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Crow Indian Reservation

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Crow Indian Reservation - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Crow Reservation, Montana

By Will Beck

As the largest of the seven Native American reservations in the state of Montana, the Crow Reservation in south-central Montana has approximately 11,000 registered members – around 7,000 of them living on the reservation itself.

Although it’s immediately to the left of the Cheyenne Reservation, the Crow Reservation has its own customs, oral history, and unique celebrations. Read on to learn more about this stunning reservation flanked by the Yellowstone and Bighorn Rivers, as well as a few nearby locations.

Crow Reservation – A Complete Guide

History of crow reservation, current day at crow reservation, nearby attractions, crow reservation facts.

Located in south-central Montana , the Crow Reservation, or the reservation of the Apsáalooke people, has a storied history.

Bordered by the Bighorn , Wolf, and Pryor Mountains , the Crow people maintained mostly positive relations with encroaching European settlers, giving them the largest reservation in the state. While the land has surely shrunk over the years, it still holds great spiritual power for the Apsáalooke people, a land to call their own.

Rather than fighting European settlers, the Apsáalooke people often found themselves fighting other native tribes – the Sioux and Cheyenne, in particular. But it was the Hidatsa, another Siouan tribe, that gave them their name, Apsáalooke, meaning “children of the large-beaked bird.”

You’d think the moniker related to the crow species, but the white Europeans called them Crow due to their different communication styles.

But let’s start at the beginning.

Lewis and Clark weren’t the only white Europeans traveling through Montana. In 1743, the Apsáalooke came into contact with their first Europeans, two french brothers who noted that they were incredibly handsome. August 1805 saw fur trader Francois-Antoine Larocque traversing through the region – but he wasn’t alone.

He had a Crow, or Apsáalooke, group with him, proving that Crow already had an intuitive understanding of the land. (Fun fact: they had split off from the nearby Hidatsa tribe in the 1400s, and there were originally three Crow groups, searching the land for sacred tobacco.)

But relations wouldn’t remain smooth for long: while an 1851 treaty allocated Crow land, pressure mounted from multiple sides as Europeans near the Yellowstone River and the Lakota Sioux tribe to the east entangled treaty lines in the 1860s. Add a smallpox epidemic from incoming Europeans, and you’ve got yourself a burdened community.

On May 7, 1868, just mere years after a national crisis, the Crow recognized that their treaty wasn’t going to cut it anymore – they needed finite land.

Creating a reservation was a source of pride and mixed emotions, as they sold around 30 million acres of land from their previous 1851 treaty – just to ensure they had a space to call their own. It was really less of an agreement and more so being backed into a corner.

Even after western corners of their reservation continued to be cut in 1882, 1892, and 1906, still they thrived. And then we get to 1917: in an act of faith, desperation, and defiance, Crow chief Plenty Coups, Robert Yellowtail, and others prayed to stop efforts to open the reservation. Why didn’t they want it open?

The answer is clear: they had already given so much of their land, and the United States government didn’t exactly have a good track record dealing with native lands and reclamation. Their prayers were soundly answered: plans to appropriate their land were halted.

And finally, the reservation got its last land reduction in 1937 thanks to the construction of the Bighorn Dam. It had its history of firsts, as well: in 1934, the same Robert Yellowtail became the first indigenous person to the reservation’s superintendent.

In 1966, Pauline Small became the first woman tribal official – another building block of the present state of the reservation. What’s it like these days? Let’s take a look.

Almost 8,000 Crow members currently live on the reservation, a place they can immerse in their cultural celebrations and traditions.

Since 1904, the Crow have held their annual Crow Fair to present the Apsáalooke people to the world and other indigenous tribes. Calling itself the Teepee Capital of the World , over 1,500 teepees can be found during this celebration of dance, song, and food.

Held during the third week of August every year, it’s similar to a county fair – but with some unique flourishes. Since dancing is a unique and prayerful form of celebration, the Apsáalooke people spend much of their time dancing during the event – in fact, a pow wow is held every afternoon and evening of the event.

And likewise, there’s a long parade that invites other indigenous tribes to participate and celebrate, a space for families to gather. Also popular are the Crow Native Days in June and the Rodeo in July.

While the Little Bighorn National Monument attracts a number of tourists (more on that later!), Crow Indians are a relatively close-knit community.

Over 85% of the community speak the Crow language, and the aforementioned Chief Plenty Coups left his land and home for the community to enjoy.

The Apsáalooke people now have one coal mine in operation that provides a small amount of income for its members, although much coal is left untapped.

Businesses like the Crow Hop Restaurant and Yellowtail Market help the community thrive, as well as educational outlets and two-year universities, and they currently maintain a herd of around 300 buffalo.

Bridging from their cultural prowess, Crow people are known around the world for their intricate beadwork. But beyond the art and the natural beauty, Crow people truly love to gather for their Crow Fair in August.

Spiritually, the Crow people dance, hold vision quests, fast, and – most importantly – hold tobacco ceremonies.

Little Bighorn National Monument

It makes sense that the Little Bighorn National Monument is on the Crow reservation: their own fight to maintain land mirrors that of the great indigenous cause.

On June 25th and 26th of 1876, 263 soldiers died in the United States Army, including General George A. Custer (Cue: Custer’s Last Stand!). But who were they fighting? Nomadic Lakota and Cheyenne indigeneous tribes had banded together after fiercely opposing European-American settlers and army forces.

You could call it a clash of cultures: the nature-minded and buffalo-herding Plains Indians versus the industrial occupation forces. As with many battles, each side thought it was in the right, but it was the US Army that lost the most.

But having more to lose, the indigeneous tribes braced themselves for a battle after escalating tensions, while the US army navigated poor communication and slow movement. It was a short-lived indigeneous victory, but it unfortunately was also the exact fuel the United States needed to force tribes into reservations.

Near Hardin, Montana , the monument and site also have a bookstore and accompanying museum. Check the monument website for up-to-date fees , as well as notifications about free entry days.

All of this to say: no matter which side of the battle you fall on, this is clearly a site of reflection for all parties. After walking down the Deep Ravine trail , we recommend visiting the Custer Battlefield Trading Post & Cafe for a buffalo burger and unique souvenirs.

Chief Plenty Coups State Park & Home

Also in the reservation? Chief Plenty Coups State Park and Home . Before he died in 1932, this chief gifted his land and home to his people, now a state park and museum.

As the tribe’s visionary leader and beloved chief, he worked to ally them with the European settlers, since Sioux and Lakota presented as bitter rivals.

Strongly valuing education against the word of the white man and others, he led a relatively peaceful time in the Apsáalooke life cycle. And a small note: his Crow name was Alaxchíia Ahú, pronounced “Alek-Chea-Ahoosh,” meaning “many achievements,” something he certainly did in his lifetime.

After visiting George Washington’s Virginia plantation in 1928, the chief was inspired to grow his land and eventually donate it – to enrich not only his legacy but that of his people.

These days, the park is a great place to picnic with family, and its main event is the Day of Honor , bringing the Crow people together to share culture and food. We recommend allocating about an hour to the grounds, interpretive signs, and the ¾ mile trail around Pryor Creek.

If you have time, we recommend reading indigeneous ally Frank Linderman’s autobiography co-written with Plenty Coups called Plenty-Coups: Chief of the Crows . Sharing his life story and visionary beliefs, the book encapsulates life as a Crow Indian and it’s a fascinating read.

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

About one-third of this national recreation area is located on the Crow reservation, established in 1966 following the construction of the Yellowtail Dam – named after famed Crow advocate Robert Yellowtail.

At a time when Crow Indians were tragically unable to live freely, Robert Yellowtail stubbornly fought to maintain the land and preserve culture. His efforts and legacy kept parts of this recreation area in the hands of the people who cared for the land.

While it’s home to four historic ranches that have their own history, people often come to this recreation area for Afterbay Lake’s trout fishing .

We love Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area for its diverse landscape of mountains, forests, prairies, lakes, bays, and wetlands. But we’re especially interested in Bighorn Canyon’s massive canyon that houses Upper Jurassic Period fossils and artifacts.

If you’re into camping, Bighorn Canyon offers four main campgrounds, as well as backcountry camping for the true adventurers. Most sites are on a first come, first serve basis, and can be found at this link .

Pictograph Cave State Park

Last but not least, check out the mysterious Pictograph Cave State Park in nearby Billings .

