Crow Nation facts for kids
Photograph of a Crow man named Swallow Bird, by Edward S. Curtis, 1908.
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| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 12,000 enrolled members | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States ( Montana) |
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| Languages | |
| Crow, English, Plains Sign Talk | |
| Religion | |
| Crow Way, Tobacco Society, Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Hidatsa |
The Crow people, also known as Apsáalooke (pronounced Ahp-SAH-loo-keh) in their own language, are a group of Native Americans. Long ago, they lived in the beautiful Yellowstone River valley. This area covers parts of what we now call Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota. Today, the Crow are officially known as the Crow Tribe of Montana by the United States government.
Throughout their history, the Crow people moved their homes many times. This was often because of fights with other tribes like the Ojibwe, Cree, Cheyenne, and Lakota (also called Sioux). The Crow were usually friendly with white settlers. Since the 1800s, most Crow people have lived on their reservation. It is located south of Billings, Montana. Even though they lost some land, their reservation is still very large, covering over 9,300 square kilometers. Many Crow people also live in big cities in the western United States. The main office for the Crow Tribe is in Crow Agency, Montana.
Contents
History of the Crow People
The name Apsáalooke means "children of the large-beaked bird." When French fur traders met the Crow, they translated the name as gens du corbeaux, which means "people of the crows." This is how they became known as the Crow in English. Other tribes also called the Apsáalooke "crow" or "raven" in their own languages.
The Crow first met people from Europe in 1743. These were French fur traders.
Early Life in the Northern Plains
The Crow and Hidatsa tribes used to be one group. They were nomadic (meaning they moved around a lot) and hunted animals. They also farmed. The earliest known home of the Crow-Hidatsa tribe was in what is now Ohio. Stronger neighbors pushed them out, so they moved to Manitoba, Canada. Later, they moved to North Dakota, where the Crow and Hidatsa separated into two different tribes. The Crow were then pushed west, mostly by the Cheyenne and Sioux tribes.
To take control of their new home in the Yellowstone River valley, the Crow fought against the Shoshone tribe. They pushed the Shoshone further west. The Crow were friends with some of the Kiowa and Kiowa Apache tribes. The Crow were a very important tribe in this area during the 1700s and 1800s, when the North American fur trade was popular.
After settling in the Yellowstone area, the Crow divided into four main groups: the Mountain Crow, River Crow, Kicked in the Bellies, and Beaver Dries its Fur. They started living like other Plains Indians, moving around to gather food and hunt bison (buffalo).
Friends and Enemies
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Around 1740, tribes on the Plains, including the Crow, began using horses. This made it much easier for them to hunt buffalo. The Crow became famous for raising and trading horses. Sometimes, other tribes like the Blackfoot, Gros Ventre, Assiniboine, Pawnee, and Ute would steal their horses. Later, the Crow had to fight the Lakota and their friends, the Arapaho and Cheyenne. The Blackfoot Confederacy and the Lakota-Cheyenne-Arapaho alliance became their biggest enemies.
The Crow were generally allies (friends) with many northern Plains tribes. These included the Nez Perce, Kutenai, Shoshone, Kiowa, and Kiowa Apache. They were also friends with the Flathead tribe, though they sometimes had small disagreements. A powerful group called the Iron Confederacy became enemies of the Crow. This group included the Plains Cree and Assiniboine peoples, and later the Stoney, Saulteaux, Ojibwe, and Métis people.
Losing Their Lands
When many white Americans started arriving, the Crow were fighting enemies who had much larger numbers. In the 1850s, a young Crow boy named Plenty Coups had a special dream. The wise elders of the tribe said the dream meant that white people would eventually control the whole country. They said the Crow would need to stay friendly with the whites.
By 1851, the Lakota and Cheyenne were fighting the Crow for their hunting grounds. They took over the eastern hunting lands. This pushed the Crow further west and northwest along the Yellowstone River. After about 1860, the Lakota Sioux had taken over all the lands that used to belong to the Crow. They also threatened Americans who were moving into these areas.
The Crow signed the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 with the United States. This treaty recognized a large area around the Big Horn Mountains as Crow land. But the Cheyenne and Lakota Sioux tribes kept moving west and pushing the Crow.
