Sports Fans: CrowNews.net Should Be "The Site" for Local Sports News

This winter, high school gymnasiums all across Montana will light up with the sound of pep bands and cheering crowds.  Add the smell of fresh popcorn, some school spirit and the anticipation of a hometown victory, and it is easy to see why high school basketball is such a popular sport. 

Played during the coldest months of the year, high school hoops is an important opportunity for a community to coalesce in support of the local teams.  Of course, high school basketball has always been big on the Crow Reservation.  Hardin, Lodge Grass, and Plenty Coups have all featured state championship teams and many outstanding athletes over the years.

But for those with connections to Crow Country who are out the area due to school, military, or other obligations, a check-up on the only website dedicated exclusively to Crow-related news stories does not produce anything in the way of information concerning local high school athletics.  It's unfortunate, considering the technology available and the intended format of CrowNews.net as a user-fueled news site with an in-depth focus on the news and events of interest to Crow people.

In addition to no recent coverage of high school sports, the Little Big Horn College men’s and women’s basketball teams haven’t been featured in any stories yet.  In fact, there haven’t even been any college scores or standings reported.

A number of Crow athletes have also played or are playing college football and basketball (along with other sports) off reservation.  Brian Vallie is an All-Mountain West track athlete at New Mexico.  Jess Bends is in his second year playing basketball at NJCAA Bismarck State.  Two of the best Rocky Mountain College women’s basketball players are Crow (Tana Stewart and Molly Schenderline).  In the last few years, Tuff Harris, Buddy Windy Boy, Tommy Whiteman, Cory Ladson, and Pat Alden have all had success at the college level.  And in recent years there has been a rise in the number of Crow college football players scattered throughout local NAIA programs.

CrowNews.net should be on the forefront of covering these types of athletes as well as the local high schools featuring Crow athletes.

Ideally, CrowNews.net could have high school and college video highlights, audio and written interviews with coaches and players, photo albums, up-to-date scores and standings, feature stories, and perhaps even live audio play-by-play of high school rivalry games and tournaments (maybe have a “game of the week”).   

Most athletes work very hard to be competitive (particularly at the college level) and deserve acknowledgment of their achievements.  Historically, young Crow athletes were amongst the best in Montana.  Since CrowNews.net is viewable by the entire world, let’s show everyone what our teams and athletes are capable of doing these days.

Fans should take the initiative to provide for expanded media coverage on CrowNews.net by submitting scores, standings, videos, photos, stories, or anything else of newsworthy interest.  CrowNews.net should be "the site" for updated information on Crow teams and athletes and you the fans can team up to easily make that happen.

As is the case for every team at the beginning of a new season, the possibilities are nearly endless.

Titans Sign Tuff Harris, Plays against Lions on Thanksgiving

The Tennesse Titans, who boast the best record in the National Football League, signed Crow Tribal member  Tuff Harris to their active roster. The Titans signed Harris before the their game against the New York Jets on November 23. Harris, a defensive back and special teams player, saw action against the Jets and in the Titans 47-10 win over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day. Harris, number 26, made a notable tackle on a kick-off by the Titans. With the Detroit return specialist looking to make big yardage behind a wall of blockers, Harris knifed in with amazing speed to take the runner down on the 15 yard line. Later in the game, Harris flattened one of the Lions with a block during a punt return by teammate, Chris Carr.

                                                                                               Posted by : Leo Hudetz

A Week of Surprises: Another Interview with Tuff Harris of the Titans

An interview between Jay Harris of CrowNews.net and Tuff Harris of the
Tennessee Titans from the afternoon of Friday, November 21st.

Jay: Hello again brother.  I just heard the big news.  Did it come as a surprise to you or were you kind of expecting to get activated for the game this weekend?

Tuff: Well, we’ve got a lot of injuries right now and each week the coaches would tell me to prepare and to be ready.  And today Coach Fisher came into the locker room, which he rarely does, and asked if I had heard anything from another coach.  I hadn’t so Coach Fisher told me that I was being activated and that I would be playing this weekend against the Jets.  He asked if I was excited and I told him I was and that I was ready to play.

Jay: Yeah, a big game this weekend just got even bigger.  What are your thoughts on the Jets game?

Tuff: It’s a great game to officially start my second year as an NFL player.  We’ve got one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history coming into town and since I grew up with the Jets as my favorite team, it’s even more special. 

Jay: Wow.  That’s really awesome.  I’m just happy to be along for the ride.  You guys then have a quick turnaround and play at Detroit for Thanksgiving.  What about that game should keep us from taking a nap after eating our turkey dinner?

Tuff: Haha, well hopefully we can win this weekend and get to 11-0.  Depending on what happens with the Lions, they could be 0-11 coming into our game on Thanksgiving so people might be pulling for the big upset or for us to get to 12-0.  But, yeah, it should be fun to play on Thanksgiving with that eight-legged turkey or whatever it is.

Jay: Yeah, football on Thanksgiving Day is one of our great American traditions and its awesome you’ll have the opportunity to be a part of it.  Getting back to this weekend, it really is a big weekend for football.  Wyoming has its Border War rivalry game with Colorado State, Texas Tech is playing Oklahoma, and then there is the Cat-Griz game.  What are your thoughts?  Do you have a prediction for this year's Cat-Griz game?

Tuff: If the Griz do what they do and the Bobcats do what they do, then…well...haha…but it should be a good game.  There are some injuries with both teams and MSU now has their third-string quarterback playing.

Jay: You played in four Cat-Griz games…how much different was your first from your last?

Tuff: Well, my first Cat-Griz was in Bozeman and it was one of the coldest games I’ve ever been in.  The weather can be tricky but it is always a hard fought game.  Every play means a lot and both teams really step up.  It seems to get more intense every year.  By my senior year, it seemed like there was more pressure surrounding the game.  I remember going into my last Cat-Griz game and for the entire first-half it felt like my legs didn’t work.  I don’t know if it was nerves or what but I never got nervous for games except Cat-Griz.

Jay: What was your record against Montana State?

Tuff: Two wins and two losses.

Jay: You redshirted your first year, so what happened in that fifth and tiebreaking game?  Haha, or should we not go there?

Tuff: Well, that was when the Bobcats ended Montana’s long winning streak in the rivalry.

Jay: I was there, I remember it well.  Junior Adams broke the game open for Montana State with a long touchdown reception and that was the Bobcats’ only touchdown of the day but it was enough for the win.  10 to 7.  So do you plan on watching Cat-Griz this year?

Tuff: Yeah, I actually plan on watching it with Ken Amato, a former Bobcat who now does the long-snapping for the Titans and Coach Fisher, who has a son playing for Montana.  We’re going to a place called the Crow’s Nest to watch the game.  Coach Fisher invited the players to go watch the game with him and I think he rented a corner of the Crow’s Nest.

Jay: So you, a Crow Indian, will be watching the Montana Grizzlies play on TV with Coach Fisher, whose son plays for the Grizzlies, at a place called the Crow’s Nest?  You know, it’s all starting to make sense now…haha.

Tuff: Haha, yeah.  Oh, and I got a good story to tell.

Jay: Yeah... 

Tuff: Well, yesterday we started practice with the usual warm ups and stretching.  As we were doing that, someone pointed out what looked like a big sail or something like that in the sky and it was coming our way.  Before too long everyone at practice was looking up in the sky as it was coming closer.  It turned out to be someone in a parachute that was coming right towards us.  Sure enough, the guy coming down in the parachute made his landing right in the middle of the practice field, followed by another and another.  Finally, the last one started coming in.  There were two people on the parachute and they were coming down really fast and it was really windy out.  Someone yelled, “Hey, that’s Coach!” and sure enough it was Coach Fisher skydiving into practice.  So they swerved and almost ran smack into the water jugs on the sideline but they curved around and landed.  Everybody was cheering and going wild.  Coach Fisher then landed and jumped up and yelled, “Alright, let’s practice!”

