byron]] photographed the Crow Fair from 1911 to the 1950s.

Angus Young, a Crow elder and historian, and professor at [[Little Big Horn College]], was featured on the 2006 installment of the [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] television series ''[[Frontier House]]''.

In the documentary ''Native Spirit and the Sun Dance Way'' (2007), [[Thomas Yellowtail]], a Crow [[medicine man]] and [[Sun Dance]] chief for more than 30 years, describes and explains the ancient Sun Dance ceremony, which is sacred to the Crow tribe.  In the 1994 film ''[[Legends of the Fall]]'', based on the 1979 novella of the same name by [[Jim Harrison]], actor [[Gordon Tootoosis]] spoke Yellowtail's words to examine the preservation of a cultural and spiritual world before the coming of European settlers.

In 2007 [[Medicine Crow]]'s grandson [[Joe Medicine Crow]] appeared on [[Ken Burns]] [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] series [[The War (documentary)|''The War'' (documentary)]].

The Crow are the main antagonist in the 1972 film [[Jeremiah Johnson (film)|Jeremiah Johnson]] based on the real-life [[mountain man]] John [[Liver-Eating Johnson]] who, like in the movie, fought against the Crow earning him the nickname "Crow killer". Liver-Eating Johnson later made allies with the Crow as in the film.

==Notable Crow==
[[File:Delegation of Crow Chiefs.jpg|thumb|Delegation of Important Crow chiefs, 1880. From left to right: Old Crow, Medicine Crow, Long Elk, [[Plenty Coups]], and [[Pretty Eagle]].]]
* [[Plenty Coups]], important head chief, warrior, and peacemaker
* [[Medicine Crow]], notable warrior and war chief
* [[White Man Runs Him]], notable Crow Indian Scout and warrior
* [[Hairy Moccasin]], notable Crow Indian Scout and warrior
* [[Goes Ahead]], notable Crow Indian Scout and warrior
* [[Curley]], notable Crow Indian Scout and warrior
* [[White Swan, Crow Indian Scout|White Swan]], notable Crow Indian Scout and warrior
* [[Half Yellow Face]], notable Crow Indian Scout and warrior, leader of the six Crow Scouts who assisted Custer
* [[Pine Leaf]], notable female war chief and warrior
* [[Pretty Shield]], notable Crow woman
* [[Pretty Eagle]], notable chief and warrior
* [[Bull Chief]], notable war chief
* [[Joe Medicine Crow]], war chief, educator, historian, author, and World War II veteran
* [[Pauline Small]], notable female member of Crow Tribal Council

==See also==
*[[Crow language]]
*[[Crow religion]]
*[[Pine Leaf]] was a woman and chief of the Crow tribe
*[[Plenty Coups]] was the last of the great chiefs of the Crow tribe