These caves were home to a multitude of prehistoric hunters, and if you’re lucky enough to visit the site, the loop trail directs you to pictographs or rock paintings. Hunters left behind artifacts along with their pictographs, giving visitors an opportunity to envision daily life in prehistoric Montana.

There are three main caves at this state park: Pictograph, Middle, and Ghost. While their pictographs are faint, they do provide insight and clues to a mysterious past. We think it’s amazing to stand where others have left their mark, however faded over time.

This state park has some great hiking trails and picnic tables. Overall, a very cool sight!

• The Crow people are called Apsáalooke in their native language, which 85% of them speak as their first language.
• There were originally three Crow groups, the River Crows, the Mountain Crows, and the Kicked-in-the-Bellies. One of the oral histories shares that the tribes separated looking for the sacred tobacco plant.
• The members of Crow Reservation hold their annual Pow Wow in the third week of August, where all indigeneous tribes are welcome to celebrate.
• The Crow Reservation is the largest in all of Montana, despite struggling to maintain land from European settlers and other tribes.

While the Crow, or Apsáalooke, people have a varied, rich, and sometimes tragic history in the United States, their reservation continues to be a place that fosters strength and resilience.

If you can only make it to the reservation for a short time, head to the Crow Fair in the third week of August for a powerful cultural immersion.

Let us know in the comments if you’ve planned or are planning a trip to the Crow reservation, and don’t forget to visit the Crow Hop for an Indian taco and Fly Bread Cheeseburger!

For more information on the Crow people and their history, we recommend checking out this documentary by Zack Nanus .

Related Articles

• The 7 Reservations in Montana
• Native American Tribes In Montana
• The Best Historical Sites in Montana

About The Author

Will is a true digital nomad, taking his work on the road at every opportunity. His first love is coffee, with travel a close 2nd. He loves nothing more than hitting the road in his self-build campervan and visiting off-the-beaten-path places, away from popular tourist destinations.

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Crow Reservation

Travel guide.

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Things to Do in Crow Reservation

54 miles E of Billings

The beautiful Crow Reservation -- the Crow People call themselves the Apsáalooke, "Children of the Large-Beaked Bird" -- encompasses over 9 million acres in southeastern Montana. It consists of seven main communities, of which Crow Agency, on I-90, is the hub of tribal management and government.

One of the main Indian Nation events of the summer-long powwow trail is Crow Fair, held here the third week in August. Powwows are social gatherings featuring traditional food, dress, and dances. Visitors are welcome at powwows, but flash photography is not allowed during contests, and you should always ask dancers for permission before taking their photographs. For more information, contact the Tribal Headquarters, P.O. Box 159, Crow Agency, MT 59022 (tel. 406/638-3700 ), or visit www.crow-fair.com .

The most famous historic site here is the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument , a somewhat ironic inclusion on this reservation. The Crow scouted for Custer, and the Little Bighorn is the site of the cavalry's most infamous defeat at the hands of the Indians.

A good place to learn about the Crow culture is at Chief Plenty Coups State Park (tel. 406/252-1289; www.fwp.mt.gov). The tribe's last traditional chief, Chief Plenty Coups, deeded his home and lands as a memorial to the Crow Nation, and the museum houses many of the Crow leader's personal items plus interpretive displays about the Crow people. From Billings, drive about 25 miles south on Montana highways 416 and 418 to Pryor, then go a mile west, following signs. There are picnic facilities but no overnight camping. The grounds are open May through September daily from 8am to 8pm, and the museum is open from 8am to 5pm (by appointment in the off season). Access to the grounds is free, but the museum's admission is $3 per adult, $2 for children 6 to 12, and free for kids 5 and under.

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About 75 percent of the Crow tribe's approximately 10,000 or more enrolled members live on or near the reservation. Eighty-five percent speak Crow as their first language. This tribe was called "Apsaalooke," which means "children of the large-beaked bird." White men later misinterpreted the word as "crow." Chief Plenty Coups was the last chief to gain that status in the traditional Crow manner. He lived until 1932, leaving his land and home as a park for all people.

The Crow Reservation is in south central Montana, bordered by Wyoming on the south, with its northwestern boundary about 10 miles from Billings.

For many years the vast coal deposits under the eastern portion of the reservation remained untapped. One mine is now in operation and providing royalty income and employment to tribal members. The Crow operate only a small portion of their irrigated or dry farm acreage and about 30 percent of their grazing land. They maintain a buffalo herd of 300 head.

Points Of Interest

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area And Yellowtail Dam

The canyon features spectacular scenery, wildlife viewing, boating, fishing and camping. There are two visitor centers, one at Fort Smith and one at Yellowtail Dam. Learn More Here .

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Reno-benteen Battlefield

These monuments commemorate the Sioux/Cheyenne victory over the Seventh Cavalry. The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument features museum exhibits, an interpretive center and ranger-led programs. Get more information here .

Chief Plenty Coups State Park

This is the home and grave site of the well-known Crow Chief, Plenty Coups. His home is a National Historic Landmark and the park also includes a visitor center and large scenic picnic area.

Little Big Horn College

Little Big Horn College is a public two-year community college chartered by the Crow Tribe of Indians. Eight Associate of Arts degrees are offered at the college.

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8 Things To Know Before Visiting Little Bighorn Battlefield

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The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is located within the Crow Indian Reservation near the intersection of Highway 212 and Interstate 90, about 60 miles east of Billings, Montana.

This is where, in 1876, a group of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Native Americans defeated the United States 7th Cavalry Regiment in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, also called the Battle of the Greasy Grass or Custer’s Last Stand.

The road from the highway to the site entrance leads gently uphill, with even higher hills ahead. The first thing I noticed was a field of uniform white headstones — unmistakably a military cemetery.

This is Custer National Cemetery , with approximately 5,000 graves. It was established after the battle and was later expanded. The lovely Superintendent’s Lodge , a two-story stone building from 1894, was one of the first permanent dwellings constructed in eastern Montana. Some believe that it is haunted . I’m happy to say that while I was certainly moved by the site, I had no supernatural experiences.

I browsed the selection of gifts and books in the visitor center and watched an introductory presentation. Later I was glad to come back for a break from the heat.

During your visit, you can walk or drive up Last Stand Hill to the two major monuments. The Deep Ravine walking trail leads down into the valley toward the river. Signs warn you to stay on the trails. Rattlesnakes were a good enough reason for me to do that!

A driving route with a self-guided cell phone audio tour runs for about 4.5 miles along the ridges to the Reno-Benteen Defense Site . The scenery is spectacular, vast, open, and quiet.

Here are eight things to know before planning a visit to the site.

Deatonphotos / Shutterstock

1. It’s Hard To Separate Fact From Fiction

The causes, events, and results of the battle are some of the most exhaustively studied pieces of American history, and controversies and questions abound. People have criticized Custer’s leadership, the other commanders’ actions, the Cavalry’s equipment, and so on. For many years afterward, people came forward claiming to be the sole survivor. Here are some of the basic, well-established facts.

On June 25, 1876, General George Armstrong Custer led part of the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army in an attack against an encampment of Native Americans in the valley of the Little Bighorn River. He and the 209 others with him were killed. The rest of the 7th, led by Major Marcus Reno and Captain Frederick Benteen, fared better, but the Native Americans had unquestionably shattered the myth of the unbeatable cavalry.

Estimates of the number of Native American deaths vary widely, from at least 30 out of 1,500 to possibly 3,000. In the 7th Cavalry Regiment, 274 out of about 700 were killed.

2. The Full Story Is Complicated

The U.S. government was determined to relocate all Native Americans in the area to reservations. Not all agreed to go.

The full story is a complicated tale of alliances, deals, betrayals, and — more recently — attempts at understanding. The blog Native Hope says, “To understand this battle means one must peel back many layers, but even then, there will be more accounts, more broken promises, and more tragedies added to its complexity.”

The main thing to know is that the Little Bighorn site is part of a history that is still being written.

EWY Media / Shutterstock

3. Perspectives On The Battle Have Changed Since 1876

As a Canadian, I first heard of Custer’s Last Stand on American television. Cartoons and comedians made General Custer the butt of their jokes. Oddly, this still happens.

Custer’s notable loss notwithstanding, many Westerns glorified the seemingly invincible U.S. Cavalry appearing over the hill.

For years after the battle, Custer and his men were considered heroes in the cause of settling the West. Custer faded to a household name, but with less of a mystique, over time. After the two World Wars, the events of the 1800s belonged to historians, not newspapers.