Jay: Great story!  Haha, I guess going 10-0 tends to loosen up a head coach a little bit.

Tuff: Haha, can you imagine any other NFL coach skydiving into practice?

Jay: I don’t think I could picture Bill Parcells doing that.  Well, I better let you go for now.  Real quick, you’re picking the Grizzlies this weekend right?

Tuff: Absolutely!

Note: The Jets and Titans will kick-off Sunday at 11:00am Mountain Time on CBS...The Lions and Titans will kick-off Thanksgiving Day at 10:30am Mountain Time on CBS...Tuff will be wearing #26 and playing on special teams and in the defensive secondary.

Football and Southern Food in Nashville: An Interview with Tuff Harris of the Titans

An interview between Jay Harris of CrowNews.net and Tuff Harris of the Tennessee Titans from the evening of Tuesday, November 11th.

Jay: Hello, this is Jay Harris with CrowNews.net.  I'm also your brother.  Remember me?  Haha.  I think the burning question everyone has is: just how much money are you making down there?  Just kidding.  But, seriously, how about starting off this interview with an update from Nashville? 

Tuff: Well, things are good as ever in football.  We’re 9-0 right now and it’s a really unique feeling to be undefeated, especially at this level.  It feels great. 

Jay: It must feel a little better than being 8-0.

Tuff:  Yeah, and I don’t think I’ve ever been 9-0 in anything.

Jay: And just in case we still have a few Indians living in teepees back home, briefly explain who you are.

Tuff: Haha, well, I am Tuff Harris…born of Melody and Jerry Harris on the Crow Reservation.  I am currently on the practice squad for the Tennessee Titans, last I knew anyway.  I practiced this afternoon.  But, yeah, that’s my job and it pretty much takes up all my time down here in Nashville, in addition to time spent with my wife, Mary.  And we go golfing once in a while.

Jay: Okay, good.  Yeah, I think everyone back home is really pulling for Tennessee this season, or at least they better be, right?  Haha.  So how’s life on the practice squad?

Tuff: Life on the practice squad is fun.  I play a lot of different positions.  I play a little bit of everything.  It’s been really good for my development as a football player.  At this level they throw you in wherever they need you.  If it’s filling up water bottles or taping ankles or running around on defense…anything they need I’ll do.

Jay: So what’s better, being undefeated and the talk of the NFL or being a newlywed?  Haha, you better answer this question correctly.

Tuff:  There’s a lot of excitement in both.  You know, a lot of people are searching for someone special and I’ve been really blessed with success in football, which is also special.  But football will come and go and marriage is forever.

Jay: Yeah, I guess it is not such a good thing to be mistaken for you anymore.  Haha, moving on...we all know that Southerners love buffets, they love bar-b-que, they eat fried everything.  Maybe tell us about some of the great restaurants you’ve discovered around Nashville.

Tuff: There’s actually a cool fast-food chain down here called “Five Guys.”  We don’t have those back home.  It’s really a simple burger joint and all you pay for is the burger and fries…all the sides are free.

Jay: All the sides are free?  What are the sides you can get?

Tuff: Anything you can put on a burger.

Jay: So it’s kind of like Fuddruckers?

Tuff: Yeah, kind of.  Fuddruckers has more menu options…here at Five Guys it’s just burgers and fries.

Jay: So it’s a burger joint with just burgers.

Tuff: And fries.  And they have a sign up in the restaurant that tells you where the potatoes they are using for fries are from.  And there’s also this place called “B.B. King’s.”  It’s like Applebees with a live band playing.

Jay: Yeah, I’ve heard of that chain.  I hear you can order fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches there.

Tuff: I haven’t tried those yet.

Jay: Have you hit the famous Waffle House yet?

Tuff: Yeah, down in Florida I used to.  But I haven’t yet in Tennessee.  But since we’re on the subject of food…when I was down in New Orleans, former MSU quarterback Travis Lulay and I went to a place…I can’t remember the name of the restaurant but it was off Bourbon Street.  Travis ordered the triple gumbo something and I ordered the special of the day, which was crawdads and shrimp and other stuff.  It’s been great being down in the South.  And all of the places I have been able to eat at, I tell you, it’s a whole different world down here.

Jay: How did you like crawdads?

Tuff: Oh, they’re a little messy and you don’t get very much.  But they’re good.

Jay: I understand you and Mary went and checked out the honky-tonks in Nashville…how did that go?

Tuff: Good.  Yeah, every place with a stage has someone playing in it…24/7…there’s thousands of artists trying to make it, trying to get heard.  Mary and I went to a small venue one night and one of her old high school classmates was performing there.  His band’s name was “The Four Kicks,” a pretty cool band.

Jay: Are you going to make a cameo one of these nights down there?  I’m sure they have a lot of karaoke bars.

Tuff: Probably not.  Other guys on the team do once in a while.  There’s a site on Youtube with a lot of the Titans up on stage singing karaoke. 

Jay: Getting back to football, rumor has it you were pulled aside in practice by the Titans’ offensive coordinator and he wasn’t exactly getting after you.  Tell us what happened there?

Tuff: Well, in the past few weeks some of the receivers were hurt and that made some of the scout team receivers pull double-duty on the practice squad and the scout team so they needed a fresh pair of legs to play receiver.  They asked me to and so I’ve been playing receiver in practice for the last few weeks.  I was making some nice catches and I guess I was also catching the eyes of some of the players and coaches as well.  Recently, I talked with our offensive coordinator, Coach Heimerdinger, and he asked me if I knew how to run routes.  So I told him, “Just tell me the route you want me to run, and I’ll run it.”  Basically, I told him I was willing to play receiver if he wanted me to.

Jay: Good deal.  What are your thoughts on your old team, the Montana Grizzlies?

Tuff: The Montana Grizzlies are keeping up the tradition.  Finding ways to win, and in recent weeks doing it in impressive fashion.

Jay: Do you still know very many players on the team?

Tuff: Yeah, I know most of the seniors and some of the underclassmen.  And most of the coaches are the same as when I was there.

Jay: How far do you think they’re going to make it in the playoffs this year?

Tuff: Well, this was supposed to be a rebuilding year, but it’s turned out to be another great season.  Montana has the potential of winning it all.  Whatever the case may be, good luck to them.  I'll be watching.

Jay: Howabout the Dolphins?  Do you still cheer for them?

Tuff: Yeah, and I still know a lot of the players down there.  My old roommate in Miami, Courtney Bryan, was recently re-signed as a safety by Miami.  I’m pretty excited about that. 

Jay: Do you guys still keep in touch?

Tuff: Yeah, he just texted me today and said he got re-signed and was heading back to Miami.

Jay: Cool.  So what do you miss most about Montana?

Tuff: What do I miss most?  Probably the people.  I miss a lot of the interactions with my childhood friends and people that would come up to me and give their support.  I also miss having seasons.  Down in the South, the weather doesn’t change too much.  Christmas in Miami kind of came and went without really feeling like Christmas.  Traditional things that you do every year are kind of put on hold because of football.

Jay: Want to give a shout out to anybody back home?  This is CrowNews.net so they might not hear you, but it’s worth a try.

Tuff: Haha…uh, let me see…CrowNews.net.  Well, I can give a shout out to all the schools I was able to speak at during the offseason, as well as all of the churches I spoke at.  I appreciate everyone’s support and prayers.  I look forward to coming back and seeing the faces of the kids I met and the teachers.  Yeah, I look forward to seeing everybody again.

