Tent of Many Voices: 07220601

all right everyone like to welcome you to our um one o' program already just fly by again you are inside the T of many voes and this is a really special venue we've traveled all over the country um from the east coast to the West Coast and now we're going back just like Le and clar did in 2006 they were heading home toward St Louis months be in St Louis F are ass story to come in and add a voice to thisal Historic Trail that's really what makes it so special there we go um should we try again so once again you are inside the 10 of many voices and this is where the L and Clark National Historic Trail really does come alive we bring in folks that have all kind of ways reasons you name it some sort of association with the Lewis and clar trail to share their story with us and add it to this and that's what really keeps these legacies alive these historic things without uh people to remember it it's kind of dead and so in here we get to remember it and live it day by day in this hour we have a really special presenter his name is Haywood big day he's a member of The Crow Nation he's going to be speaking on Crow history and culture so if you would please uh help me welcome Heywood big day to the Ten of many voices thank you ladies and gentlemen this afternoon I sure appreciate it that you all came over and many people I lived about 30 miles or 40 miles south of uh Bellington there was a little town name called prior and there's where I came from and there's where I liveed but I've been going around through this universe like down under insight and everything and so now what I'm going to tell you about it it's they asked me one of the one of the Rangers was asking me she said that uh what what does uh cultural and history I I asked I asked her and she said that what do you want me to to do I said and she said okay for yourself for you cow Indians where did you come from how did you get here that's a tough question who I was where I coming from and so now I'm going to tell you about where I come from and I where I came from who I am what I am and where did I'm I have to sometimes I have to mention about the stages and uh if we do have any questions questions and I'll do some answering right after I get done and within about half uh half an hour or 35 minutes I'm I'm going to go back to doing a time of uh before the fire before the fire the crows were Liv on the ground and they Liv like this cave and we Liv over there around by Minnesota where there's a lot of lakes where the swamping area and there's a lot of herbs over there that we ate and there's a lot of there's a lot of plants over there that we ate and that's how we survive and in at that time that I don't know how many generations that they went by but that generation has been gone and the second generation the there was a medicine man came over they don't know where he came from but he was there all right and after he was there all right and he beginning to he beginning to tell teach the people you people don't you have any fire they said no what what the fire is so he had some he had a two two cherry trees and he put one cherry tree down and he put the other one right on top of it and start rubbing it as he was rubbing it then there was a buffalo drop over there it was old and he wrapped around it and about few minutes later it start the smoke coming out and as the smoke coming out then Sparks and turn into fire after it turn into fire and the crows they're beginning to scary that's that's too much that fires so so that's how that the beginning and that um then that same man was saying that I'm going to teach you how to use that bow and arrow and he pick it up a choke cherry tree and start shaving it and make the bowl and he picked it up these grass there's a certain kind of a grass that they weaved it they weaved it and they stretch it and they put the they put the bowl on there and he make the arrows out of that same tree that choke cherry tree as he make the bow and he went along the creek and there was a little kind of a little little creek uh bottom he found um and an arrowead and he was pretty close to the Buffalo and and he started shooting that Buffalo as he was shooting that Buffalo and that Buffalo dropped and he looked at it the the Indians were looked at it and they was wondering what's going to be happened this is this is too much we got the fire and we killed the Buffalo a buffalo's dead and the buffalo's right there and we can't do that and so this man he said that this is what you're going to be survived this is what you're going to survive with it this is the height the skin the height he start helping these women how to how to time as the year goes by they beginning to be tanning and they're beginning to be wrapped around and during the winter time to survive with the Buffalo and the Buffalo as we ate every piece of a parts of that Buffalo we used it there's no waste even the hopes even the inside even the inside side we eat them and even today the crows we still eat the eat the tribe we still eat the eat the inside of BU and and part of the part of the bones all the bones on that on that Buffalo we used it especially from the hind quarter to to the to the Elbow on the high quarter there was a big bone and that's to mash something like a sludgehammer and a