In the 1970 movie Little Big Man , Custer was depicted as a madman. The Native Americans were portrayed as individuals, not stereotypes.

That same year brought Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown. The American Indian Movement was underway. The Indians of All Tribes group occupied Alcatraz in protest.

In 1991, the name of the battlefield was changed from Custer’s Battlefield to Little Bighorn Battlefield.

Over time, more non-Native Americans began to understand that the mass slaughter of the buffalo on the prairies had abruptly ended the way of life of the Plains people in Canada and the U.S. It first hit me when I visited the Fort Walsh National Historic Site in Saskatchewan. While there, I learned about Sitting Bull, a Native American leader at Little Bighorn.

4. You’ll See Both White Marble And Red Granite Markers

Climbing Last Stand Hill, I was a bit surprised to see headstones scattered here and there.

The 7th Cavalry was so depleted that the best the men could do for their comrades after the battle was to dig shallow graves and try to be respectful. For years, there were attempts to find and bury whatever remains could be found. Some were sent back east for interment.

In 1890, Company D of the 25th Infantry placed 249 white marble headstones on the hillside to indicate where individual soldiers had died.

The Native American warriors’ families took their bodies away soon after the battle. Starting in 1999, red granite markers were placed on the battlefield to show the places where the Native American warriors fell.

5. Custer’s Remains Were Transferred From The Site Of The 7th U.S. Cavalry Memorial

The tall 7th U.S. Cavalry Memorial at the top of Last Stand Hill was erected in 1881. Below it, a mass grave holds the remains of the 7th Cavalry Regiment members.

A year after the battle, Custer’s remains were transferred from the battlefield to West Point Cemetery in New York.

Don Mammoser / Shutterstock

6. An Indian Memorial Was Recently Dedicated

The 2003 dedication of the Indian Memorial , also on the hilltop, changed the appearance and significance of the entire site. In 2019, a final dedication ceremony marked the completion of the memorial.

You can walk through and around the Indian Memorial, with a view of the landscape in each of the four directions. A simple wrought-iron sculpture makes a line drawing of spirit warriors on horseback, the sky behind and inside them.

It isn’t just the Lakota and the Cheyenne who are remembered here. The memorial honors their Arapaho allies and the Crow and Arikara who scouted for the 7th Cavalry.

7. There’s Even A Cemetery For The Horses

Many horses died in the battle. The 7th Cavalry shot some of their horses to make a last-ditch defensive wall. There’s a marker for the 1881 7th Cavalry Horse Cemetery on Last Stand Hill.

Mendenhall Olga / Shutterstock

8. After The Battle, Sitting Bull And Crazy Horse Continued To Resist Relocation

Sitting Bull, a spiritual leader and chief of the Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux, had a vision of soldiers falling into his camp like grasshoppers raining from the sky. The vision united and inspired others, including Crazy Horse and Chief Gall. They believed they would win a great battle.

The victory at Little Bighorn was decisive, but it didn’t end the war. The U.S. Army retaliated, still determined to move the Native Americans onto reservations.

On May 6, 1877, Crazy Horse surrendered. He died on September 5, 1877, of a bayonet wound.

Sitting Bull stayed in the U.S. for almost a year, but between the buffalo growing scarce and pressure from the Army, it was difficult. On May 5, 1877, Sitting Bull and his followers traveled north into Canada, where some other American Sioux were already living.

The buffalo were being hunted to extinction in Canada, too. Hungry and perhaps believing in promises of better treatment in the U.S., Sitting Bull returned with some of his people in 1881. He was killed by Indian agency police in 1890.

Other Things To Know Before You Go

The Crow Tribe offers guided tours of the site. You can also see the site on foot or by car with the audio cell phone tour. Don’t miss the drive to the Reno-Benteen site. It shows the vast scale of the landscape.

Bring your own food and drink, and dress for the weather. You’ll want water and sun protection in the summer.

The National Park Service’s website describes the monument’s accessibility features .

Pets are not allowed outside of cars.

Canadian writer Jill Browne lives in Calgary, Alberta, not far from Banff National Park. She travels regularly to London, England, often solo, and has lots of tips for walking and sightseeing there. Jill blogs about London history on LondonHeritageHotspots as well as on Instagram . She loves to plan family history trips for people, especially when their roots connect them to the British Isles. Her website, Genealogy And Travel is devoted to genealogy travel and family history tourism, no matter where you are. You don't have to fly to get in touch with your ancestry.

An experienced road tripper, Jill has driven across Canada and the U.S. multiple times. She and her geologist husband have explored some of Australia and the North Island of New Zealand by car, and are hoping to go back for more. Jill likes gardens, forests, and anything with plants, really. "Adventure without risking life and limb" is her travel motto, and the byline for her blog, Middle of the Road Less Travelled .

Visit the Crow Indian Reservation

Montana is home to several different reservations and native Americans. One such reservation is the Crow Indian Reservation, home to the Crow Tribe , and is located in areas of Yellowstone and Big Horn . This year marks the 99th Annual Crow Fair. Join in the festivities and celebration of the Annual Crow Fair. This year, the fair will take place from August 14 - 17, 2020. The annual Crow Fair was created to bring the tribe into modern society. Each year, the Crow Tribe welcomes all Native American tribes to the Great Plains of Montana for a family reunion under Big Sky country. The Crow Fair is the largest Northern Native American gathering and attracts nearly 45,000 participants and spectators. Similar to a County Fair, the Crow Fair displays the region’s culture, art, and accomplishments. There are also various contests like you would find at a County Fair. For example, there are contests for best butter, jam, crafts, woodcutting competitions, and more. During the Crow Fair, there is also a parade that celebrates the Crow Tribe. Most participants in the parade are members of the Crow Nation, and they dress in traditional garb, including their well-known beadwork, as the Crow Nation is known for the most technically proficient beading in the world. Another part of the celebration is the dance celebration, also known as a pow-wow. These pow-wows are held in the evenings or late afternoons during the fair . While the dancing is a form of celebration, there are also dance competitions during the pow-wows as well. A final aspect of the Crow Fair is the rodeo. During the event , professional Native American cowboys and cowgirls partake in many exciting activities, from wrangling to horse racing. This year, don’t miss out on the 99th annual Crow Fair.

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Crow Reservation

The Crow Tribe of Indians is a federally recognized tribe with a reservation located in the south-central part of Montana.  The word “Crow” was a mistranslation of Apsaalooke, which means “children of the large beaked bird”.

This kind of interesting history is all a part of the Crow Indian Reservation, which spans 2.2 million acres and is the largest in the state of Montana. It is located along the northern border of Wyoming and sits about 10 miles southeast from the city of Billings. Approximately 10,000 members of the tribe live on or near the reservation, which is about 75 percent of the total members.

The Crow Tribe actually migrated west to the plains, where they not only adopted the lifestyle of Plains Indians, by living in teepees and hunting buffalo, they also proved to be fierce warriors that were revered for their magnificent horses. They currently maintain a herd of 300 buffalo, as well as 30 percent grazing land. A small stretch of land is dry farm acreage.

Hidden under this vast land are ample reserves of coal deposits, which were undeveloped, until more recently. The Absaloka coal mine, which is now in operation, provides employment, as well as royalty income to the Crow tribe.

Educationally, the Crow Reservation hosts a college in the village of Crow Agency, where about half of the tribe speak Crow as their first language. The Big Horn College is a public two year community college, which is chartered by the Crow Tribe of Indians.

If you’re in Montana, during the summer months, you’ll want to attend the tribe’s annual celebrations, which include Crow Native Days in June, and the Crow Fair and Rodeo in the month of August. These events are a must and will take you into a world of colorful, majestic and awe inspiring traditions.

Crow Indian Reservation

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CROW INDIAN RESERVATION: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Crow Nation is a place where one could vanish – and many have

Bureaucratic loopholes, jurisdictional gaps, discrimination foster an epidemic of missing and murdered Native Americans.

Crow Agency, Montana – CJ Stewart’s cousin. BethYana Pease’s friend. Mary Amyette’s niece. Crow Nation is the sort of place where a person could vanish. And a place where many have.

Only a highway sign breaks the horizon of the wide, empty stretch of Interstate 90, marking the entrance to the sovereign Native American territory of the Crow tribe, and the line of demarcation between it and the rest of the US state of Montana. There are no lights on this portion of the road, no petrol stations, roadside attractions or coffee shops. This is Big Sky Country, with millions of hectares of seemingly unspoiled land extending in every direction across the tribal land.