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* ''The Crow Indians'', Robert H. Lowie, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1983, paperback, ISBN 0-8032-7909-4
* ''The World of the Crow Indians: As Driftwood Lodges'', Rodney Frey, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, 1987, hardback, ISBN 0-8061-2076-2
* ''Stories That Make the World: Oral Literature of the Indian Peoples of the Inland Northwest.  As Told by Lawrence Aripa, Tom Yellowtail and Other Elders.'' Rodney Frey, edited.  University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, 1995, paperback, ISBN 0-8061-3131-4
* ''The Crow and the Eagle: A Tribal History from Lewis & Clark to Custer'', Keith Algier, Caxton Printers, Caldwell, Idaho, 1993, paperback, ISBN 0-87004-357-9
* ''From The Heart Of The Crow Country: The Crow Indians' Own Stories'', Joseph Medicine Crow, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, 2000, paperback, ISBN 0-8032-8263-X
* ''Apsaalooka: The Crow Nation Then and Now'', Helene Smith and Lloyd G. Mickey Old Coyote, MacDonald/Swãrd Publishing Company, Greensburg, Pennsylvania, 1992, paperback, ISBN 0-945437-11-0
* ''Parading through History: The Making of the Crow Nation in America 1805-1935'', Frederick E. Hoxie, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 1995, hardcover, ISBN 0-521-48057-4
* ''The Handsome People: A History of the Crow Indians and the Whites'', Charles Bradley, Council for Indian Education, 1991, paperback, ISBN 0-89992-130-2
* ''Myths and Traditions of the Crow Indians'', Robert H. Lowie, AMS Press, 1980, hardcover, ISBN 0-404-11872-0
* ''Social Life of the Crow Indians'', Robert H. Lowie, AMS Press, 1912, hardcover, ISBN 0-404-11875-5
* ''Material Culture of the Crow Indians'', Robert H Lowie, The Trustees, 1922, hardcover, ASIN B00085WH80
* ''The Tobacco Society of the Crow Indians'', Robert H. Lowie, The Trustees, 1919, hardcover, ASIN B00086IFRG
* ''Religion of the Crow Indians'', Robert H. Lowie, The Trustees, 1922, hardcover, ASIN B00086IFQM
* ''The Crow Sun Dance'', Robert Lowie, 1914, hardcover, ASIN B0008CBIOW
* ''Minor Ceremonies of the Crow Indians'', Robert H. Lowie, American Museum Press, 1924, hardcover, ASIN B00086D3NC
* ''Crow Indian Art'', Robert H. Lowie, The Trustees, 1922, ASIN B00086D6RK
* ''The Crow Language'', Robert H. Lowie, University of California press, 1941, hardcover, ASIN B0007EKBDU
* ''The Way of the Warrior: Stories of the Crow People'', Henry Old Coyote and Barney Old Coyote, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, 2003, ISBN 0-8032-3572-0
* ''Two Leggings: The Making of a Crow Warrior'', Peter Nabokov, Crowell Publishing Co., 1967, hardcover, ASIN B0007EN16O
* ''Plenty-Coups: Chief of the Crows'', Frank B. Linderman, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1962, paperback, ISBN 0-8032-5121-1
* ''Pretty-shield: Medicine Woman of the Crows'', Frank B. Linderman, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1974, paperback, ISBN 0-8032-8025-4
* ''They Call Me Agnes: A Crow Narrative Based on the Life of Agnes Yellowtail Deernose'', Fred W. Voget and Mary K. Mee, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, 1995, hardcover, ISBN 0-8061-2695-7
* ''Yellowtail, Crow Medicine Man and Sun Dance Chief: An Autobiography'', Michael Oren Fitzgerald, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, 1991, hardcover, ISBN 0-8061-2602-7
* ''Grandmother's Grandchild: My Crow Indian Life'', Alma Hogan Snell, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, 2000, hardcover, ISBN 0-8032-4277-8
* ''Memoirs of a White Crow Indian'', [[Thomas Leforge|Thomas H. Leforge]], The Century Co., 1928, hardcover, ASIN B00086PAP6
* ''Radical Hope. Ethics in the Face of Cultural Devastation'', Jonathan Lear, Harvard University Press, 2006, ISBN 0-674-02329-3

==External links==
{{Commons category|Crow tribe}}
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Crow Indians}}
* [http://tlc.wtp.net/crow.htm Crow Tribal Council Website]
* [http://lib.lbhc.cc.mt.us/ Little Big Horn College Library]
* [http://siris-libraries.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001~!840743!0 Smithsonian]
* [http://lib.lbhc.cc.mt.us/about/government/2000.php 2001 Constitution]
* [http://lib.lbhc.cc.mt.us/about/government/1948.htm 1948 Constitution]
* [http://www.untoldlondon.org.uk/news/ART38408.html Photo exhibition on Crow Indians, with short account of 21st century lifestyle], Untold London
* [http://www.picture-history.com/crow-index-001.htm Collection of historical Crow photographs]
* [http://lib.lbhc.cc.mt.us/about/history/crowchiefs.htm List of Crow Chiefs], [[Little Big Horn College]] Library.
* [http://www.scribd.com/doc/129364322/Crow-Indian-Recipes-and-Herbal-Medicine Crow Indian Recipes and Herbal Medicine], by [[Pretty Shield]]'s granddaughter, [[Alma Hogan Snell]]

[[Category:Crow tribe| ]]
[[Category:Federally recognized tribes in the United States]]
[[Category:Great Sioux War of 1876]]
[[Category:Landmarks in Montana]]
[[Category:Native American tribes in Montana]]
[[Category:Plains tribes]]
[[Category:Siouan peoples]]

