Student Essay on Crow Culture in Book

Crow Culture in Book

Summary:   A s a tribe, the Crow Indians have had known origins as far back as the 1300s from the Mississippi headwaters to Canada. The first entered Montana in the 1600s. The Crow Indians have always had more amiable relationships to the white invaders than many other tribes, such as the Beothuk and the Huron.

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s a tribe, the Crow Indians have had known origins as far back as the 1300s from the Mississippi headwaters to Canada. The first entered Montana in the 1600s. In the beginning, they were part of the Hidatsa, who were a more agricultural tribe like those on the Western Pacific coast. As the Crow Indians turned more to hunting, they centered their lives more on the buffalo and became nomadic.

The Crow Indians have always had more amiable relationships to the white invaders than many other tribes, such as the Beothuk and the Huron. They first encountered the white man in the 1700's but did not permit any missionaries until nearly the 1900s when Chief Plenty Coups, a major negotiator and leader insisted the Bureau of Indian Affairs provide education to his people. Unlike many other tribes, the Crow have kept their traditions and language intact, while being friendly to non-Indians.

The custom of slavery as shown in this short story was fairly prominent, but it is unlikely that a native slave would have been treated in this fashion. For quite a long time, white men were not considered in the same light as natives, and therefore many things were permitted against captured white slaves that would not have been permitted against someone of another tribe. As is noted in this tribe, where there are no other slaves, it was a rare practice. Most enemy men were warriors, and the coup that was to be gained was of a much higher importance than a slave. Women and children were not considered to be slaves.

The Crow culture, much like that of many other native tribes had a life very defined by traditions. Their men were renowned for their savagery in battle and their bravery. There were many customs that Horse would have had to get used to, for example, a woman was not obliged to stay with the man who married her, but if she left her husband, she would never be able to return to him. Also, the second partner had the right to throw her out of his teepee and it is unlikely that any other man would have her, as she spurned her husband. The tradition that a mother-in-law is not able to talk to the husband of her daughter is another indication of the strength of these traditions.

As a society, much of their history is told in stories. Their story of creation says that the Creator, Iichikbaalia, created humans by sending four ducks to the bottom of a deep pond, with instructions to bring up some mud from the bottom. The first three ducks failed, but the forth brought up some mud, and from this the Crow people was made. Being made from breath is why the Crow culture considers that the spoken word is holy. The Crow people say that neither man nor woman was created first; it was simply "Crow"

In Hidatsa, the Crow are called Absarokee, which translates literally to "children of the large beaked bird." White explorers misunderstood the signing for Absarokee -- the flapping of one's hands like a bird in flight--and called the people "crow." The Crow people havea rich history and can be misaligned in this short story.