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The largest of Montana’s seven tribal lands, Crow territory spans 890,300 hectares (2.2 million acres) for a population fewer than 8,000 people (another 3,000 or so live off the reservation, but mostly nearby). The reservation includes seven small towns, three massive mountain ranges, two major rivers, dozens of tributaries and vast amounts of ranch ground.

Its neighbouring tribe, the Northern Cheyenne, is 179,680 hectares (444,000 acres), with about 11,000 members, a little less than half of whom who live on the reservation. The two share a border, and a contentious history. They also both struggle with proximity to two major cities and the crime that they attract, as well as bordering state and federal parkland.

Like each of the seven federally recognised Native American reservations in Montana, and the nine tribes that call them home, the Crow and Northern Cheyenne share centuries worth of challenges, including the mysterious disappearances and murders of many of their own.

“The Missing Murdered Indigenous Women (movement), it’s big in Canada and the United States,” said BethYana Pease, an alderwoman in Lodge Grass, in Crow, “but I took a step back and looked at my community, and my area of Montana, and the Crow reservation, and the Northern Cheyenne reservation, there’s just as much children, and men missing and murdered as women.”

No one knows how many  Native Americans  have gone missing in the  United States  and that is a large part of the problem. 

Complicating matters is a complex tapestry of historical laws clashing with the demands of modern law enforcement, a dearth of accurate record-keeping and centuries-old discrimination that mean many who go missing are never found.

It is an epidemic impacting land-based tribes across the country and is particularly acute in Montana, where Native Americans are five times more likely to be reported missing than any other group in the state. Here in Crow Nation, disappearances from this sovereign territory have become so commonplace that nearly every member of the Crow tribe has a close friend or blood relative who has gone missing.

‘Every time a body is found, everyone holds their breath’

To hear Conrad “CJ” Stewart tell it, everyone in Crow Nation is related.

Credit the sparsely populated sovereign reservation roughly the size of Puerto Rico, or the tribe’s culture of adopting each other, and the occasional outsider, so that no one is ever without family. But the result is the same: a tight-knit, extended family that knows each other’s secrets. So, when a member of the tribe inexplicably vanishes without a trace, it rips a hole in the fabric of the community. When that disappearance is followed by another, and another, and another, the Crow are often forced to turn to outside law enforcement for help that doesn’t seem to be coming.

“Every time a body is found, everyone holds their breath,”  said Sharon Stewart-Peregoy, a Democratic member of the Montana House of Representatives, who previously represented Senate District 21 – including Crow Agency – and is a cousin of CJ Stewart.

Another cousin of CJ Stewart, whom he calls his sister, Freda Knows His Gun, was last seen by her family in October 2016. People have reported seeing her in nearby Hardin, or in Billings, just outside the reservation’s western boundary. But those sightings are unconfirmed, as is the rumour that she took off to Washington state with a man named Mike.

Like many of the people who have gone missing from Crow, Freda didn’t leave a trace, but she did leave three children, who her mother, Barbara Susan Stewart, is raising. 

At a graduation party for CJ Stewart’s son at the Crow Tribal Multipurpose Center in Crow Agency last year, Barbara Stewart wore her pain on her face. She doesn’t know what happened to Freda, but she knows one thing with a mother’s intuition – somewhere in the world, her daughter is still alive.

“I would know in my womb if she was dead,” Barbara said, her brow furrowed permanently by worry, both by the unanswered questions and by the strain of raising Freda’s children. Barbara suffered a head trauma some time ago and the weight of that, too, plays across her visage. “I don’t know if she’s mad at me, but it doesn’t matter. She needs to come back. Her children need her. I can’t give them what they need.”

Of the several hundred people gathered at the party that day, nearly everyone knew someone who has disappeared, many more than one, and many know several of the same.

Seven tribes, similar challenges

Pease, the alderwoman in Lodge Grass, and a tribal volunteer, can rattle off the names of the missing like the names of her own children.

There is her friend, Bonnie, “my homegirl”, she calls her, who went missing after a party one Friday night two years ago. Bonnie had six kids and a steady job and rarely went out more than one night a week so when she did not come home, her mother started reaching out to friends. Finally, someone who had been at the party told Bonnie’s mother that she had been left behind on the mountain. 

“She told the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) officers, and nobody would go up there, so as a family, we went up there, and we found her within 45 minutes,” Pease said. “She was under this brush, and they followed foot tracks right to her. She was found all beat up and the cops said, she died of exposure. But her body was flayed out, her shirt was up, her shoes weren’t found, and it looked like someone dragged her there.” Because the cause of death was listed as exposure rather than foul play, the police closed the case.

There was also Roylynn Rides Horse, who was beaten, strangled and set on fire in Crow in April of 2016. She walked three kilometres (two miles) after the attack, according to local reports, and collapsed in a field where she lay for 14 hours before being found. She died two months later. Three people were convicted of charges related to her death but could offer no explanation of why they had attacked the young woman.

Pease spoke of Hanna “Bear” Harris, a 21-year old mother who had been raped and beaten to death, and whose partially clad body was found dumped on the rodeo grounds in Lame Deer, in the Northern Cheyenne reservation in 2013.

She was found four days after her death, by then already badly decomposed and covered with maggots. According to Pease, it was Hanna’s mother who tracked down the couple who had killed her daughter, asking friends for information, requesting footage from CCTV cameras where she had last been seen, and compiling the evidence to present to the police, who had repeatedly brushed off her attempts to report Hanna missing.

A community uproar forced the police to press charges after nine months, although they were not the charges the family expected. The accused had reportedly confessed the murder to a family member, however, prosecutors said the state of Hanna’s body hindered their ability to gather evidence. Ultimately, the man was sentenced to 10 years for dumping Hanna’s body, and his wife received 22 years for second-degree murder; charges, Pease believes, the community should not have had to fight so hard to get.

To raise awareness about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) movement, Pease has organised a series of protest marches, community-building initiatives and social media outreach. In May 2018, she organised a walk from the Northern Cheyenne land to the Crow land. A small group of protesters carried the flags of their tribes as they marched along a stretch of highway.

During the march, a group of about a dozen people – walkers, drivers, supporters – told similar stories, of men and women who had vanished, later found dead, with explanations that no one in the community believes, and justice that seems to come in whispers, if at all.

“It was eight years ago last Christmas,” Mary Amyette said in a voice that began conversationally, then held the slightest hint of a quiver as she spoke about the disappearance of her niece, Juliet Little Light, her partner, Teddy Little Light, and their son Wyatt in 2008. “She was going to the store [in Billings] and she called to ask if I needed anything. When we got off the phone, she said, ‘I love you, auntie. I’ll see you soon.’ And that was the last time I ever heard from her.” 

A few days later, Juliet’s grandmother died, and when Juliet did not reappear for the funeral, the family reported her missing and began a search. They found the couple’s vehicle nine metres off the road in a remote part of the reservation, near a private ranch, a canyon and a river.

“It was in the middle of nowhere,” Amyette said. “The doors were open, and the wallet, and keys, and all their purchases were still in the car. The cops said it looked like they just got out and ran.”

Five months later, Juliet and Teddy’s bones were found, very near to where the family had set up the basecamp to search for them. Their cause of death was listed as exposure.

Officials said their remains had been hidden by the snow and were only exposed after it melted. Amyette doesn’t believe it, and suspects the remains were put there after all evidence had been destroyed.

Their baby, Wyatt, was never found.

‘We can’t rely on others’

Neither Wyatt’s name, nor that of Freda Knows His Gun, nor the others are in an official national database for missing indigenous people. That is because no such database exists. 

This spring, Montana Governor Steve Bullock, who is also a 2020 presidential candidate, signed Hanna’s Act, aimed at addressing some of the gaps in investigations into the state’s missing and murdered indigenous people.

The new law authorises the Montana Department of Justice to assist with the investigation of all missing persons cases, regardless of the age of the victim, and requires the agency to hire a missing persons specialist to oversee data collection, liaise with families, and work with other state and federal agencies.

In 2018, the US Senate designated May 5, Hanna “Bear” Harris’s birthday, as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls. This year, the White House also recognised the day as Missing and Murdered Native American Indians and Alaskan Natives Awareness Day, and pledged to “capture tribal data in new data fields” in the national missing persons database.