After Red Cloud's War (1866–1868) between the Lakota Sioux and the United States, the Lakota controlled land from the Black Hills to the Big Horn Mountains. Groups of Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne began to hunt and raid in the Crow's traditional lands.
Crow warriors helped the US Army in the Great Sioux War of 1876 (1876–1877). This war ended with the defeat of the Sioux and Cheyenne. Some of the Sioux and their allies went to Canada, while others were moved to special reservations.
Crow Culture
Family and Gender Roles
The Crow had a matrilineal system. This means that family lines were traced through the mother's side. After a couple got married, the husband would move to live with his wife's mother's family. Women had a very important role within the tribe.
Like other Plains tribes, the Crow historically recognized different gender roles in their society.
The Modern Crow Tribe
Where They Live Now
The Crow Indian Reservation is in south-central Montana. It covers about 2.3 million acres (about 9,300 square kilometers). This makes it the fifth-largest Indian reservation in the United States. In 2000, about 6,894 people lived on the reservation lands.
How Their Government Works
The main office and capital of the Crow Indian Reservation is Crow Agency, Montana.
In 1948, the Crow Tribe created a Constitution. It set up the tribe's government as a General Council. This General Council had the power to make laws, carry them out, and decide legal cases. All adult members of the Crow Nation were part of the General Council. Women had to be 18 or older, and men had to be 21 or older to be members. This was a form of direct democracy, where all members could vote on important decisions, similar to ancient Athens. A chairperson was elected every two years.
At a Council Meeting in 2001, four officials of the General Council created a new government with three separate branches. This new government is called the 2001 Constitution. The General Council is still the main governing body, but it has not met since 2001. Its powers were given to the new three-branch government. The 2001 Constitution has been controversial because it was not set up according to the rules of the 1948 Constitution. Some people also say it gives too much power to the US Bureau of Indian Affairs over the Crow government.
The officials who created the 2001 Constitution became the Executive Branch. These officials are the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, and Vice-Secretary. The Chairperson's term lasts four years. The current Chairman is Darrin Old Coyote.
The Legislative Branch has three members from each district on the Crow Indian Reservation. The reservation is divided into six districts: The Valley of the Chiefs, Reno, Black Lodge, Mighty Few, Big Horn, and Pryor Districts.
The Judicial Branch includes all courts set up by the Crow Law and Order Code. It has an elected Chief Judge and two Associate Judges. The Crow Court of Appeals hears all appeals from the lower courts. The Chief Judge of the Crow Nation is Julie Yarlott.
Notable Crow People
- Joe Medicine Crow, a war chief, teacher, historian, author, and World War II veteran.
Images for kids
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Landscape on the Crow Indian Reservation, Montana
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Crow Indian territory (areas 517, 619 and 635) as described in Fort Laramie treaty (1851), present Montana and Wyoming
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The trading posts built for trade with the Crows
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De Smet map of the 1851 Fort Laramie Indian territories (the light area). Jesuit missionary De Smet drew this map with the tribal borders agreed upon at Fort Laramie in 1851.
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Crow Indian Chief Big Shadow (Big Robber), who signed the Fort Laramie treaty (1851). Painting by Jesuit missionary De Smet.
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Crooks army before battle of the Rosebud. Crow and Shoshone scouts and the Army crossing Goose River on the way to the Rosebud in 1876.
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Buffalo Jump
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The Oath Apsaroke by Edward S. Curtis showing Crow men giving a symbolic oath with a bison meat offering on an arrow
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Crow Lodge of Twenty-five Buffalo Skins, 1832–33 by George Catlin
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Crow men trading on horseback
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Three Crow men on their horses, Edward S. Curtis, 1908
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Crow Tribal Chairperson Carl Venne and Barack Obama on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana on 19 May 2008. Obama was the first presidential candidate to visit the Crow Tribe.
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Painting of Holds The Enemy, a Crow warrior with a special headdress and beaded leggings by E. A. Burbank
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Hó-ra-tó-a, a Crow warrior with a headdress, bison robe, and very long hair. Painted by George Catlin, Fort Union 1832.
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Crow moccasins
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Crow moccasins, around 1940
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See also
In Spanish: Crow para niños