hammer and the rest of them and even the inside the marrow that's the best part of the food and we eat with the with the meat and we Barbe uh uh grill grill them and we C them right on top of the Open Fire and so so we we ate that and and as the year goes by we came towards to the to the South and somewhere along the north Kota or North Dakota or Minnesota somewhere along in the area and one of the one of the elderly person that went up on a Hillside and start fasting the man that teaches he's the one that teaches how to do the fast and so as they fast and during the night time there was some Spirits came over and talked to him they talked to him and here's a here's a tobacco the tobacco was turned into not the tobacco that today that you were smoking no it's a different tobacco and we still have them and sometimes that uh today they still planning them and as they're planning it and it grows up to about 8 ft high I'll tell you more about that too so during at that time that man he got that tobacco and he start here's how you do it and he start smoking with the leaves and and he prayed and and doing at that night and he saw the vision and he saw the mountains then he beginning to start telling his people that you got to you've got to when you're die what you going to do about it that tobacco what is it going to be is it is it does it going going with you to the happy hunting grounds and he said no I have to adab I have to to adopt the the person if the tobacco was telling me that to adopt a person so I'm going to adopt the person so if I do adopt the person he'll continue going on as as the as the so so that tobacco has been up in North Dakota somewhere along there and there was two brothers s these two brothers were the ones that was the ones that um found it the other one the he do say went back to the north Kota along the along the river then the crows were start heading out towards to the South and as they're coming as they're coming along they sto like that Village down there you've seen the village and I'm sure a lot of people will see that Village they they camp like that okay the village that I'm going to talk about it it was that that Tepe that Tepe how did they discovered the Tepe there was a there was a lady that walking towards to the woods and he and they looked at it and these these elderly men they looked at it and they it looks like a a a woman when you go over to the TV Village you look at it in your mind think about a lady that was walking and when the woman uh scraped the hide and turned into to a bug skin and he put a 12 14 16 and 18 them them are the them are the the pretty good high and they all put it together when they stop and Camp the sewing every other four days every other three days three to four days at they move out they they bre up and there and doing at that time they once they once they start moving they moving out with the with the pack they moving out with the as the year goes by they found a they found a Timber W over by um moula some place and we called the we called a Timber W uh the timber underneath there there was a sand and so they found they found the the PBS these timber wolves and they picked them up and they raised them and as they raas them the timber wolf we call them Bish you know the the pine trees the Sab that's what we call them the dogs that during the time Bish that's what we call them and the Bish that means that we travel and we put the dog travys if you heard about that dog travys and that's the time when we're using the dog Travelers and later as the year goes by then the Englishman or Frenchman or somebody that came into our reservation they came through that Missouri and they stopped over at U Mile City about so many miles north over here that there was a mile city and they stopped over there as they stopped over there they're beginning to have a u have them horses and they took them into the reservation as they took them into the reservation we saw the horses and them our fur Traders we call them and they come over to our reservation into our camp area and we traded off with the horses with the fur and and so there's no name for it the horses we call called them similary of an elk e and e that means horses e elk similary of a of a horse we call horses that's our Indian language so and as the day goes by we traveled with that and we go up towards to the to the West we migrating with the Buffalo and as the the white people bringing in their their goods like the wo beads needles threads and all of them all them items that we work with they bring them over and we trade them with the Pelt we trade them with the Furs trade them with the Buffalo ropes we trade them after we start trading them then we built the lak and we used the W it's a lot easier because the during the time of the the first time that they're doing some sewing the the plants that here around here here in state of Montana there're some out in the they call it yucky plant that yucky plant on the end it was really sharp like a needle and you break the the the top part and you pull it and the string will be coming up down and that's how they s their magusin in at that time then the white man bringing in their needles and the threads and that's what we use right now my marusin it's we saw them with a needle and a and the threads that's what I