But the legislation and designated days will not help those already missing.

“We had, in this country, a period of apartheid, if you will, that continues to linger,” said Montana State Attorney General Tim Fox, an adopted member of the Crow tribe.

There is no easy answer to why this is true.

Tribes are frequently hamstrung by a series of historical, federal and non-tribal local laws, often enacted under the guise of providing protections to tribes, which usually disempower their members and exploit their resources to the benefit of the non-tribal governments. This matrix of overlapping laws, enacted over centuries, leaves a conflicting legal framework that is nearly impossible to navigate.

The Treaty with the Crow Tribe of 1825 is one of the few friendship treaties between the US and a land-based tribe, and is widely interpreted to provide a NATO-like agreement of mutual defence, between the Crow tribe and the federal government. It is an agreement that the Crow have upheld from the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876 to the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is a treaty that some Crow members say should carry reciprocity, and that military-like support is what is needed to combat the issues on the reservation.

The Major Crimes Act, passed in 1885, grants jurisdiction to federal courts, exclusive of the states, over Native Americans who commit any of the listed offences, regardless of whether the victim is a Native American or non-Native American. Those offences include murder, manslaughter, rape, assault with intent to kill, burglary, among others. Before 1885, any crimes committed by a Native American against another Native American were tried in tribal court.

“The Major Crimes Act is what caused all of our problems,” said Sharon Stewart-Peregoy. 

In 1924, following the first world war, in which many Native Americans fought alongside federal troops in Europe, the US government passed the Indian Citizenship Act. Proponents of the act claimed that Native Americans were people “without a country” and that citizenship would further assimilation.

Public Law 280, enacted in 1953, transferred law enforcement jurisdiction for crimes committed on tribal lands from the federal government to the state. In Montana, PL280 is “not mandatory” although the state has by turns enforced it or not, often on a reservation-by-reservation basis.

In Oliphant v Suquamish Indian Tribe (1978), the Supreme Court ruled that federally recognised tribes had no authority to criminally prosecute non-tribal offenders, even for crimes committed on reservations. This meant tribal lands offered a sort of free-for-all for the worst offenders, who, in many cases, even today, get away with murder.

The 2013 reauthorisation of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), signed into law six years ago, attempted to close some of these loopholes by allowing tribes that met specific conditions to prosecute some cases of domestic abuse and assault by non-tribal citizens.

We're not recognised in the eyes of humanity, as human. by  CJ Stewart

The VAWA also comes with significant restrictions: Tribes cannot prosecute crimes against children, cases involving drugs or alcohol or crimes “occurring within the criminal justice system”. There was also early confusion about the federal definition of “statutory violence” and how that applied to the scope of what tribes could prosecute.

“That’s what really frustrates us,” CJ Stewart said. “The Violence Against Women Act gave tribal courts capabilities, but what they’ve done is they have to jump through so many hoops that I think the only [tribe] who has that capacity right now is the Salish.” 

The VAWA also does not address several of the underlying issues with law enforcement on tribal lands, including the shortage of officers and the high costs of detaining offenders.

“That tells you right there how people probably look at us, and how people probably look at our kids, and that we’re just not human,” CJ  Stewart  said. “That we’re people they can just abuse and reuse anytime they want, and kill … it’s nothing to them. We’re not recognised in the eyes of humanity, as human.”

Pease added that “in a perfect world” she wished everyone who got killed was murdered in Billings or Hardin or outside the tribal lands.

“Because then people would go to jail. Something would happen. But if somebody gets killed here, nothing,” she said.

Disempowering empowerment

According to families, authorities also suggest that many missing indigenous people are simply leaving the reservations without telling anyone, but Pease and CJ Stewart rejected that argument.

“With Crow people and Cheyenne people, we’re very family oriented and even if we’re not related, we still take care of our own around here,” Pease said. “So, if I shun my son, he’s going to turn around and go to his grandma, or go to his auntie, and even if you don’t have that family base, you always have a friend’s mom who loves you just as much.”

CJ Stewart put it more bluntly: “If they leave without telling anybody, something happened.”

Pease also questioned where members of her community would go.

“They don’t know anybody. They don’t have the resources,” Pease said. “Maybe some of them did just go and commit suicide and get lost into the world. But I mean, they’re not just going to partner up with someone and run off.”

The FBI is responsible for investigating kidnappings and homicides that occur on tribal lands – two of the main reasons people vanish in Crow country and elsewhere – but proving someone has disappeared for those reasons and not just wandered off, or died of exposure from being left on a mountain, can be difficult without witnesses coming forward or immediate evidence suggesting foul play. Because of this, most people call the BIA first when someone goes missing, but that, too, comes with its own frustrations.

“Whenever anything happens, we call BIA. They don’t care,” Pease said. Her statement was echoed repeatedly by tribal members on multiple reservations in Montana. “Seventy-five percent of the time, they don’t give a s***. Twenty-five percent of the time, they lack officers. We are a 2.2-million-acre reservation. We have six officers. And they can’t be on shift all the time.”

Tribal members blame the lack of officers and the fact that they’re federal employees who will collect a salary and benefits whether they sit in their office in Billings or patrol the reservation. They cite the lack of motivation to respond to a call in the far reaches of the reservation, when a crime might be committed on one end but the jail is on the other, and the paperwork needs to be delivered to a third location. Most of the officers are in Billings and the impression among tribal members is that most are content to stay there.

Brandi Bends, a BIA officer based in Billings who is half Crow and half Cheyenne and whose family is from Lodge Grass, said the biggest barrier to solving the cases is a lack of law enforcement resources.

“So many of the problems facing the Crow and the Northern Cheyenne start in the home. The drug epidemic has changed life here and made policing more difficult. People on drugs are more erratic, more violent and more prone to resist,” Bends said.

“We do the best that we can do.”

This sense – that Native Americans can simply vanish, that law enforcement resources are not sufficient and witnesses will not come forward – causes a seeping despair among the Crow and consternation in the attorney general’s office.

To combat the epidemic, Fox, who is also running for governor, recently implemented a Missing Persons Indigenous Task Force, announced he will hire a Missing Persons Specialist to work with the task force, and held joint training for local, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement agencies aimed at greater collaboration on missing persons cases in Montana, with an emphasis on Native Americans. 

“I can’t even imagine the pain and the fear that revolves around having a loved one who disappears and you don’t know why they’re gone or where they went,” Fox said. “Many of them have tragic outcomes. We do eventually locate people and they may be deceased.”

For Pease, finding people after they are deceased is not good enough.

‘We need hope’

Outsiders may ask how this can be fixed, as though there is a magic formula that will erase centuries of discrimination, as though enough funding, enough training, enough economic opportunities will end systemic violence and death. The members of the Crow are patient with such a question, more patient and tolerant of an outsider asking questions than anyone would expect, when outsiders asking questions has not always ended well for the tribe.

”People by  ”BethYana

, it’s always going to be the same. No one cares. If we can show people that we care enough around here, and we can show people that we can help, they might think this isn’t a lost cause.”]

But they have the answers, every one: Allow the tribes to manage their own economic development. Remove restrictions on the tribes prosecuting non-tribal offenders. Honour the mutual-defence intention of the friendship treaty. Reaffirm tribal culture to counter the decades of shame that forced family separations, negative media depictions and sexual objectification of tribal women have wrought. Be a partner in finding solutions. And if not, get out of the way.

“We need hope,” CJ Stewart said. “There is no system to measure the agony that the tribes are going through with situations with this. I’m not depending on the government to save us, but just like the tribe, we need each other to save each other.”

For Pease, making people aware of the sheer magnitude of the problem is its own challenge. “I want the state, I want the county, I want federal, I want everybody to be aware that this problem is huge here, and it’s not just Northern Cheyenne and the Crow reservation. This happens in Hayes, this happens in Fort Peck, this happens in Browning.”

It also happens in land-based tribes throughout the country, down the wide, open stretches of highway that connects them, and beneath the same expansive sky.

“People think, this is the [reservation], it’s always going to be the same. No one cares,” Pease said. “If we can show people that we care enough around here, and we can show people that we can help, they might think this isn’t a lost cause.”

CROW MISSIONS

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1 chronicles 22:19a, 104th annual crow fair.