================


1
Montana Tribal History Timelines
Crow Reservation Timeline
Crow Tribe
March 2010
The Montana Tribal Histories Reservation Timelines are collections of significant events as referenced by tribal
representatives, in existing texts, and in the Montana tribal colleges’ history projects. While not all-encompassing,
they serve as instructional tools that accompany the text of both the history projects and the
Montana Tribal
Histories: Educators Resource Guide.
The largest and oldest histories of Montana Tribes are still very much oral
histories and remain in the collective memories of individuals. Some of that history has been lost, but much
remains vibrant within community stories and narratives that have yet to be documented.
Time Immemorial Creation Story –
“First Maker” wandered the world that is covered with water. He sent the
ducks down searching for what was below. The little duck returned first with a plant and then with mud. “
First
Maker and the ducks made the world. Then they divided the world into sections by placing water here and there.
They made the sky, the plants, the trees and the animals. They made the stars, the sun and the moon.” (Crow
Tribal History, Little Big Horn College.)
“Long-ago Times” – The ancestral tribe of the Crow live in the “Land of
Forests and Many Lakes,” the upper Great Lakes area of Canada and the United States
1450 -
The Crow Migration west. Fourteen groups of runners were sent out in different directions to search for
food. One returned with buffalo meat. The Tribe set out in this direction. During this time, Crow Chiefs No
Intestines (No Vitals), and Red Scout fasted and prayed to receive guidance for their journey. Both received
instructions. Red Scout was given an ear of corn to plant, and advised to settle permanently, growing corn
for sustenance. No Intestines was told to travel west toward the mountains and was given a pod of seeds to
plant there – they were sacred and their use would be revealed to them. When they reached the Missouri
River country, they settled with the Mandan for some time. However, heeding First Maker’s instructions, No
Intestines decided to continue the journey west. According to Crow oral history, this journey first led them
to the region around Cardston, Alberta. Determining that the winters were too long, the band headed south,
possibly going all the way to the Great Salt Lake. The journey then continued east and south through land
that is now Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas and possibly Missouri. “Ancient lullabies and war songs
mention an Arrow River (Red River of Oklahoma).” (Joe Medicine Crow. History:
Crow.
Ethnic Heritage Studies
Program. Bozeman, MT: Center for Bilingual/Multicultural Education, College of Education, Montana State
University, 1982. p. 2) Turning north and west again, they eventually came to the Big Horn country in southern
Montana, which was to end up being their permanent homeland.
1700 – 1735 -
The Crow acquired horses from Indians near Great Salt Lake.
1743 –
French-Canadian traders, the La Verendrye brothers, met a group of Crow camped at the confluence of
the Big Horn and Little Big Horn Rivers.
1805 – 1806 –
Crow met Clark at Pompey’s Pillar.
1825 –
The first treaty, The Friendship Treaty, signed between the Crow and the U.S. Crow leader Long Hair was
the tribal signatory, while Crow leader Sore Belly refused to sign.
1840-1850 –
Smallpox epidemics found their way to Crow country. The tribe suffered a staggering population
loss. The tribal population estimated at 10,000 in 1830, declined to approximately 2,000.
Indian Education
Montana O�ce of Public Instruction
Denise Juneau, Superintendent
Montana Tribal History Timelines
2
1851 –
The Fort Laramie Treaty with the Crow, Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Shoshone, Assiniboine, Mandan,
Hidatsa and Arikara. The Crow boundaries identified 38 million acres as the tribe’s territory: “The territory of
the Crow Nation, commencing at the mouth of Powder River on the Yellowstone; thence up Powder River to
its source; thence along the main range of the Black Hills and Wind River Mountains to the head-waters of the
Yellowstone River; thence down the Yellowstone River to the mouth of Twenty-five Yard Creek; thence to the
head waters of the Muscle-shell River; thence down the Muscle-shell River to its mouth; thence to the head-
waters of Big Dry Creek, and thence to its mouth.” Article V, 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie.
1864 –
A battle with the Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho who outnumbered Crow warriors 10 to 1, but the Crow
were successful in turning the enemy party back. The location of this battle was near present day Pryor.
1865 –
The Bozeman Trail was named after John Bozeman who used the trail as a shorter route to the
Montana gold fields. Other miners and settlers followed. The trail cut through the Powder River country that
was important hunting territory for many tribes, including bands of the Sioux nation. The Crow assisted the
U.S. military in protecting travelers on the trail. In 1868, the Sioux negotiated the closing of the trail.
1868 –
The second Fort Laramie Treaty reduced Crow lands to eight million acres.