and also the The Bu skin pants that I have the bead work they tack them down and so the white man brings them over so as the there's where they stop and they start taking the the their their goods out to the to the Indian village and at about this LS and leis Lon Clark and throughout one of these one of these Travelers were coming to the reservation up in Big Horn and and up in Big Horn and coming back them but the crows were migrating there's three B PS of crows one was down by m city they usually start migrating going up towards to Wyoming to the up to Potter River and there was another band from Mil City they go up to uh Missouri up to up to Mell and heading out towards the Great Falls the center Lodge from the Big Horn area and going into to all the way up to M Missoula and as they're going along with the they go alongside of the Buffalo and as as they're going along through the Buffalo uh they Camp by sight by sight and you've seen the people that they ride and they make boats and they had a battle crows actually they don't battle you have to you have to you have to hit me first before I before I it was a Revenge it was a Revenge that they have to hurt us they have to hurt our family to and we do the Revenge and Once We Do the Revenge they we have to let them taste their own medicine and that's why we get some of them were about battle and some of them they don't it was a Revenge so a lot of times that there when I seen some bats they say they had a big battle yes there were some big battles but uh different kind of a tribe that came over to our reservation but they're not pushing in us but it was a deadly deadly Sports when you play basketball or football that you have a you have a you have a opponent so that's exactly and the best man wins so as the year goes by them them F Traders and uh and this lson Clark was happened to be in that bun and going into the reservation and he start migrating back and forth and go out through this Yellowstone going through the Yellowstone and going through the Missouri all the way up to and we known him but we what I hear from these old people I they talked about it but not really they don't talk that much because the Lou and Clark but they're they talk about the lot of these F Traders and that's that's how I learned these and also now today as as today that we live in the crow reservation there's so many thousands of Acres there was a power our third weekend in August and the the outfits that I was using there's a lot of them and there's a lot of parades going on like in Friday Saturday and and Sunday and Monday they've got a they call it the parade dance so as the as of today that we had these all this all this outfit that I was using that I had a you seen I'm going to talk about myself now youve seen this War Bonnet when you see the the there was an Indian was using the war Bonet in the in the magazine or book you say it was a chief and they write it down as a chief some of them it was um there's no tail some of them has a tail the tail it was a chief at one time there was a chief and I inherited from my great great grandfather from back in I believe one two three y yeah my great great grandfather was back somewhere around about 8 late late 16 or early no late 17 or early early uh early 18 H and he beginning to be a a chief power back over in uh uh Livingston R by Livingston between Livingston and bman they had a one day they had a power and and he beginning to be a chief and as as he was a chief power and from then on it was in handed down to the generation to generation just like this my name is big day and down down as the the guy the the person that had this big day he was U he was a a warrior and he met a a different tribe and had a arm wrestling was fighting and everything and he he got the whole nine yards at that day and so that's what they that's why they call him he was a a big day as he was a big day that was his big day and during a time of uh over in absor or over in bman and they ask him the when they start writing the their names and when they start and they told they told the guy that he said it his name is um his name is uh big day he got the he got everything that one day so they start writing him as a big day so a lot of these crows we use in our last name an animal or a ground bird in the ground or all them uh all them all them uh native names that's what we go about it and that's he's uh he achieved achievement and all that achievement and a warrior as he was a warrior they call him a big day that day and from then on on his children their last name was big day all the way up to myself and my grandchildren and my grade uh if there's any questions feel free to ask and we if you have any questions please do raise your hand and I'll bring the microphone around that way everyone can hear your questions question do we have any questions about Crow history and culture yes we do how do you pronounce the traditional name of the crow the traditional the traditional Crow name it's a the the black the black bird got a big peak knows the crow you've seen there's two different kind a black bird around over here one of them was a one of them is was a big got a big peak and so that's what that's I'm saying uh I'm one I'm the child of the a black bird got a big peak that's any any questions where did the uh Crow