Crow Fair 2023 took place under the new arbor and surrounding encampment. Our family enjoyed getting to experience the culture and history of this fabulous event. It is also known as the "Tipi Capital of the World" with around 1,500 tipis. We got to see many of our church family there, which made the experience that much more real for our kids. One of our church kids, Third, danced for the first time this year. This great picture was captured of him by a photographer I follow on Facebook. I couldn't help but purchase it in support of the business, but look how handsome Third is! We look forward to many more Crow Fairs in our future. This was definitely not our last Powwow. 

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CROW NATION FACTS

The Crow Reservation is in south-central Montana. Its area is about 2,300,000 acres (9,300 km2), making it the fifth-largest Indian reservation in the United States and the largest of seven in Montana.

The Crow Tribe has a membership of approximately 11,000, of whom approximately 7,900 reside on the Crow Indian Reservation in south central Montana.

In the past, they lived in the Yellowstone River valley, which is in Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota. Today, they are federally recognized as the Crow Tribe of Montana.

Since the 19th century, most Crow people have lived on their reservation that is south of Billings, Montana.

Crow comes from Apsáalooke which means "children of the large-beaked bird".

Flag of the Crow Nation

Respectful Travel in Indian Country

Understanding the tribes and showing respect.

Montana’s Indian Country is a scenic, sacred, and storied destination that’s home to 12 tribes, each with unique cultures, histories, languages, and traditions.

While Montana’s Indian Country is diverse, one thing all tribal communities share is friendly people who welcome respectful visitors.

While our general advice for visiting Montana applies to Indian Country too, here are some extra tips to help set you up for a great experience.

BATTLEFIELDS

Montana is home to several  historic sites and battlefields  involving Native Americans. These locations provide some of the most educational and humbling experiences you’ll find in Montana and should be treated with reverence.

A powwow is a family-friendly celebration that’s open to the public. Most powwows occur on Indian Reservations during the summer months and run for multiple days.  Click here  for a list of events and inquire with the host tribe for specific schedules, which may be flexible.

Powwows center on a dance arbor with seating for visitors to watch traditional drumming, singing, and dancing performed in colorful regalia. Additionally, there will be vendors with arts, crafts, and foods for sale, including Indian tacos (made with frybread). Plan for enough time to browse the vendors, and bring some cash to buy lunch or dinner and a handmade souvenir.

In general, there is no cost to attend a powwow. Some may accept voluntary donations or charge a nominal fee for special events like Indian Relay or a rodeo.

For most parts of the powwow, it is appropriate to applaud and take pictures of groups of performers. Some powwows may include songs, dances, prayers, or special ceremonies to honor elders, veterans, or other members of the tribe. To be respectful, it is customary to set down the camera, stand, and remove any headgear. Normally the emcee will keep visitors apprised of the happenings, but when in doubt, follow the lead of the audience.

If you’d like to photograph an individual performer, please ask for permission first and refrain from touching any part of his or her regalia. For a list of events in Indian Country,  click here.

RECREATIONAL ACCESS

Some areas of Indian Reservations may be open to residents or members of the tribe only. Additionally, certain outdoor recreation activities, including hunting and fishing, require permits issued by the tribe. Plan to research any specific requirements in advance by visiting the websites of the tribal governments or by calling ahead with any questions. Once you’re on location, be sure to respect any posted signs and local law enforcement.

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Pompeys Pillar has been a significant site to several American Indian Tribes of the Northern Plains from prehistory into the modern era. American Indians have visited and inhabited the site of Pompeys Pillar for over 11,000 years to hunt, live, trade, and perform rituals.  

Land Acknowledgement   

Pompeys Pillar is within the homeland of the Apsaalooke, or Crow people. One Crow name for the Pillar is, Iishbiiammaache, or “The Mountain Lion’s Lodge.” In addition to the Crow, Pompeys Pillar has been an important landmark to numerous other American Indian Tribes throughout history and prehistory, including members of the Shoshone, Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Blackfeet and Salish tribes.   

  Ethnographic and archaeological evidence indicate that the Pillar has been a place of ritual and religious activity for several American Indian tribes for over 11,000 years. Hundreds of pictographs and petroglyphs on the face of the rock reflect the importance of the monument to early peoples.    

American Indian Tribes of Montana    

Pompeys Pillar National Monument flies and recognizes the flags of the eight federally recognized tribes of Montana:   

•   Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation  

Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana  

Chippewa-Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy's Reservation  

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation  

Crow Tribe of Montana  

Fort Belknap Indian Community of the Fort Belknap Reservation of Montana  

Little Shell  

Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation  

Prehistory   

Pompeys Pillar lies within a prehistoric travel corridor. The rock’s premier location at a natural ford in the Yellowstone River, and its geologic distinction as the only major sandstone formation in the area, have made Pompeys Pillar a celebrated landmark and outstanding observation point for more than eleven thousand years of human occupation.  

Archaeological evidence of extensive prehistoric use and past occupation of the Pillar area by American Indians has been discovered at various depths below ground. These materials appear to be the remains of hunting and living camps, probably occupied by relatively small groups of people for short periods of time. The remains of butchered bison and other animals along with mussels from the nearby Yellowstone River are scattered among flaked stone tools and debris around small surface hearths. The ancient camps were buried by slow-moving flood waters soon after abandonment, preserving organic and other materials in place, with later occupations leaving remains on the new, higher surfaces.  

The Pillar was used for centuries as a favored campsite by Crows and other groups as they traveled through the area on hunting, trading, war, or other expeditions. Ethnographic and archaeological evidence suggest that the Pillar was also a place of ritual and religious activity.  

Crow Ethnography  

One common Crow name for the Pillar is Iishbiiammaache [“ish – bia – machya”] - variously translated as “Where the Mountain Lion Lies,” “The Mountain Lion’s Lodge,” or “Where the Mountain Lion Preys.” Other Crow names for the Pillar include Uuxhilíatte, meaning Hill near the Yellowstone River, and Iisbíiaassaao – Mountain Lion’s Home.   

One Crow legend reported that Pompey's Pillar was once attached to the sandstone bluffs on the north side of the Yellowstone River. At one point, however, the rock detached itself from the cliffs and rolled across the river to its present site. Contemporary geologic studies confirm the Pillar is a detached monumental outcrop of sandstone that was separated from the sandstone bluffs on the north side of the Yellowstone River by erosion.  

Rock Images   

Hundreds of ancient rock images including petroglyphs and pictographs have been found and documented on Pompeys Pillar. Pictographs are images carved into rock and pictographs are images painted on rock. A range of different styles are depicted, indicating both a long time depth of usage and usage by people of different cultural traditions. The elements of rock images on Pompeys Pillar attributed to American Indians include faintly incised square-shouldered anthropomorphs (human-like form).  

American Indian pictographs and petroglyphs at Pompeys Pillar have been written over by Euro-American names and dates in most cases. Extant fragments of them are decipherable, and it is likely that more exist. Most of these images are likely Crow, but other tribes are likely represented.  

Early Historic Documentation    

In 1805, French-Canadian fur-trader, Francois Antoine Larocque, wrote of journeying with a band of Crows through the area around Pompeys Pillar, and also noted “… a whitish perpendicular rock [Pompeys Pillar] on which was sketched with red soil a battle between three people on horseback and three others on foot.”  

In 1806, William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition made several entries in his journal recording seeing “signs” of the Crow, but never actually encountered them. He noted seeing a “lodge” built on an island near Pompeys Pillar, the “smoke” of the Crow Indians, and upon reaching the Pillar noted “The Indians have made 2 piles of stone on top of this Tower. The natives here ingrave (sic) on the face of the rock the figures of animals and near which I marked my name and the day and the month and year.”   

American writer Thomas LeForge also documented Crow use of a ford from Pompeys Pillar north to a creek of the same name which drained south into the Yellowstone River. He also noted that the landmark was used as a rendezvous point for war parties, perhaps because of this ford.   

Crow Territory and Treaties  

Pompeys Pillar, or the Mountain Lion’s Lodge, is part of the traditional territory of the Crow Tribe. Pompeys Pillar was located in the center of the lands traditionally used by the Crow before the reservation period and into the turn of the 19th century. At the time of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, there was a local abundance of buffalo around Pompeys Pillar which the Crow relied on for food, clothing, and lifestyle. The Crow tribe lived and travelled in small groups but came together for special events such as dances and large buffalo hunts.   

In 1825 a number of tribes in the northern plains, Including the Crow, signed a treaty of friendship with the United States government. This was the first step in the official long-standing relationship between the US Government and the Crow tribe.   