Jay: Anything else to report?

Tuff: Um…let me see.  Other than that, everything’s going pretty good.

Jay: Good enough.  By the way, when is your bed time?

Tuff: About a half hour ago.  Haha…I try to break things down about 9:30 or so.  If I treat my body right it treats me right.

Jay: I’ve taught you well.  Haha.  Alright brother, we’ll do this again sometime soon.

Tuff: Talk to you later.

 

 

Artist and Crow tribal member Allen KnowsHisGun plans to show his work Friday, Nov. 14 in Billings. 

The show will be at the Deck the Walls in Rimrock Mall, and a reception begins at 6:30 p.m.

Most of KnowsHisGun's work depicts traditional Crow images and culture. 

                                                                   

                                                                                       -CrowNews

Carl Venne Slate Wins Election

The four incumbent executive officeholders for the Crow Tribe cruised to victory in the general elections held Saturday,November 1 in Crow Agency. The offices of Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Vice Secretary were on the ballot. Manual vote counting lasted throughout the night and results were not announced until after noon on Sunday.Anxious supporters of the candidates kept vigil around campfires during the  unusually warm  fall night. Carl Venne, Cedric Black Eagle, Scott Russell and Darrin Old Coyote ran as a slate and it appears that supporters voted for the slate instead of splitting their ballots. Each position will serve  a four year term.The
unofficial results for each race are as follows:

Chairman

Carl Venne                       2,117
Calvin Coolidge Jefferson    1,436


Vice Chairman
Cedric Black Eagle       2,110
Adrian Bird                   1,438

Secretary

Scott Russell                      2,028        
Hubert Two Leggins Dawes  1,519

Vice Secretary
Darrin Old  Coyote               2,062
Melva Iron                           1,487

                                                              
                                                     Posted by: Leo
Hudetz      

Chairman Venne in Accident

By Heather Whiteman Runs Him-Oleyte

Following is an official press release from the Executive Branch of the Apsaalooke Nation

On the evening of October 25, 2008, Chairman Carl E. Venne was involved
in a one-vehicle accident east of Hardin, Mont., on Highway 47, in
which he was the sole occupant of the vehicle.

We are thankful that no one was seriously injured in the accident, and that we are able to issue this statement to you today.

We are grateful for the outpouring of support and prayers for
Chairman Venne's continued recovery, for our families, and mostly
importantly, for the Crow Nation to remain strong.

In return, Chairman Venne pledges that he is humbled by this
accident, and knows that he has his Creator (and his seatbelt) to thank
for the fact that he is still here to continue to fight for the future
of the Crow Nation.

We are issuing this statement to let those with whom we do not come
into contact personally know that Chairman Venne was in an accident,
and that he is, by the grace of our Creator, fine. Aho!

Heather Whiteman Runs Him-Oleyte is Deputy Executive Counsel of the Apsaalooke Nation.

Incumbents top each race in Primary.

The primary election for the four Crow tribal executive officers was held on Saturday, October 11 in Crow Agency, Mont. The top two in each race advance on the to the general election on November 1 in Crow Agency. The incumbents in each race received the most number of votes. The voter turnout was high despite a snowstorm that gripped the reservation for the entire weekend. The unofficial results for each race are as follows:

Chairman

Carl Venne                       1,678
Calvin Coolidge Jefferson    535
Carlson Goes Ahead            288
Solon Moccasin                   265
Burton Pretty on Top          182
Manuel Covers Up              158
Lloyd Hogan                      126
Gerald Pease                      86

Vice Chairman
Cedric Black Eagle       1,714
Adrian Bird                   582
John Holds Jr                530
Wallace Red Star 483

Secretary

Scott Russell                        1,766
Hubert Two Leggins Dawes  1,053
David Turns Plenty                 478

Vice Secretary
Darrin Old  Coyote               1,769
Melva Iron                             938
Melvin Stops                          605

                                                                                                                         Posted by: Leo Hudetz      

LBHC Hosts Career Fair

Click on the image to view a larger version of the flier.

Indian National Finals Rodeo in Vegas

This weekend the Indian National Finals Rodeo(INFR) is being held in Las Vegas. The following are some of the local Indian cowboys and cowgirls that have qualified and will be competing.

Saddle Bronc: Hamley Real Bird

Team Roping: Clay Gun Shows, Sam Bird

Bull Riding: Cash Smith

Tie Down Roping: Keene Bends

Bareback: Harold Stone, Merval Not Afraid

Steer Wrestling: Tronnes Real Bird In Ground, Micah White Clay

Barrel Racing: Jessica Not Afraid

                                                                                                                  Posted by: Leo Hudetz

Solon Moccasin runs for chairman, pledges to address economy

Solon Moccasin graduated from Hardin High School in 1986 and received his Bachelor’s of Science degree
in Business Administration from Montana State University-Billings in
1993.

He is running for Chairman of the Crow Tribe.

Solon is a third generation
rancher residing 10 miles southwest of Lodge Grass. He has worked
at the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Crow Agency as an irrigation accountant. While working there, he was able to resolve irrigation issues with land
owners and maintain an accurate budget.

He worked with youth when he was
the director of the Boys and Girls club of the Crow Nation, and he worked
with college students as the Adult Vocational Training Coordinator of
the Crow Nation.

Solon is running for the office because he believes
that he can change the economic situation of the Crow Tribe through
education and good government management. 

Read more about Solon's platform after the jump...

If elected chairman, some of the issues and initiatives Solon would address include: 

• The lack of housing on the
    Crow reservation. Several families live in one household; many rent
    off the reservation. 


• Protection of civil rights
    of the Crow people.


• Protection of land rights.


• Protection of water rights.


• Provide health insurance
    to all enrolled Crow tribal members  living on or off the reservation.


• Provide economic opportunities
    to individuals.


• Provide educational opportunities
    and financial aid to individuals.


• Utilize current Crow college
    graduates in their areas of specialty.


• Adopt a Human Resource policies
    and procedures manual to protect employee rights for those who work for the
    Crow Tribe.


• Adopt a 401(k) retirement
    plan for Crow tribal employees. 


• Adopt a salary schedule
    for equality of pay based on qualifications.


• Sustainability of resources
    for generations to come.


• Develop energy and jobs.

Contact: Solon Moccasin, P.O. Box 504
Crow Agency, Mt 59022

Note: Candidates running for tribal, county or state offices are welcome to send their pictures, platforms and profiles to news@crownews.net for publication on CrowNews.Net.

 

Big Elections Coming Up

The Crow Tribe will hold a primary election on October 11 and the General Election on Saturday, November 1.
The US Presidential election will be held on Tuesday ,November 4.

For the Tribal election, the only place to vote is at the Multi Purpose Building in Crow Agency. Polls will be open from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. The presidential election can be voted either by absentee voting , which starts on October 6, or by going to one of the polls that will be in each town on the Crow Reservation.

The following are candidates for the Crow Primary Election:

Chairman                                                        Vice-Chairman                        

Calvin Coolidge Jefferson                                 Adrian Dean Bird
Manuel Covers Up                                            Cedric Black Eagle(Incumbent)
Carlson Goes Ahead                                         John Holds Jr                                 
Lloyd Hogan Jr.                                               Wallace Red Star
Solon Moccasin
Gerald Pease
Burton Pretty on Top
Carl Venne(Incumbent)

Secretary                                                          Vice-Secretary

Scott Russell (Incumbent)                                    Melva Iron
David Turns Plenty, Jr                                         Darrin Old Coyote(Incumbent)
Hubert Burdick Two Leggins                                Melvin Stops

                                                                                                                          Posted by: Leo Hudetz

Beyond the Photos, the Real Magic of Crow Fair

A group of photographers take pictures during grand entry at the 90th Annual Crow Fair Celebration in Crow Agency, Mont.
Crow News Photo/Adam Sings In The Timber

Even viewed in the most favorable light, impersonal images from a powwow such as Crow Fair miss the most important aspects of the event itself, and the people and cultures on display.