Nation uh what area did they cover we're starting it out from um where the great Leakes were run by Twin Twin Cities and we came up to the up to North Dakota and as we coming up from the North Dakota uh we're part of the hiod dosy that's one family so we're splitting the sheets at that time and and one of them goes for the corn and the other one it was the tobacco the crows they it was a tobacco they're the ones that brought the tobacco all the way up to the to the mountains and there's where the there's where the crows are and and they and some of the crows the the Potter River all the way up to the head of the Potter River and around by uh thopas matii around in that area we migrating there's like I said there's three bands Center Lodge and a mountain area and also the down the river around by m city and so this is the whole area that all the way up all the way up into PR all the way into Canada I'll put it that way so this is the whole area that we during the winter time the Buffalo they go towards to the to Missoula TCH to the Missoula and as they're going towards to Missoula it's warm the weather is warm but the Snows are pretty deep but in Bosman it's a big Valley we call them Al Big Valley in that Valley there's elk there's Buffalo so we migrating in there until the until the I were broken that was in last part of February or first part of March and they're beginning to start coming through the through the mountain area where the where the where there less snow and we broke the trail and into the flat area heading towards the buildings and we migrating all the way the center Lodge it goes all the way into the big big horn Big Horn and they start uh migrating going up towards to Missoula by the time by the time they get down to Missoula they start coming up down and into bman there's where they usually hang around by February no December December January and February around in that area and once once the once the snow kind of melts down a little bit then they're coming coming over towards the flat area around by around in this area did you go back to the use of the tobacco what did the coronation use it for uh would you that she wanted to know what the coronation used tobacco for okay now tobacco it was a big challenge the challenge it's a it's a tobacco it's a it's a plan and they offered and they prayed as he the guy the guy that owns tobacco I adopt this this uh this man this woman that I adopted I want her him to be LIF long time time so he put it in the ground and he prays and after he was praying that tobacco goes up to 8 78 ft long yes he's going to lift here up to 100 to 125 so if it's not say like about 5 ft he's not going to make it up to so it do it's a challenge just like this uh just like this uh a put in an extension on that that challenge it's um the where they mark their the The Rock Ledge uh what they call that The Rock Ledge with the pets the the plys I seen some books they say that it was was um thousand and many years ago but it isn't it's still in active it's still the same as yesterday and today the reason why I knew about it I witnessed it because my son was an artist at the Eastern he graduated from the art uh got his bachelor's degree on it art so he he's an artist and he's a painter and we were studying it and I looked at it in my in the old days when we coming back from uh this was back in 19 early 40s and when we coming back I used to horse horseback riding to no trailer so I used to ride horses to go to Prior so sometimes I come through uh we camp over in jol Ed and these old people they say that they want to look up the pet and so we I I usually go out there there was one old man was telling me that here pick this uh Sage fish and so I picked it up the sage fish and I don't know what I'm going to do with it but she he told me to carry that and I didn't even know that it was that powerful and it tells you the what is it going to be happening for the next 3 months what is what the weather is going to do where the powow going to be where the buffalos are going to be where the algs going to be it tells you if you go through the the route of what the procedures of the right away just like if you want to go to the bank and if you want to borrow the money you have to fill out all them papers just exactly the same thing you have to do the proper way before they could come over and communicate with you for each each day and each month they have a they've got a away uh to come over and our question is we we come over with the tobacco you were talking about the tobacco so the tobacco that we put it in the Peace Pipe and we and we prayed we prayed and we asked questions and we go through the procedure and about and they tell us when to coming back maybe a day or two they come we they told us to come back and you're going to ask me who told you some way somehow they usually let us snow so yeah so that's what it is on that any um I've heard that the um crazy mountains are sacred to The Crow and I know you know you may not want to talk about a lot about some of those things in public but is there anything you can tell us about the Crow's relationship to crazies what what the crazy would you uh he wants he understands that the Crazy Mountains have some sacred significance to the Crow Nation he's wondering if there's anything that you