The 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie included Pompeys Pillar in the first officially designated Crow Indian territory. This treaty between seven Plains tribes and the US Government designated territorial boundaries, allowed the US to build roads and forts through tribal land, and granted tribes annuities for fifty years (later reduced to ten years).   

The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie established the Crow Reservation and included Pompeys Pillar within its boundaries. The Crow Reservation was significantly reduced and confined to the south side of the Yellowstone River, making Pompeys Pillar the northernmost boundary of the reservation. The treaty was a response to continued Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho involvement on the nearby Bozeman Trail, increased demands for tribal lands, and pressure from southwestern Montana mining and ranching interests. In 1868, the US government called a gathering of the northern Great Plain tribes to Fort Laramie to end fighting and re-establish the boundaries set in 1851. The resulting treaty further reduced Indian territory, closed the Bozeman trail, and included several provisions to encourage a transition to farming and to move the tribes "closer to the white man's way of life."   

Land Cession  

In 1882 and 1892, the Crow Reservation was reduced by an additional three million acres. The tribe ceded territory east and south of the Yellowstone River in response to mounting pressure from local farmers and ranchers in the Yellowstone Valley, mining interests in the Beartooth Mountains, and the Northern Pacific Railroad.   

The Dawes Act of 1887 (sometimes called the Dawes Severalty Act or General Allotment Act), passed under President Grover Cleveland, allowing the federal government to break up tribal lands. The federal government aimed to assimilate American Indians into mainstream US society by encouraging them towards farming and agriculture, which meant dividing tribal lands into individual plots. Only the American Indians who accepted the division of tribal lands were allowed to become US citizens.   

Pompeys Pillar Ceded  

In 1899, the Crow Tribe ceded another 1,150,000 acres south of the Yellowstone River (including the site of Pompeys Pillar) to the federal government for $1.15 million. The agreement was not ratified by Congress until 1904 and stipulated that if Crow tribal members claimed and farmed an allotment they could stay in the area. The ceded area, including Pompeys Pillar, was not opened to non-Indian settlement until 1911.  

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Complete guide to the Flathead Indian Reservation – Past, present, tourism

Did you know that the Flathead Indian Reservation is home to one of the three wild bison populations in Montana? These majestic animals roam freely on the National Bison Range, a wildlife refuge established in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt. 

The Flathead Indian Reservation, located in western Montana on the Flathead River, is a 1.3 million-acre (533,000 ha) area where the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d’Oreilles tribes reside. These tribes are also known as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) of the Flathead Nation. The reservation was created through the Treaty of Hellgate in 1855, through which the tribes ceded much of their ancestral lands to the United States government.

In this article, we explore the history, culture, and top things to see on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana. Discover the tribe’s challenges and achievements, their traditions and values, their relationship with the land and the environment, and how to best experience the reservation in 2024.

Table of contents:

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The Flathead Indian Reservation, home to the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, is a 1.3 million-acre expanse in western Montana, known for the National Bison Range, Flathead Lake State Park, Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge, various outdoor recreation opportunities, and the St Ignatius mission.

Who lives on the Flathead Reservation?

The Flathead Indian Reservation is home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, which is comprised of the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d’Oreilles tribes. These tribes trace their heritage back more than 10,000 years in this region of America. Today, the reservation has roughly 30,000 residents, of which 27% identify as Native American.

What are the principal towns on the Flathead Reservation?

The principal towns on the Flathead Indian Reservation include:

• Polson. The capital of the Flathead Indian Reservation (pop. 5,148)
• Ronan. A city just south of Flathead Lake (pop. 1,955)
• Charlo. A historic town near the Bison Range (pop. 385)
• St. Ignatius. A former mission built in 1854 (pop. 768)
• Hot Springs . A historic town with hot springs (pop. 557)

What language do they speak on the Flathead Reservation?

The Bitterroot Salish, Pend d’Oreille, and Kootenai tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation speak three different languages. The Bitterroot Salish and the Pend d’Oreille speak similar dialects of the Salishian language, while The Kootenai speak Kootenai, a language isolate that is unrelated to the Salishian languages spoken by many of the tribes of the Northwest United States.

What religion is on the Flathead Reservation?

Traditional religious beliefs of the Salish, Pend d’Oreille, and Kootenai tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation were founded on guardian spirits. However, as a result of religious acculturation that began in the 1800s with the arrival of Jesuit missionaries, the primary religion on the Flathead Indian Reservation today is Roman Catholicism.

Can you vacation on an Indian reservation?

Yes, you can vacation on an Indian reservation! Economic and social problems are prevalent on Montana’s Indian reservations and warrant common sense from any visitor. Still, the state’s seven reservations feature natural landscapes, museums, annual events, and historic points of interest, making them great destinations for short-term vacations.

Who owns the land on the Flathead Reservation?

As a result of the Allotment Act of 1904, the Salish, Pend d’Oreille, and Kootenai tribes lost about 50% of reservation land to settlers. After reacquiring much of that land, today 63% of reservation land is tribally owned. Thirty-two percent is private fee land and 5% belongs to federal or state governments.

The history of the Flathead Indian Reservation dates back to 1855, when the Treaty of Hellgate was signed between the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d’Oreilles tribes and the United States government. The treaty established a reservation for the exclusive use of the tribes, covering an area of about 1.3 million acres (533,000 ha) in western Montana.

However, the treaty was not respected by the US government and the white settlers, who encroached on the reservation lands and resources.

The tribes faced many conflicts and challenges leading up to the reservation’s establishment, such as the removal of the Bitterroot Salish from their homeland in 1891, from where they were forced onto the Flathead Reservation.

Once they had relocated to the reservation, they faced continued hardships, including the allotment of tribal lands to individual households in 1904 which sold significant portions of tribal land to settlers, the Indian Termination Policy , and the forced assimilation of the children in boarding schools.

Despite these hardships, the tribes managed to preserve and strengthen their culture and identity. Some of the key historical events and figures that shaped the reservation and its culture into what they are today include:

• The establishment of the National Bison Range in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt, which protected the only wild bison herd in Montana and provided a source of income for the tribes.
• The formation of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation in 1935, which united the three tribes under a common constitution and government.
• The leadership of Chief Charlo , a respected tribal chief who resisted the removal of the Bitterroot Salish, but ultimately led his tribe on a 75-mile march to the reservation in 1891.
• The activism of D’Arcy McNickle , a prominent writer, educator, and advocate for Native American rights and sovereignty and a member of the Salish Kootenai Nation.
• The revival of the Arlee Powwow , one of the largest cultural celebrations of the tribe dating back to 1898.

The culture of the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana is diverse and vibrant, as it reflects the heritage and identity of the three tribes that live on the reservation: the Bitterroot Salish, the Kootenai, and the Pend d’Oreille. Each tribe has its own language, traditions, beliefs, and values, but they also share some common elements and influences.

Bitterroot Salish

The Bitterroot Salish speak a dialect of the Salish language, which belongs to the Salishan language family. They are known for their oral history and storytelling, which preserve their ancestral knowledge and wisdom. They also practice various ceremonies and rituals, such as the sweat lodge, the spirit dance, and the bitterroot feast . They value respect, generosity, and harmony with nature.

Learn more: History of the Bitterroot Salish Tribe

The Kootenai speak a language that is unrelated to any other known language and is considered a language isolate. They also speak Ktunaxa Sign Language ( a·qanⱡiⱡⱡitnam ). They are known for their craftsmanship and artistry, especially in basketry, beadwork, and quillwork. They value courage, honesty, and loyalty.

Pend d’Oreille

The Pend d’Oreille speak a dialect of the Salish language, similar to the Bitterroot Salish. They are known for their fishing and hunting skills. They also have a strong spiritual connection to the land and the water, and honor their ancestors and elders. They value peace, friendship, and cooperation.

Learn more: History of the Pend d’Oreille Tribe

The geography of the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana is diverse and scenic, as it covers an area of 1.3 million acres (533,000 ha) in western Montana. The reservation has land in four counties: Lake, Sanders, Missoula, and Flathead, and contains the southern half of Flathead Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River in the United States.

The reservation is surrounded by the Bitterroot Range, the Mission Mountains, and the Cabinet Mountains. These mountains provide a habitat for many wildlife species, such as grizzly bears, wolves, elk, deer, and mountain goats. The reservation also hosts the National Bison Range, a wildlife refuge that protects one of only three wild bison herds in Montana.