By Robert Struckman, 8-21-08

This column first appeared on NewWest.Net

This year during one of the daily parades at Crow Fair, the annual
powwow and rodeo held along the Little Big Horn River on the Crow
Reservation in southern Montana, one of my mothers-in-law yelled
combatively at a professional photographer who planted himself between
her and one of her grandchildren on parade.

“Hey, get out of the way,” she hollered. “We’re taking pictures, too.”

The guy knelt down and kept shooting film.

Okay. You’re probably wondering about the multiple mothers-in-law. Not to sound like an anthropologist, but there are certain things you need to know if you intend to spend your life with a Crow woman. Crow is a matrilineal culture with strong extended family ties. This means not only your wife’s mother but her aunts, too, are your mothers-in-law. And that same term often applies across the family tree, at many removes. For me, this adds up to scores of women. It’s one of those things you live with when your family, like ours, straddles cultural lines on a daily basis.

It’s difficult to write about my experiences with my family, because Indians are so routinely objectified by America’s mainstream culture. That’s what was happening when the photographer stepped between grandmother and grandson.

It’s easy to understand why the photographer came to the parade. It provides an excellent opportunity to view and appreciate traditional Crow beadwork and regalia. As powwows go, Crow Fair is also quite large, plus thousands of Crows camp out for the week in teepees, which makes a picturesque backdrop. It’s normal to see whole crews from the Smithsonian, National Geographic or the BBC pitch temporary camps along the parade route.

You’ve seen the end products on television, in calendars and on postcards as well as in art galleries and other public spaces. As I write this, a series of Crow Fair portraits hang on the walls at the Community Food Co-op in Bozeman. As is usually the case, the images are anonymous: “Crow Fair Portrait #7.”

With the click of the shutter, the individual gets transformed from a kid, say, into an impersonal commodity (Indian at a powwow). The photograph, and not the person in the photo, is the work of art.

I’m picking on photography, and not news or media in general, because most news stories and television programs on powwows, loaded as they are with empty platitudes about tradition, are little more than vehicles for the colorful images: a gentle-faced brown-eyed child in a fearsome war bonnet, an aging veteran with a stately visage and a craggy nose.

It’s hard to know quite what to think about this. It would be easy to lay a blanket of disdain on the photographers, but that ignores the broader cultural issues.

To start with, you could argue, from an economic development standpoint, that photography of non-religious Native ceremonies attracts tourists and puts money in Indian pockets. You’d be right. Likewise, you might suggest that those photographs celebrate one of the most beautiful aspects of Native American culture. Hard to argue with that.

Yet the idealized images also contribute to a binary view of Indian culture. One hand holds the noble Indian. The other—reinforced by the flat, two-dimensional quality of the first—has the usual unflattering stereotypes.

And even viewed in the most favorable light, those impersonal images of brown faces and colorful outfits miss the most important aspects of the daily parade and of Crow Fair itself.

In the mornings from Thursday to Sunday in our camp, my mothers-in-law lead the preparation of whoever is going to be in the parade. It’s a painstaking ritual. (It’s common to see people doing beadwork the day before and continuing by kerosene lamplight late into the night, desperately completing a beaded belt or pair of arm bands.) The outfits are specific, each piece assembled just so. The horse gets rigged up. Then horse and rider head for the start of the route.

At 10 a.m., a cannon booms. As at all the camps, we haul folding chairs from beneath the shady arbor at our eating area. (The temporary city of thousands of teepees and wall tents is organized in family clusters, each around a central cooking and eating area.) The parade is one of the few moments when the entire community joins together in one casual, relaxing event.

The togetherness makes it a perfect time to take photographs of the spectators, which is what I like to do. Ironically, it’s actually difficult, when doing so, to avoid collecting images of the non-Indian photographers, who seem to suddenly appear in the shots, most often at the edges but sometimes in the center of the frame.

This isn’t a lamentation. After all, the vast majority of the cameras (especially if you include camera phones) at Crow Fair, as any casual survey of the parade route will show, are in the hands of family members taking pictures of each other.

But I would like to point out what’s missing, aside from the names and identities of the subjects, in those photos in the gift shops and the anonymous tourist albums:

It’s the expertise and labor—usually undertaken as a gift to the wearer—that went into the beadwork and blankets and other parts of the outfits. It’s the tightly knit social fabric that keeps this powwow, rodeo and parade continuing, year after year, for no reason other than the joy and momentum of a long and specific cultural tradition. And it’s the real, complex human identity of people like my mother-in-law’s grandson, which can never be captured in a “Crow Fair Portrait.”

A photographer takes a photo of a dancer's jewelry at the 89th Annual Crow Fair in Crow Agency, Mont.

Crow News Photo/Adam Sings In The Timber

Harris Makes Titans Practice Squad

Posted August 31st

After being released by the Tennessee Titans on Friday, Tuff Harris signed with the team as a practice squad player earlier today.

"Coach Fisher called me after the cuts and said that they wanted to keep me on and work me into the special teams and on defense as well," Tuff said in an interview with CrowNews.net. 

Tuff played in the Titans' games at Atlanta and Green Bay during the preseason.  Against the Falcons, he recorded one tackle and had one punt return for five yards.  Against the Packers he downed a punt inside the five yard line.

NFL teams were required to trim their rosters to 53 players by August 30th and can keep up to eight players on their practice squad.

Tennessee opens the 2008 season with a September 7th home game against Jacksonville.

Photos from Crow Fair 2008

Crow News Photo/Adam Sings In The Timber

Photos from the 90th Annual Crow Fair Celebration in Crow Agency, Mont.

For more photos click on the Photo or visit the Crow News flickr group.

If you know the names of the people in the Crow News Flickr group please email Adam at singsinthetimber@hotmail.com.

Back to Work! Tuff Harris Signs with Tennessee

                      Gameday at LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee.

Less than three weeks after being released by the New Orleans Saints, Tuff Harris has been signed by the Tennessee Titans to play defensive back and special teams.

As the newest Titan, Tuff will report immediately to Nashville to begin preparing for Friday night's game at Atlanta.                                                      
                                                      

Details of Tuff's contract were not made immediately available. 

Tuff had worked out for Tennessee on Tuesday the 12th in Nashville.  Before the workout, the Titans coaching staff informed Tuff they were very interested in his versatility as a safety and cornerback -- as well as his ability to play special teams.

"I felt like I had a pretty good workout and I was told me they would have signed me afterwards but they had to make roster room after their second preseason game," Tuff said in an interview with CrowNews.net.

The Titans wrap-up the 2008 training camp on Wednesday, August 20th.  Friday's game at Atlanta will kick-off at 4:30 p.m. Mountain Time and is not scheduled to be televised nationally.

Tennessee is coached by Jeff Fisher, who is the longest tenured coach in the NFL, having been head signal-caller since the 1994 season -- when the team was known as the Houston Oilers.  Coach Fisher's son, Brandon, was a cornerback at the University of Montana during Tuff's junior and senior year.

The Titans finished 2007 at third in the AFC South with a 10-6 record, losing in an AFC Wild-Card playoff to the San Diego Chargers.

A look back, Crow Fair 2007

Click to Play

A look back at the 89th annual Crow Fair celebration.

Photos by Adam Sings In The Timber.

