Obama Plans Visit to Crow Country

CrowNews.Net

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will speak in Crow Agency Monday during an afternoon rally at the Apsaalooke Veterans Park on Bala Street.

While the campaign confirmed late Friday afternoon that the Illinois senator would visit the reservation, word of a possible Obama event happening in Crow Agency began to spread among tribal members earlier this week. The candidate will also hold a town hall meeting in Billings and a rally in Bozeman Monday.

The Crow Agency event is set to start at  2:45 p.m., according to a release from the campaign, and all guests must enter town from Interstate 90 Exit 510, which is the exit located closest to Little Bighorn Battlefield. Admission is free and tickets are not required but reservations can be made at mt.barackobama.com. Because of security reasons, bags are not permitted at any of Monday's events, and signs and banners are not allowed either. 

Flickr Photo Credit: Barack Obama campaign

Tribal Leaders Council Sponsoring Breast Cancer Awareness Event

The Yellowstone City-County Health Department - in conjunction with the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council and others - is sponsoring an event to provide American Indian women with an opportunity to take charge of their health.  On Tuesday, May 20, 2008 American Indian women are invited to gather at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church located at 119 North 33^rd Street in Billings. 

In celebration of May Pink Ribbon Month, the agencies are providing an opportunity for native women to enjoy a fun evening making flannel throw pillows, learning about traditional native games and women’s health issues while enjoying the company of other native women.   

Special guest speaker Jillene Joseph (Gros Ventre) will share her wealth of knowledge on the topic of American Indian women’s wellness.  She is the current executive director of the Native Wellness Institute in Portland, Oregon. The event begins at 5:00 p.m. and includes a light dinner. 

In addition to flannel pillow making and learning about women’s health concerns, those attending the event will have the opportunity to win door prizes.  The gathering is open to all women in Yellowstone County and the surrounding areas. 

For more information and to reserve a place at the event, call Dyani Bingham at the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council at 252-2550. 

Crow Artists Booked for National Folk Festival

Here is an article by Jeni Dodd of the Great Falls Tribune that looks forward to the National Folk Festival, to be held in Butte from July 11-13.  Festival organizers are anticipating the largest number of Native American exhibitors they have ever had.  Crow names include: Birdie Real Bird, Jerome Hugs Jr. and Allen Knows His Gun.

For more information about the festival, visit www.nationalfolkfestival.com.

Senate District 21 Candidate Profiles

This week and next, CrowNews.Net is publishing profiles of the candidates for Senate District 21.  This district includes Hardin and the Crow reservation.  The candidates are: Norma Bixby(D), Kenneth Phillip Brien Jr.(D), Randen Schoppe(R), Sharon Stewart-Peregoy(D), and Chip Watts(D).

Crow Culture Day

Crow Culture Day
Originally uploaded by centlodg

Crow Culture Day was held in Crow Agency on Thursday, May 8th in Crow Agency. There was a parade featuring young children dressed in the style of dress worn by most adults in the the recent past. There are still elders that dress in this style. In addition to the parade, there was a workshop held dealing with mental health for children

Wyola Wins Senior Handgame Championship

CrowNews.Net

In the finale of the annual hand game championships, the Wyola Mighty Few District beat the Center Lodge(Reno) District on Sunday May 4 in Crow Agency. The championship game lasted about 90 minutes.The tournament was held at the Multi Purpose building and featured teams, wearing their hand-made outfits to play the tribe's traditional game.

The Junior Handgame tournament for players younger than 30 was held the previous weekend in Crow Agency. The Junior team from the Big Horn District took home the championship by beating the River Crows.

Commentary: 1868 Treaty Right Still Valid, Important

By Jay Harris

In the spring of 1868, eleven Crow chiefs traveled to what is today southeastern Wyoming (Dakota Territory at the time) to meet with officials representing the United States government. 

On May 7th, the Crow delegation agreed to conditions specified by the government and later that year the U.S. Senate and President Johnson ratified what is today known as the "1868 Fort Laramie Treaty" or the "1868 Treaty with the Crow Indians."

Young Crow Man Spreading Obama's Message

By Kevin Abourezk
reznetnews.org                                                   

In the summer of 2006, Samuel Kohn logged more than 7,000 miles on his car criss-crossing his home state of Montana.

As a Dartmouth College freshman, he was on a mission to find out what his state's tribes thought about a state legislative act that required all K-12 students to learn about Native history and culture.

Last week, the 21-year-old Crow tribal member hit the road again on a different kind of mission.

He wants to find out what tribes in Montana think about Sen. Barack Obama. And he's happy with what he's seen so far.

In Albuquerque, Big Day Takes Prize for Beaded Doll

On April 10th, the Indian Arts and Crafts Association announced the winners of its 2008 Artist of the Year Competition during its annual Spring Wholesale Market held in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This year’s top award, “Artist of the Year” went to Mary Lou Big Day, a beadworker and doll maker from the Crow Nation in Montana for her “Crow Traveling Medicine Beaded Doll with Cradleboard.”

Mary Lou Big Day has been making dolls since she was a little girl.

Mister Graber's Opus

Story by Jennifer Kirby, photo by Matt Unrau
CrowNews.Net

    In 1973 Dave Graber was hired as a music teacher in Busby and began his education in Native American song and dance.  He learned that it was not just the words that were different.  He learned that music is not a universal language.  He learned that he had lots to learn — and lots to offer.

Graber teaches traditional Crow songs to children at Crow Agency School.  Graber is not Crow nor does he consider himself fluent in the Crow language, but he has learned to recognize words and speak them correctly so that he can teach the children in his music classes. 

He has become familiar with the patterns and the unique scales of the Northern Plains musical style so that he can teach the children how to sing the songs in the traditional way.