The Crow are people of the American Great Plains region, including North Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.
The Crow people refer to themselves as Apsáalooké or Absaroka, which means "children of the large-beaked bird." Europeans, and even some other American Indian tribes, misunderstood this name to mean "Crow" or "Raven" in their respective languages, although many Apsáalooké hold that the "large-beaked bird" they were named after was the mythical Thunderbird, not a crow.
It is believed that the early home of the Crow was in the Great Lakes region, particularly Lake Erie, in what is now Ohio. They were pushed West to South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana by the Cheyenne and the Lakota Sioux.
In Montana and Wyoming, they allied with the Kiowa and Plains Apache bands, and warred against some of the Shoshone bands. Established in Montana and Wyoming, the Crow separated into the Ashalaho (Mountain Crow), the Binnéessiippeele (River Crow), and the Eelalapito (Kicked in the Bellies). Oral tradition speaks of a fourth group, the Bilapiluutche (Beaver Dries its Fur), who may have merged with the Kiowa in the second half of the 17th century. The groups maintained a good relationship, and, while they operated independently, they were allied for the common defense.
Around 1730, the Crow adopted the horse, allowing them to more effectively hunt bison. Along with the Eastern and Northern Shoshone, the Crow soon became proficient on horseback and made a name for themselves as horse breeders and dealers.
In part because they stocked large herds of horses, they were subject to frequent raids by the Assiniboine, Blackfoot, Gros Ventre, Pawnee, and Ute. Later, they faced the Lakota and their allies, the Arapaho and Cheyenne, who also stole horses.
During the Plains wars of the 1860s and 1870s, the Crow often allied themselves with the U.S. military, for which many of the Crow acted as Scouts.
In 1868, they accepted a reservation carved from a portion of their former tribal lands in southern Montana. Perhaps because of their cooperation with the federal government, they were given a large reservation of 3,593.56 square miles, while many other tribes were forced onto much smaller reservations far from their homelands.
Today, the Crow have a federally recognized tribe, the Crow Tribe of Montana, concentrated in the Crow Indian Reservation, located in parts of Big Horn, Yellowstone, and Treasure counties in southern Montana. Its reservation is the largest of the seven reservations in Montana, and it includes the northern end of the Bighorn Mountains, Wolf Mountains, and Pryor Mountains. The Bighorn River flows through the reservation, and a portion of its boundary runs along the ridge separating Pryor Creek and the Yellowstone River.
Traditionally, the main food source for the Crow was the bison, although they also hunted deer, elk, antelope, bear, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats. Before they acquired horses and firearms, they hunted bison on foot, killing them with arrows or lances.
As they were nomadic, often following the bison herds, the traditional Crow shelter was a tipi or skin lodge made from bison hides stretched over wooden poles. Inside the tipi, buffalo-hide seats and mattresses were arranged around the edge, while a fireplace was in the center, with smoke escaping through a flap at the top of the tipi. Members of the Crow tribe often used pictograms on their tipis to depict a story through pictures and symbols representing physical objects, people, and events.
The Crow kept several dogs, which were used as guards and pack animals, although the introduction of the horse reduced the number of dogs necessary as pack animals.
Members of the Crow tribe traditionally wore clothing made from the hides of animals such as elk, deer, and bison. Women wore long deerskin dresses, while men wore breechcloths with leather leggings and buckskin shirts. Both men and women wore moccasins. Clothing choices were not necessarily simplistic, however. Their clothing was often adorned with feathers and beadwork.
Like other Plains Indians, the Crow wore feathers from eagles, crows, owls, and other birds in their hair for symbolic purposes. They also wore a variety of headdresses, including the eagle feather headdress, bison scalp headdresses with horns and a beaded rim, and split horn headdresses.
The Crow were famous for their beadwork, adorning nearly every aspect of their lives with beads, with special recognition for ceremonial and ornamental items. Their clothing, horses, cradles, ceremonial gear, and leather cases were decorated in beadwork, with colors chosen not only for aesthetics but with deeper symbolic meanings.
Crow men would grow their hair for all of their lives and often pulled into a bun for practical purposes. Men were also known for wearing their hair in a pompadour.