Music by Wade Fernandez (www.wadefernandez.com)

Crow Fair Starts Thursday

crow fair parade
Originally uploaded by centlodg

The 90th annual Crow Fair celebration kicks off on Thursday,  August 14 and runs through Tuesday, August 19. This uniquely Crow event is held annually in Crow Agency on the banks of the Little Big Horn river. Once again, tribes from across North America will come to dance, celebrate and renew old friendships. The teepee village with hundreds of teepees will be home to the Crow and their friends. The weather outlook for the Fair is for  sunny mild days in the 80s and cool nights.
   The Friday morning parade will honor past parade marshal, Pius Real Bird, who served the Fair in that capacity for 50 years. This year's Crow Fair queen is Kylie Medicine Horse from the Pryor District.

                                                      Post by: Leo Hudetz

Tribe, Aussie Firm Plan $7B Coal-to-Diesel Plant

By Jay Harris

The Crow Tribe has agreed to work with the Australian-American Energy Company, a subsidiary of the Australian Energy Company, to construct a multi-billion dollar coal-to-diesel fuel production plant on the Crow Reservation.

Following the tribal legislature's 16-1 vote last Thursday in favor of the project, Chairman Carl Venne and company executive Allan Blood announced the news that now has many Crows buzzing about the potential for future large-scale economic development in a resource-rich yet chronically underemployed portion of Montana.

The tentative agreement calls for an initial 50-year development
period, which would begin following
federal permitting and construction of the plant.   

Depending on when it may be finished, the "Many Stars Plant" could be the first of its kind in North America.  If constructed according to plan, it would create commercial grade
diesel fuel from coal in a process known as Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis.

Only two plants, both operated by a company called Sasol in South
Africa, currently produce commercial diesel using the Fischer-Tropsch
synthesis and have been doing so successfully for 40 years.   

Early projections call for somewhere between 3,000-4,000 temporary construction jobs and perhaps as many as 900 permanent positions to operate the facility, the Billings Gazette reports.  Construction may begin as soon as 2012 and production in 2016.

One barrel of diesel contains 42 gallons and a gallon of diesel in
Montana currently ranges from $4.43 to $4.66 at the pump, according to MontanaGasPrices.com.
So if the anticipated level of production was
put to the domestic market right now the Many Stars Plant could gross millions of dollars every day and would likely expand to meet an increasing demand.

If carried out as planned, the project would be by far the largest economic development investment in the history of the Crow Reservation. 

Governor Schweitzer, who has long voiced support for clean coal power projects in Montana, attended the announcement ceremony at the Multi-Purpose Building on Friday, along with tribal and industry officials.

The Crow Tribe has marketable coal below 33,000 acres of land along the eastern
boundary of the reservation.  Estimates of what may be economically recoverable run as high as 19 billion
tons.  It takes roughly one ton of coal to produce one barrel of diesel
under the synthesis method currently employed.

While the Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis technology has been around for decades, the expense of making diesel from coal has traditionally been expensive and unattractive to investors.

But the spike in crude oil prices over the past ten years has now made previously cost prohibitive energy sources economically viable -- at least Down Under.  Australia is a particularly attractive market for diesel given their
expanding economy and reliance on diesel for transportation fuel.

According to the US Department of Energy, 94% of freight in America is moved by diesel fuel and 95% of all transit buses and heavy equipment use diesel.  In total, 56 billion gallons of diesel are used in America every year.

While similar plans for large-scale coal-to-diesel plants exist in America and elsewhere, the attractiveness of conventional oil and gas investments -- coupled with an uncertain regulatory future amidst concerns of stricter environmental standards in response to growing concerns about global warming -- have together made investment in major, new fossil fuel projects somewhat unattractive.

Just last year, PacifiCorp (which operates as Rocky Mountain Power in Wyoming) withdrew plans to build two large-scale coal-fired power plants in southwestern Wyoming due to worries that tighter environmental regulations may be on the horizon. 

Both major party presidential candidates have made clear their serious concerns about global warming and it is likely that Congress will soon be asked to issue a moratorium on all new coal-fired power plants or any projected projects such as Many Stars unless they have the ability to sequester or recycle carbon and other greenhouse gases.

Anticipating such a regulatory environment, Australian-American Energy Company is planning to construct a plant which captures 95% of the carbon it will produce.

Neither the Australian Energy Company nor the Australian-American Energy Company are listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, or NASDAQ, which means they are not publicly owned or traded in either the United States or Australia.

This story was posted August 11, 2008.

Bad Day for Friday: 10th Circuit Reverses Lower Court, Denies Rehearing -- Supreme Court Review Sought

As reported by CrowNews.net in February 2008, the Tenth Circuit in December 2007 heard oral argument in United States v. Winslow Friday -- a case involving an Arapaho man's criminal prosecution in federal court for killing a bald eagle for religious purposes on the Wind River Reservation of Wyoming.

In early May, a three-judge panel of the Tenth Circuit reversed the U.S. District Court of Wyoming's order that charges against Friday be dismissed.  Despite acknowledging problems with the federal government's accommodation of tribal religious practices using eagle parts, the Court of Appeals held that the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act is still enforceable law in the six-state Tenth Circuit and remanded Friday to District Court to face reinstated criminal charges.  The Court's opinion can be read here.

In June, Friday's public defender requested a rehearing en banc (meaning the full panel of all twelve Tenth Circuit judges would hear the case).  In early July, Friday's motion to rehear was denied.

CrowNews.net has been informed that a petition for a writ of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court will be made by the Colorado Federal Public Defender's Office.   If the Supreme Court decides to hear the case, CrowNews.net will provide updated information and legal commentary on what will be a landmark decision affecting Indians and tribes throughout the United States.

Third Team a Charm?: Jets Talking Tuff

Less than one week after being released by the New Orleans Saints, former Montana Grizzly and Miami Dolphin Tuff Harris has received an invitation to work out for the New York Jets.

The Jets will fly Tuff out to their training camp at Hofstra University in New York on Monday for a Tuesday morning workout.  According to Tuff, the Jets have expressed an interest in his skill as a return specialist.

"This is really exciting," Tuff said shortly after getting the call from his agent.  "The Jets were my favorite team growing up.  I feel good for the workout and we'll see what happens.  They may sign me right away or they may give me a call back sometime later this season, it's hard to say."

The Jets finished the 2007 season at 4-12 in the AFC East Division.  They open the 2008 preseason with a Thursday, August 7th night game at Cleveland.

This story was posted August 4th.

Good Sometimes Not Good Enough: Saints Release Harris

Two months after signing former Montana Grizzlies standout defensive back and punt returner Tuff Harris to a three-year contract, the New Orleans Saints released Harris in an unexpected move announced on Wednesday, July 30th.

Tuff signed with the Saints on May 27th after being released by the Miami Dolphins earlier in the spring.  Tuff signed with Miami on Draft Day 2007 after a stellar career in Missoula and was released by the Dolphins at the end of the 2007 preseason but immediately re-signed with Miami to play on the practice squad and later made the regular season roster, eventually suiting out in several games and playing in the season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals.

"Right now I'm just going to wait to clear waivers and see what happens," Tuff said earlier Wednesday.  "I'm going to continue to work out this season and hopefully an opportunity presents itself."

Tuff's agent is Ken Staniger of Missoula.

This story was posted Wednesday, July 30th.

NFL Training Camp Update: Tuff Harris Making Good as a Saint

By Jay Harris

So how is Tuff doing so far as a New Orleans Saint? 

Well, to make a short story long...

