Before Influence
Crow Lodge of Twenty-Five Buffalo Skins.
[Crow Tipi or Lodge by George Catlin. 1832. Public Domain.] |
The Crow people were originally part of the Hidatsa tribe. They stayed in one place and focused on farming. During the mid 1600s to early 1700s, part of the tribe split from the Hidatsa. They took the name Crow. The new group established themselves near the Yellowstone River in the Great Plains. The Crow became a more nomadic tribe as they moved with the buffalo herds, hunted game and lived in tepees {1}. |
Influence
Prominent European influence took place among the Crow people around the 1850s. Conflicts with the Europeans as well as the introduction of diseases negatively impacted the Crow population. The Crow people were forced into a relationship with the U.S. government and were resettled on a Montana reservation. Both the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 and the Second Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 established the reservation for the tribe. The traditional way of life for these people had ended, and the Crow people were “forced to depend on government Indian agents for survival" {1}. |
The front page of the Treaty of Fort Laramie.
[Treaty of Fort Laramie. U.S. Government, Lakota People, Yanktonai Dakota, Arapaho Nation. U.S. Archives. Public Domain.] |
Present
Crow Tribal Chairman A.J. Not Afraid and his wife, Deneen, share a smile after the inauguration of the Crow Tribal Executive Branch.
[Not Afraid takes oath of office as Crow Chairman. Casey Page, Billings Gazette. 2016. Used under Fair Use.] |
Today, the Crow Reservation is located in south central Montana about 10 miles southeast of Billings. Around 75 percent of the tribe’s enrolled members live on or near the reservation {2}. Despite negative conflict with the Europeans, the Crow people have preserved portions of their culture. The Crow nation has an established governmental system with an executive branch, legislature and court system. The tribe also has a general council which retains the membership rights of and to the Crow people {3}. The tribe participates in annual celebrations such as Crow Native Days and the Crow Fair and Rodeo {2}. |
Sources
{1} "Crow." In Southeast, Great Plains, edited by Laurie J. Edwards, 3, no. 2 (2012): 751-768. UXL Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. Detroit, MI: UXL. Gale In Context: U.S. History Accessed November 17, 2019. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX4019400058/UHIC?u=butleru&sid=UHIC&xid=6ef8c0a5.
{2} “Montana Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs: Crow Nation.” Tribal Nations. Montana.gov. Accessed November 17, 2019. https://tribalnations.mt.gov/crow.
{3} “Crow Tribe.” Crow Tribe of Indians, Official Webpage of the Crow Tribe Executive Branch. Last modified 2017. Accessed November 17, 2019. http://www.crow-nsn.gov/crow-tribe.html
{2} “Montana Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs: Crow Nation.” Tribal Nations. Montana.gov. Accessed November 17, 2019. https://tribalnations.mt.gov/crow.
{3} “Crow Tribe.” Crow Tribe of Indians, Official Webpage of the Crow Tribe Executive Branch. Last modified 2017. Accessed November 17, 2019. http://www.crow-nsn.gov/crow-tribe.html
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE TRANSATLANTIC WORLD
Created by Clark, McGannon, Andrew, Bates and Fulton - CC 2019