can speak about in public about that relationship okay okay that's over and just right outside of Livingston the crazy Mountain why they have to call them a crazy mountains and when the leaves were beginning to be blooming and that's in May no first part May when the leaves were beginning to be blooming and the crows they want to go up on mountains and fast and as they going up the mountains and there's a certain area that you past that area uh they're not go uh the spirits are going to harm you and if you're not go away if you're not if you're not going away that night you able to to have a snowbound and you come down a little further and the rain will be harm you you're going to be soaked and W and and a cold wind and the you can't hardly build a fire because the wind was so blowing so hard and you came down a little more then it's so hot down the bottom a little more down down the hill so they told the crows when you go up on mountain and try to try to Vision there's no way he doesn't have any children he's for himself nobody T Pentacles went up there and came back he said that was a crazy Mountain crazy Mountain so that's so if somebody was harm you and you're running away and you're trying to meet him and he harms you harms you and you call that man or a woman he's a he's a crazy person that's what so that's what the Crazy Mountains is crazies so so yeah that's that's why they call call him crazy Mountain he doesn't have any I'll I'll put it this way he doesn't have any children if he had some children like in Prior there'll be a lot of crows over there today we used to live over there we used to live over there and we're migrating with the Buffalo and but it's a long long winter I understand that Crow Nation never did battle with uh the white people that they were mainly friendly can you comment on that uh yes yes the white people once they came over it's a it's a long story but I'll make it short this was before the this is during the time of the dog that I was talking about it during at that time there's no horses and there's no dogs there's they Camp over by m moua and one old man went up on a mountain and he saw this right at the cloud and he saw a man blinking his eyes got a beard and got a yellow yellow eyes and a long hair that much that how far that he saw in that cloud and that man was a foot and as he was looking up there and by God I better I want to talk to him that man he's a strange man he's one of the clouds so so from then on he never he never had a communicate with him so he doesn't have any communicate with him since that he does and communicate with him and about four to 5 days he came down every day he was up there for about four four to 5 days and no communication so he came down as he was came down and went down through the valley and got in a camp about he went in the sweat lot and do the proper way and about two two nights or three nights he he began to Vis uh dream he had a dream there was a bunch of ants coming over there red ones you want to kill them sure he had a dream so he got up went over there and dropped them down and killed these red ants and then there's another one coming over he start jumping down then the second one he said you can do with these but you can't do with this one he said all right if I can do it just bring him on over I'll do the same thing so he does the same thing he Dr Trump these white ANS the white ones they're coming over and there's more coming over and there's more coming over the third one then the fourth one he said he saw a big big water far as it can see they'll be coming over so now today there's a lot of white people and after that t pic CL and at that old man told T plan clues that you work with the white people you work with the white people and so they work with white people General kuster doing time of the of the battle of the Little Big Horn the crows they want to help him General kuster and general kuster he found that out he turned into to be a bad combat and after he does that and the papers hasn't been arrived no telephone no no no Telegraph magusin no Q West either so so that day he got all his ranks back and everything and sent major Reno nearby the camp and he told him the the Indians told that we don't want that man we want that yellow yellow one that yellow man not him so major Reno continues going into the big hor and so he so the crows there's only 13 of them 13 of them at that day the camp crier told them that that morning the Morning Star came over the camp cry said that you crows if you're amongst with that battle you're going to have a u there's seven of you going to have a bullet wound or Arrow wounds sure enough it is seven of them will got shot and they took him down to the m city and uh about a year later they brought him back they survived and so from then on uh the crows we never the reason why that they don't fight with him because he had a the night before they've got a moonshine the Moonshine doesn't asso associated with our power so that's why we don't battle with him anym or well time's up yeah I think we're uh think we'll have that be our last question let's thank uh Haywood big day for sharing Pro history and culture with us thank you thank you ladies and gentlemen and enjoy the Heat and feel free okay thank you Haywood and remember folks we do have program