During preseason drills last year, as a Miami Dolphin, Tuff intercepted a pass from fellow 2007 rookie John Beck and returned it for a touchdown.  Following the play, then-Miami coach Cam Cameron called practice and brought the team together for instruction.  Coach Cameron told the team that Tuff had made a great play but because the offense was practicing under a scenario where the defense was protecting a lead late in the game, the best thing Tuff could have done would have been to take a knee after intercepting the pass so as to not give possession back to the opposing team.

One year later, Cam Cameron and Tuff Harris are no longer in Miami but
the latter is still returning interceptions for touchdowns in practice and the
latest comes at the expense of a 16-year veteran and three-time pro bowl
quarterback...

Enter the 2008 New Orleans Saints training camp, which began on Wednesday, July 23rd on the campus of Millsaps College, an NCAA Division III school which has served as the location for training camp each of the past two seasons.  Right now, the team is busy practicing twice a day with no scheduled days off until Sunday, August 3rd.

During a scrimmage in last Friday's morning practice, former Packer, Jaguar, and Redskin quarterback Mark Brunell (who is competing for a back-up role with the Saints) was leading the offense in team drills and had a pass intended for tight end Jeremy Shockey picked off by Tuff and returned 50 yards for a touchdown.  The Saints coaching staff called it the "play of the morning."  Hopefully, we can call it a sign of things to come.

Tuff was signed by the Saints to a three-year, non-guaranteed contract on May 27th.  New Orleans is serious about giving Tuff a good look at safety as well as special teams and it appears as though the first Crow NFL player is certainly up to the challenge.

"I feel pretty good about everything," Tuff said in a recent phone conversation with Crownews.net.  "I had a hip stinger in practice but am holding up pretty well.  I have gained about 5-6 pounds since camp started.  The weather is warm but I hear that it hasn't been as hot as in year's past down here, and we did feel the effects of the hurricane that hit the coast of Texas recently.  But overall, I feel good."

Among the interesting tidbits in training camp is the fact that veteran Pro Bowl cornerback Aaron Glenn signed with the Saints from the Jaguars a few weeks before Tuff did this past spring and will be competing for a roster spot along with Tuff.  Glenn was drafted by the New York Jets, Tuff's favorite NFL team as a child, back in 1994 -- a year in which Tuff played for a Clifford Singer-coached Lodge Grass junior high team that once traveled to Lame Deer for a game in which no two Indian players had the same helmet-jersey-pants color combination. 

During the same Friday practice Tuff got the interception, Aaron Glenn
and Tuff worked together to bring down wide receiver Lance Moore after
a short reception.  The Saints coaches have commented that Glenn looks exactly the same as when he did in 1994.  Luckily, the same cannot be said about Tuff.

 

The Saints will travel to Glendale, Arizona to open the 2008 NFL preseason with a August 7th game against the Cardinals.  Kick-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Mountain Time and will be broadcast live on ESPN.

Keep checking back with Crownews.net for all the latest news and updates on Tuff's run with the Saints.

Jay Harris is Tuff's slightly older, slightly less athletic brother.

Slideshow: Ultimate Warriors Race During Crow Native Days

Click on the picture to view more than a dozen photos of Sunday's race.

Photos by Casey Kills Pretty Enemy
CrowNews.Net

Ultimate Warriors Compete at Crow Native Days

Wolfy Real Bird
Originally uploaded by centlodg

On June 29, a sunny, Sunday morning in Crow Agency, the annual Ultimate Warrior contest was held. The event consists of modern day warriors from tribes across the country running, canoing the Little Big Horn River and riding 3 different horses bareback  for six miles wearing  a breachcloth and moccasins.
The finish to the event was at the Edison Real Bird rodeo grounds and approximately 2000 spectators were on hand early in the morning to cheer home their warriors.
The winner of the event this year was Narcis Reevis from the Blackfeet tribe. Second place went to Wolfy Real Bird from the Crow Tribe. Real Bird led the race after the river and running portion.
Former Ultimate Warrior Champions Isaiah Good Luck(Crow) and Jamesy Real Bird(Crow) finished 3rd and 5th respectively.

The womens' Ultimate Lady Warrior event was held on Saturday. This event consists of three member teams with each member completing a leg of the run, canoe or horseback. The winning team this year was Pretty Eagle from the Crow Tribe.

                                                                   Story and photos by Leo Hudetz

State, Fort Peck Tribes Plan Grant Writing Workshop

The Montana Board of Crime Control and the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes will hold a grant writing workshop at Fort Peck Community College June 24-25.

Classes are limited to 30 people per class, with preference given to Montana tribes and other American Indian agencies and organizations. You are invited to bring grants in progress for input and assistance.
       

The programs agenda is as follows:

• Enhance public safety by increasing the number of successful tribally specific and justice related grants awarded to tribes

• Enhance capacity within tribal communities to compete for all types of grants.

• Enhance capacity within tribal communities to manage grants and sustain programs.

The Montana Board of Crime Control is the designated
          state agency that administers millions of grant dollars dedicated
          to preventing and addressing crime statewide. MBCC is headed by an eighteen
          member board appointed by Governor Schweitzer. Board members represent
          law enforcement, criminal justice system stakeholders, and citizens,
          including the first Montanans, our state's Native Americans. Board members
          provide critical citizen leadership, oversight and accountability of
          systems charged with promoting justice and public safety.

Tribal Leaders Council to Co-Host Environmental Conference

By Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council 

The Montana -Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council is counting the days until the
National Tribal Conference on Environmental Management,
which will be held at the Holiday Inn Grand Montana Convention Center June 24-26. So far this event, co-sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, has already attracted more than 550 participants from across the country.

The conference theme, “Nurturing
Mother Earth…Our People’s Destiny,” reflects the intent to inspire
environmental change and improve health in Indian Country.

The
agenda includes over sixty breakout sessions that focus on climate,
water, air quality, health and traditional life ways, waste, energy,
law, policy and environmental justice.

Conference planners are
excited about the diverse group representing Indian Health Service,
Tribal health & environmental departments from across the United
States as well as others from federal, state and local governments.

“This conference promotes
the leading environmental practices for Tribes and promotes a sense
of stewardship and community among attendees," said Allyson Kelley, NTCEM Director.
Conference highlights
include keynote speaker Dr. Steve Running, a leading expert in
climate change. 

He shares a piece of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded
to Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Other highlights include a Jack Gladstone concert, special exhibitors,
videos, expertise from all levels, a cultural interpretive presentation atop Billings' Rim Rocks, training sessions and other
speakers.

Native American Artists will
selling their work in the Holiday Inn Grand Atrium, which will
be open to both conference participants and the public.
For more information about the
conference, please visit the NTCEM website at www.ntcem8.org or contact Karla or Cheryl at 406-252-2550
or

Primary Election Recap: County Dems Go for Obama, Turn Out in Record Numbers

Sharon Peregoy-Stewart, pictured center in the red, elk-tooth dress, waves a sign during Barack Obama's visit to the reservation last month. Peregoy won the Democratic primary race for state Senate District 21. Obama took 78 percent of the vote in Big Horn County (Crow News/Casey Kills Pretty Enemy).

Mary Hudetz
CrowNews.Net

When he visited the reservation last month, Sen. Barack Obama was adopted into the tribe, given a Crow name and ended a speech he gave on Indian policy by saying he wouldn't forget his "own brothers and own sisters."

When Crows went to the polls last week, they voted for Obama in numbers that suggest many tribal members really do consider him one of their own.

Obama, now the presumptive Democratic nominee, took 90 percent of the vote among the reservation's Democrats. Hillary Clinton won nine percent of the vote.

In Big Horn County, where Obama had his best showing in the Big Sky state, he won with 78 percent of the vote. The candidate saw his second largest spread in the state in Missoula County, where he won 71 percent.