Recommended Resources
Chief Plenty Coups was the principal chief of the Crow Nation in 1876, the same year as the Battle of the Little Bighorn, being named chief at the age of 28. Known as a fierce and respected warrior, he was selected to represent the Crow in Washington, D.C., where he negotiated reservation land. The state park preserves the log home and farmstead of the Chief. Seasons and hours are posted, along with park rules, fees, volunteer opportunities, and contacts.
https://fwp.mt.gov/stateparks/chief-plenty-coups/
The Indigenous-owned business features Apsáalooke designs to inspire all generations through fashion, design, and culture. Angela Howe-Parrish, a beadwork artist, sewist, fashion designer, and owner of the business, is an enrolled member of the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation, and a descendant of the Pikuni (Blackfeet) Nation of Montana. A biography of the artist is provided, and several of her fashion creations are highlighted and made available for online purchase.
https://chokecherrycreekdesigns.com/
Featuring a Christian mission to the Crow Tribe started by Justin and Rebecca Shaw, the website posts a summary of how the mission began, as well as its goals, such as starting a Christian school on the reservation in Pryor, Montana, beginning with an after-school program, a Christian summer camp program, and Sunday services. Statements of faith, the Scriptures, salvation, and the Godhead are posted, along with schedules and reports. An online shopping area is included.
https://www.crowmissions.org/
The homeland of the Crow Tribe is the Crow Indian Reservation in south-central Montana, headquartered in Crow Agency, Montana. The Little Bighorn National Monument is situated on reservation land. Tribal executive officials, executive branch departments, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch are featured, with contacts. Tribal businesses are featured, with locations, hours, and contacts, and the annual Crow Fair and Crow Native Days are highlighted.
http://www.crow-nsn.gov/
Joe Medicine Crow's Life and Work
Dr. Joe Medicine Crow was a Crow tribal historian and revered elder of the Crow tribe. In 1939, he was the first member of the Crow tribe to obtain a master's degree. A biography, the text of some of his online writings, quotes about the author, photographs, slideshows, excerpts from some of his works, videos, and other online resources are provided, along with a list of books, DVDs containing his works, and other works that he has contributed to. Links to books featuring him are included.
http://worldwisdom.com/public/authors/joe-medicine-crow.aspx
Legislative Branch of the Crow Nation
The Legislative Branch serves six respected districts within the Crow Reservation and is a distinct branch of the Crow Tribal Government. Past and present legislation may be found on the website, and tribal senators and committees are introduced, along with contacts and Social media. Other resources include historical documents, proposed legislation, joint action resolutions, and rescinded, repealed, or dead legislation. Photos and videos are also posted, and a contact form is available.
https://www.ctlb.org/
The public tribal community college is located on the Crow Indian Reservation in Crow Agency, Montana. Chartered in 1980 by the Crow Tribe of Indians as a public two-year college, LBHC has an open admissions policy, although 95% of its student body are members of the Crow tribe, 3% of American Indian tribes from other nations, and 2% non-Indian residents of the Big Horn County area. Semester class schedules, a course catalog, a student handbook, and a price calculator are included.
http://lbhc.edu/
Christian Parrish Takes the Gun, known professionally as Supaman, is an Apsáalooke (Crow) rapper, and fancy war dancer who grew up in Crow Agency, Montana. In 2003, he founded the Native American hip-hop group, "Rezawrecktion," whose first album won a Native American Music Award in 2005. Since then, he has released four solo albums. On his professional website, his biography, videos, a gallery of photographs, testimonials, and discography are featured, along with contacts.
https://www.supamanhiphop.net/
Wendy Red Star is an Apsáalooke (Crow) contemporary multimedia artist born in Billings, Montana, and raised on the Crow Reservation in Pryor. Her humor and use of Native American images draw viewers into her work. Of Crow and Irish descent, she dealt with identity issues while growing up, and these experiences are reflected and incorporated into her work. Her biography, curriculum vitae, and public collections are highlighted, along with publications, and contacts.
https://www.wendyredstar.com/