The reservation has abundant water resources, such as Flathead Lake, the Flathead River, and the Jocko River, which support a variety of fish species, such as trout, bass, and kokanee, making for excellent fishing opportunities.

Still, the reservation has faced some unique environmental issues and challenges around water rights and wildlife management. It wasn’t until 2022 that stewardship of the National Bison Range was returned to the tribes.

Water rights have also been a contentious issue at times, as the tribes have to negotiate with the state and the federal government over the allocation and use of water on the reservation. Wildlife management is a complex task, as the tribes have to balance the conservation and restoration of wildlife with the protection and development of human interests.

The economy of the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana is diverse and dynamic as it reflects the interests and aspirations of the tribes that live there.

The main sources of income and employment for the reservation are:

• Health services
• Transportation
• Warehousing

The reservation faces several economic opportunities and challenges related to poverty, unemployment, and education:

• Poverty . According to the U.S. Census Bureau 1 , the poverty rate on the reservation is 20.2%, higher than the state average of 12.1%. 2
• Unemployment. The unemployment rate on the reservation is 3.7% 3 , also slightly higher than the state average of 3.2% 4 .
• Education. Educational attainment for the reservation is lower than the state average, with 91.5% of the population having a high school diploma or higher, compared to 94.5% for the state. 5

However, the reservation also has many economic development and innovation initiatives that aim to improve the living standards and well-being of the tribal members and the community.

Some of these initiatives include:

• The development of renewable energy projects , such as the Seli’š Ksanka Qlispe’ Dam (formerly the Kerr Dam), which dates back to 1938. This hydroelectric dam is owned and operated by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and provides electricity and revenue for the reservation.
• The promotion of entrepreneurship and small business development , such as S&K Technologies, which is a family of companies that provide engineering, aerospace, and information technology services to government and commercial clients.
• The advancement of technology and innovation , such as the establishment of Salish Kootenai College, a tribal college that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in various fields including nursing, forestry, digital design, and education.

As previously mentioned, the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana is home to the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d’Oreilles tribes, collectively known as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation.

The reservation was established by the Treaty of Hellgate in 1855, but its governance has been contested and modified by various federal policies and laws over the years.

Today, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes is a sovereign nation with its own constitution, flag, and seal. Its complex governance structure and legal status reflects its history and diversity.

Tribal council

The tribal council is the governing body of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, composed of 10 members. The council elects a chairman, vice chairman, secretary, and treasurer from within.

Tribal courts

The tribal courts are the judicial branch of the tribal government, consisting of a trial court and an appellate court.

The tribal courts have jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters involving tribal members. The reservation is also subject to federal laws and regulations, as the tribes are federally recognized and have a government-to-government relationship with the United States.

Alliances and partnerships

The CSKT is a member of the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council, which is a coalition of 11 tribes in the Rocky Mountain region that works on common issues and advocates for tribal rights and interests.

They are also affiliated with the National Congress of American Indians, which is the oldest and largest organization of tribal governments in the United States, representing the interests of over 500 tribes and advocating for their inherent and legal rights.

The Flathead Indian Reservation has a diverse educational system and opportunities for its residents, both tribal and non-tribal. The reservation has 13 public schools, serving students from kindergarten to 12th grade.

The tribal college, Salish Kootenai College (SKC), offers bachelor and graduate degrees, as well as certificate programs, in various fields of study ranging from nursing to digital design. The college has 600 students, of which about 60% are Native American. The reservation also provides scholarships and financial aid for its tribal members.

About 27% of the reservation’s population have a high school degree or equivalent and about 19% have a bachelor’s degree 6 .

The reservation still faces barriers and gaps in their educational system, such as a lack of adequate funding and resources and high turnover rates. They also face a shortage of qualified teachers and staff and low attendance and retention rates due to various social and economic issues affecting the students and their families.

Like many of Montana’s Indian reservations, the Flathead Indian Reservation also faces unique health crises.

The reservation’s significant health disparities include higher rates of poverty and unemployment, illness, drug abuse, and mortality than the state average as well as lower access to quality health care and preventive services.

The rates of students on the Flathead Indian Reservation who have used inhalants at some point in their student careers and drank alcohol before turning 13 are higher than state averages 8 . Additionally, Native Americans across Montana die on average 18 years younger than non-native Montanans 10 .

Still, the reservation offers various health services and programs as it seeks to improve the health and well-being of its residents, both tribal and non-tribal, such as the Tribal Health Department.

The Tribal Health Department provides primary care, dental care, behavioral health, public health, and community health services to tribal members and their eligible beneficiaries.

The history, nature, and culture of the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana are rich and varied, providing wonderful experiences for visitors.

Some of the points of cultural and historical interest on the Flathead Indian Reservation include:

• National Bison Range. The National Bison Range was established in 1908 to help conserve and regenerate the American bison population . It is one of the oldest wildlife refuges in the nation and covers roughly 18,800 acres of grassland, wetland, and forest. Visitors can see bison, elk, deer, antelope, and other wildlife on a scenic drive or hiking trails.
• Three Chiefs Culture Center. A museum and cultural center that showcases the history, culture, and art of the Salish, Pend d’Oreille, and Kootenai people. It offers exhibits, workshops, events, and a gift shop with authentic Native American crafts.
• St. Ignatius Mission. A historic Catholic mission founded in 1854 by Jesuit missionaries. It is known for its impressive murals painted by Brother Joseph Carignano, an Italian cook and self-taught artist. The mission offers self-guided tours and features a museum in the original log church and another small home dating back to the mid-19th century, which has served as a convent, school, and hospital.
• Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge. A wetland complex named after Bitterroot Salish leader Joseph Ninepipes that provides habitat for hundreds of bird species, including bald eagles, ospreys, herons, and waterfowl. This refuge is a popular destination for bird watching.
• Flathead Lake. The largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. It covers 197 mi 2 (510 km 2 ) and has a maximum depth of 370 feet (113.0 m). It is a recreational paradise for swimming, fishing, boating, and camping. The lake is also home to the Flathead Lake Monster, a legendary creature that has been sighted by many locals and visitors.
• Garden of One Thousand Buddhas . The Garden of One Thousand Buddhas is a Buddhist center and public park located in the Jocko Valley, just north of Arlee. This unique architectural and natural delight features rows of Buddha statues arranged in a sacred formation. Visitors can walk through the garden on self-guided tours.  

Recreational opportunities on the Flathead Indian Reservation

The Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana offers a variety of outdoor recreation opportunities for visitors who want to enjoy the natural beauty and cultural diversity of the region.

Some of the outdoor activities you can enjoy here include:

• Fishing. The reservation has many lakes, rivers, and streams that are home to trout, bass, perch, and other fish species. You can fish on the Flathead Lake, the Flathead River, the Ninepipe Reservoir, and other water bodies. You need a tribal fishing permit to fish on the reservation.
• Boating. There are many lakes on the reservation for boating, picnicking, and swimming. However, scenic Flathead Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River, is the most popular destination for water lovers. Rent a boat, kayak, canoe, or paddleboard from various marinas and outfitters on the reservation. Join a guided tour or a cruise to see the scenic views and wildlife of the lake or visit the mysterious Wildhorse Island .
• Hiking. Hike on the National Bison Range, in the Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness, and on other trails across the reservation. You can see bison, elk, deer, antelope, birds, and other animals along the way. You need a tribal recreation permit to hike on the reservation.
• Camping. Camp on Flathead Lake, on the Flathead River, near the Ninepipe Reservoir, and at various campgrounds across the reservation. Campers enjoy clear, breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside and mountains by day and Montana’s starry sky by night. You need a tribal permit to camp on the reservation.

Visit the Flathead Indian Reservation

The Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana has a rich and diverse heritage and stunning natural beauty. While the reservation faces many challenges and opportunities in the 21st century, it continues to move forward honoring its past, embracing its present, and shaping its future.

Come visit!

Other Indian reservations in Montana

• Blackfeet Indian Reservation – Past, present, top things to do
• Crow Indian Reservation – Past, present, tourism
• Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation – Past, present, tourism

The 11 Native American Tribes that lived in Montana before colonists arrived

• Flathead Beacon
• Census Reporter
• Montana.gov
• Montana Legislature
• National Indian Health Board
• Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services

header: Jeremy Weber , CC BY 2.0 DEED

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