Cindy Maxwell, clerk and recorder, said more people voted in Tuesday's election than in any other primary in Big Horn County history, a trend that emerged nationwide throughout the historic primary season. More than 3,000 voters in the county went to the polls, setting the voter turnout rate at 47 percent.

"I was pleased with the Obama campaign and how its volunteers conducted themselves and pushed for early voting," she said.

Crow Country voters also weighed in on a slew of primaries for state and local offices. Many of the races for these seats will likely be more heavily contested in the fall.

Take Gov. Brian Schweitzer, an adopted member of the tribe like Obama, and his Republican rival Roy Brown. Both candidates went virtually unchallenged in their respective Democratic and Republican fields for the governor's office. But they will square-off for what is sure to be a more heated fall contest.

Locally, John Pretty On Top ran as an incumbent in a race for county commissioner and won. He faces Ellis Murdock.

J. David Roundstone defeated Rebecca Convery in the Democratic primary for state House District 41.

In the most competitive of local races this primary season, Sharon Stewart-Peregoy won a close, four-way Democratic contest for the District 21 state senate seat, which represents portions of Big Horn, Rosebud, Yellowstone and Powder River counties. She'll run against Republican Randen Schoppe in the general election

Stewart-Peregoy, a research and development analyst for the Crow Tribe's economic development department, emerged as the winner late in the evening, edging out candidates Chip Watts, Kenneth Brien and Norma Bixby.

With all precincts reporting, Peregoy won with 26 percent of the vote. Bixby came in second with 24 percent. Watts and Brien fell third and fourth, respectively, according to the Montana Secretary of State office's website.

At the end of the prolonged Democratic presidential primary season, both Clinton and Obama visited the Big Sky State and Indian Country, shining a national spotlight on a number Native American issues.

And there's a good chance the Native vote will be courted again in the run-up to November's general election. Both Mccain and Obama are vying for victories in the Rocky Mountain West, much of which is Indian Country.

Reznet's Kevin Abourezk reports that John McCain, an Arizona senator and the presumptive Republican nominee, held a meeting with the All Indian Pueblo Council and Navajo Nation delegates the day before the Montana and South Dakota primaries.

The region, long a Republican stronghold in presidential politics, has seen recent shifts in demographics and political climate. With Republicans hoping to hold onto the West and Democrats seeking to lay claim to what was once a mostly red region, states along the Rockies are shaping up to be potential political battlegrounds.

This prospect means a possible spike in voter turnout in Montana's counties during the fall, and clerk and recorder Maxwell says she hopes many people will vote early just as they did last week. She encourages everyone to request an absentee ballot and they will be available starting Oct. 6. Election day is Nov. 4.

Editor's note: An early version of this article detailing the state senate race was published June 4.

Don't Forget to Vote on Tuesday, June 3

Tuesday is election Day. Polls are open from 7AM to 8PM. You will need to bring a picture ID. You can still register to vote if you are at least 18. If you are not registered, or need to change your registration, you must go to the Courthouse in Hardin and you can vote there.  The courthouse will be open for same day registration from 7AM to 8PM on Tuesday.

Crow Graduates at University of Montana

IMG_1278[1]
Originally uploaded by centlodg

The Crow Tribe was well represented at the University of Montana graduation ceremonies in Missoula on May 10. The following individuals received diplomas:

Salena Beaumont-Hill-Masters Degree- Counselor Education
Salisha Old Bull-Masters Degree-Interdisciplinary Studies
Augustine J. Hill- Masters Degree-Resource Conservation
Mary Hudetz-Masters Degree-Journalism
DyAnna Three Irons-Wilson-Masters Degree- Counselor Education
Michael Chavez-Anthropology
Adam Sings In The Timber-Journalism
Savannah Sinquah- Marketing
Kerry Stewart-  Resouce Conservation
Robin Mark Stewart-Resource Conservation
Devin Wagner- Journalism
Ashley H. Three Irons - B.A. in Psychology

(To see more photos click on the photo or the link.)

Tuff Harris Signs With New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints announced Tuesday that they have signed Tuff Harris. Harris, a member of the Crow Tribe, played for the Miami Dolphins last year. The Dolphins waived him in April . The Saints plan to use Harris as a defensive back and a punt return specialist. The first mini camp for the Saints is scheduled for this weekend in New Orleans. The Saints open their regular season on Sept. 7, with a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Dome in New Orleans. On Sept. 21, the Saints travel to Denver to play the Broncos.

The New York Times on Off-Reservation Schools

CrowNews.Net

As summer nears, a New York Times piece looks at two area high schools and how "the intertwined arcs
of Hardin and Lodge Grass have made for a bittersweet experience."

In
a Sunday story, reporter Kirk Johnson writes that Hardin's student body
has grown in recent years because of a decision handed down by the Hardin School
District in 2004 not to bus students from Hardin to Lodge Grass as well
as Crow students' and parents' preference for the off-reservation school. Meanwhile, Lodge Grass High School has lost more than a third of its
student enrollment in the last eight years.

The shift in
numbers between the two schools, Johnson notes, has mostly benefited
Hardin High while Lodge Grass faces continued budget cuts and a dwindling staff.

Click here for the full story.

Crows Thrilled to Be Obama's 'Brothers and Sisters'

Sen. Barack Obama greets supporters on his visit Monday to the Crow Reservation. (Click here or on the photo above to see a slideshow of April Gregory's photos from the Obama event).

Story by Mary Hudetz | Photos by April Gregory
reznetnews.org

Some Crow tribal members waited in line more than
six hours to ensure they would have a good view when the first
presidential candidate to visit their reservation stepped to the stage
to speak.

Others spent those hours braiding their hair and fastening the ties
of their traditional outfits so they would look their best when
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama took the microphone and
explained his stance on issues that affect hundreds of Native American
tribes throughout the country but often go unmentioned by candidates
running for national office.

"Somebody finally recognized us enough to come an extra few hours,"
said Beverly Big Man, a Crow Agency Elementary School teacher. "We're
always the forgotten ones."

Big Man, 73, was among the first dozen people to arrive and stake
out a place in line around 8 a.m. for the 2:45 p.m. event. Once a
Hillary Clinton supporter, Big Man said she decided to vote for Obama
after hearing him mention Native Americans on television. She called
Obama's visit to the reservation "a once-in-a-lifetime event."

Obama, the front-runner in a race with Sen. Clinton for the
Democratic presidential nomination, became the first presidential
candidate to visit the Crow Reservation Monday. He spoke to a crowd of
several thousand people gathered at the Apsaalooke Veterans Park.

To welcome Obama, Crows showered his family with gifts that included
a beaded medallion for him to give to his wife, Michelle, and beaded,
doll-sized cradleboards for his two daughters, Sasha and Malia. Sen.
Obama was adopted into the tribe's Whistling Water clan and given a
Crow name, "One who helps people throughout the land."

Joe Medicine Crow, who at 94 is one of the tribe's eldest members
and a tribal historian, commented on the historic day.

"This man is the first presidential candidate who has made a stop
here with the Crow people," he said. "I consider that an honor not only
for Crow Indians but for Indian Country."

As the crowd waited for Obama to arrive from Billings, where he held
a morning town hall-style meeting, the Black Whistle Singers sang
powwow songs and a score of tribal members wearing traditional clothing
danced on the lawn of the park that lies just to the south of the
Little Bighorn River, which winds through town.

Medicine Crow stood watching, bouncing his knees to the music's beat and smiling.

"It is my prayer that he will go all the way," he said of the
candidate who often evokes the word "hope" on the campaign trail. "His
door will be open to Indian people. He's going to change things
around."