1869 –
A government agency was established in Crow country, on Mission Creek (Hide Scraper Creek).
1870 –
The Crow were expected to move to the reduced territory as defined by the [[Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868]].
1872 –
The agency was moved to the Rosebud River, near present day Absarokee, Montana.
1876 –
The Crow continued to serve as scouts in the U.S. Military. Crow scouts were primarily responsible for
preventing a more serious defeat of General Crook at the Rosebud Battle with the Lakota and Cheyenne.
1881 –
100 Crow tribal members selected allotments. Provisions for individual tribal member allotments were
outlined in the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty. Land assignments of 320 acres were to be recorded in the “Crow
Land Book.”
1882 –
Tribal grazing leases began.
1882 –
Congressional Act diminisheed Crow lands. The land cession brought $750,000 in compensation, to be
paid out annually at $30,000 by the Secretary of Interior. Funds were to be used for homes and farming and
ranching needs.
1882 –
Congressional Act for the Northern Pacific Railroad right-of-way provided the railroad with 5,084 acres
for which $25,000 was provided in compensation – to be spent for the Crow at the discretion of the Secretary
of Interior.
1883 –
The government boarding school was moved to present day Crow Agency. Parents were threatened
to send their children to school or their rations would be withheld. The first three Crow children were sent to
Carlisle Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
1884 –
The agency is moved once again, this time to its present site at Crow Agency.
1885 –
Chief Plenty Coups made his first trip to Washington DC with demands for his people.
3
Montana Tribal History Timelines
1886 –
Catholic Jesuits founded St. Xavier Mission in Crow country. The school received government support in
the way of school supplies and 160-acre land grant.
1889
–
Crow Agency boarding school was built.
1890
–
1900s
- Allotment
1891
–
Congressional Act for cession of land on the western portion of the reservation – nearly two million
acres. $940,000 was provided in compensation. The Secretary of the Interior directed expenditures of the
money. Crow tribal members could hold allotments in the ceded portion.
1891
–
Tribal grazing leases changed to a bidding system.
1891
–
St. Charles Mission was founded near present-day Pryor.
1900
–
Chief Plenty Coups made a second trip to Washington DC, demanding just payment for the Burlington
Railroad right-of-way across the reservation and employment for Crow men.
1903
–
The Annual Crow Fair was established.
1903 –
A Baptist Home Mission School was started at Lodge Grass. It became quite popular, as it was a day
school.
1904 –
Congressional Act diminished Crow lands again, in the northern part of the reservation. The reservation
land base was now its present size, 2.3 million acres. No lump sum compensation was given, but funds
provided for a variety of items: horses, cattle, sheep, irrigation, fending, school buildings, etc.
1914
–
Crow men answered the call to military service during World War I.
1915
–
Senate hearings produced evidence of incompetent administration of the Crow Reservation.
1920
–
The Crow Act sponsored by the Crow Tribe, allotted the remainder of the reservation into tracts to
every enrolled member of the tribe. “Provisions of the Crow Act were the following: allotment of everything
except the mountains, patents-in fee to competent Indians, conveyance to anyone could not exceed 640 acres
of farming land or 1280 acres of grazing land, tribal roles, mineral rights are held by tribe, no more irrigation
systems without Crow consent, no liquor, consolidation of the Crow Fund, enrollment and competency
commission, land to State in return for admission of Crow children into public schools, revolving fund.”
(Government. Ethnic Heritage Studies Program: Plains Indians, Cheyenne-Cree-Crow-Lakota Sioux. Bozeman,
MT: Center for Bilingual/Multicultural Education, College of Education, Montana State University, 1982.)
1920 – 40s –
The Tribal Council divided into committees when necessary to address multiple issues. Examples
of committees were: Schools, Oil, Hospital, Budget, Leases, Law ad Order, etc.
1921
–
Chief Plenty Coups died.
1927 –
At this time there were 11 public schools, four Catholic schools, and one Protestant school operating on
the reservation.
Montana Tribal History Timelines
4
1934
–
The Crow Tribe rejected the Indian Reorganization Act.
1935
–
The Indian Reorganization Act provides $190,000 for 50 projects on the Crow Reservation.
1948 –
The Crow adopted their own model of a tribal Constitution.
1958 –
The Tribe sold Yellowtail Dam site and reservoir area for 2.5 million dollars.
1961 –
Constitution amended.
1962
–
Court of Indian Claims awarded the Crow Tribe $10,242,984.70 as just compensation for lands taken.
1987
–
A Supreme Court decision awarded millions to the Crow Nation in the Crow Severance Tax Case against
the State of Montana.
1987–
The Crow Tribe filed dereliction of duties and breach of trust responsibility suit against the U. S.
Government in regard to Section 2 of the 1920 Crow Allotment Act.
2002–
The Crow Tribe passed a new Tribal Constitution.