During an 11-minute speech here, Obama vowed to bring change to
Indian Country if elected president. While the speech was shorter than
the 40- to 50-minute talks the Illinois senator often gives during
rallies held in larger venues, he said the Crow Agency stop marked one
of the campaign's most important events.

He promised to improve the Indian health care system and noted that
he co-sponsored the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, a bill approved
by the Senate last February. Clinton and John McCain, the presumptive
Republican presidential nominee, co-sponsored the bill, too.

Obama also said he would make sure children on the nation's Indian
reservations received a "world-class education" and he would end
"nearly a century of mismanagement of Indian trust."

"Too often Washington has paid lip service to working with tribes,
while making a one-size-fits-all approach with tribal communities
across the nation," he said. "That will change under my
administration."

The pledge drew cheers from the mostly Native crowd as
eagle-feathered fans and the Obama campaign's blue "Change We Can
Believe In" signs waved in the air.

Susan Quilt, a 36-year-old Lodge Grass resident who came for the
event, said she hoped that if Obama wins his party's nomination and
beats McCain in November, he would keep the promises he made as a
candidate.

"Hopefully some of the tribes' needs will be fulfilled," she said.
"Past elected officials and past presidents haven't done anything about
that."

Before he stepped down from the stage to shake hands with
supporters, the Illinois senator pledged that an Obama administration
would deliver on the promises he made to Native Americans.

"I will never forget you," he said. "Since now I'm a member of the
family, you know that I won't break my commitment to my own brothers
and my own sisters."

A group of teenagers chanted "Obama" as the senator made his way
toward his bus, shaking hands and embracing supporters before moving on
to his next stop in Bozeman.

When he reached for the last hand and waved goodbye, Darrin Old
Coyote, the tribe's vice secretary, called out to Obama to tell him
Crows say "Shianuk," a Crow expression for "I'll see you later." For the
Crows, there is no word that translates to goodbye.

"Shianuk," Obama answered before turning away and climbing aboard his bus.

Editor's note: This story originally appeared on Reznet and is published here with permission.

 

House District 42 Candidate Profiles

Here are profiles of the two candidates running for the House District 42 seat.  The candidates are Bill Joseph, a Republican, and Carolyn Pease-Lopez, a Democrat.

Bill Joseph (R)

Bill Joseph was born in Chicago but has lived in Hardin for
the past 22 years. He is a carpenter and rancher. Joseph is running for
a seat in the Montana State Legislature representing House District 42.
This is his first venture into politics but is very enthusiastic about
this opportunity and hopes his enthusiasm will give him an edge.

Joseph realizes he is new but said, “I am anxious to learn the
questions people have so I can find the answers.” Joseph also said he
would focus on water rights issues.

Joseph is advocating for “active change” and development of
Montana's natural resources. Being a rancher Joseph said he understands
some of the water issues in the area and will work to improve them.
Joseph is a believer in state's rights and said he wants to make sure
Montana's resources benefit Montana.

Joseph said he is running because he is “really proud of America and
[is] tired of the quibbling between Republicans and Democrats.”

Carolyn Pease-Lopez(D)

Carolyn Pease-Lopez is hoping her experience in education and her
record of public service will lead her to the state legislature.  If
elected, she says she intends to build on the work of the legislature's
American Indian Caucus. “With the current administration, it [seems]
like a good time to work on issues concerning our district,”
Pease-Lopez said.

Pease-Lopez is a long-time educator and counselor, having worked
extensively with American Indian youth and college students. She has
served as the Coordinator of American Indian Student Services at Rocky
Mountain College in Billings for the past thirteen years.

Before that, she was a financial aid officer at Little Big Horn
College from 1991 to 1995. In addition, she was the LBHC representative
for the Veteran's Upward Bound, at Montana State University-Billings.
Pease-Lopez also has a bachelor's degree in sociology and a background
in substance abuse counseling and prevention.

“The first call I feel in my life, even though I am not a classroom teacher, is Indian education,” Pease-Lopez said.

She and her husband David live in southern Yellowstone County in the
northeast corner of the Crow Indian reservation.  Her children attended
schools in Lodge Grass, Pryor and Billings. Pease-Lopez is a member of
the Piegan Clan, a child of the Big Lodge.

She says her candidacy will focus on Montana's quality of education,
services for families and children, community health and well-being,
and economic development.

“The issues of family and what's best for our children should run
beyond the Indian population,” said Pease-Lopez, “they apply to all
families.”

Slideshow: Obama Visits Crow Country

Several thousand people attend the Barack Obama rally in Crow Agency Monday.

By Mary Hudetz | Photos by Casey Kills Pretty Enemy
CrowNews.Net

Sen. Barack Obama, the front-runner in the race for the Democratic
presidential nomination with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, came to Crow
Country Monday, outlining his stance on some of the many issues facing
Native Americans and saying that if elected president he would honor
treaty obligations.

On June 3, Montana and South Dakota Democrats will weigh in on the
race for the Democratic party's nomination and the two states' primaries will mark
the end of the historic 2008 primary season. Obama's visit to
Crow marked the first time a presidential candidate campaigned on the
Crow reservation.

"Few have been ignored by Washington for as long as Native Americans, the first Americans," he said.

The Illinois senator's afternoon rally in Crow Agency was part of
one-day tour through Montana that included stops in Billings where he
held a town hall-style meeting at West High and an evening rally at the
Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. It was Obama's second trip to Montana this
campaign year.

"I'll host an annual summit at the White House with tribal leaders
to come up with an agenda that works for tribal communities because
that's how we'll make sure that you have a seat at the table when
important decisions are being made about your lives, about your nations,
about your people," Obama said to a crowd of several thousand people
spread across the grounds of the Veterans Park in town.

Editor's note: The slideshow above and this website are best viewed with the Firefox Web browser. Click here for a free download.

 

Video: 'Barack Black Eagle' Vows to Honor Treaties, Brings Spotlight to Crow Country

CrowNews.Net

In case you missed the rally in Crow Agency or you were there and just want to see
video footage from the event, the video above -- posted to YouTube by
the Obama campaign -- includes excerpts of Obama's speech and people in
the crowd.

The New York Times also has footage of a
laughter-filled moment during the event when Obama attempted to say "Absaalooke" several
times before getting the pronunciation right. (Click here to go to the Times' website and watch the video).

"I'm sorry, you know I'm still working on it," he said. "I
was just adopted into the tribe so I'm still working on my
pronunciations."




The crowd cheered. Obama was adopted in a private ceremony by Hartford
Black Eagle Sr. and his wife Mary just before the rally.

"I like my new name 'Barack Black Eagle,'" he said. "That is a good
name."


The Indian name given to Obama is "Awe Kooda Bilaxpak Kuuxshish" (One
Who Helps People Throughout The Land).



The rally, precluded by powwow
singing and Crow traditional dancing, was distinct from those the campaign
often holds in college and professional sports arena that seat upwards
of 8,000 people. NY Times political reporter Jeff Zeleny had this to
stay about the rally in Crow Country in a post on "The Caucus," a
political blog on the newspaper's website:

As the Democratic
presidential campaign has moved from season to season over the last 16
months, the political rallies and the town meetings often have taken on
a similar feeling and a familiar flavor.

Not so today, here on the Crow Indian Reservation.

A number of media outlets from The Washington Post to the Los Angeles
Times covered Monday's rally in Crow. Here are some more links
to stories on other websites:

• The Washington Post has a short blog post with a photo of "Barack Black Eagle" being escorted by his new adopted parents, Hartford and Mary Black Eagle. The candidate is also shaking a young supporter's hand.

• And the Los Angeles Times' Andrew Malcolm offers a fun read with a piece on the moment when Chairman Carl Venne explained to Obama the tribal officials wives had gifts for Obama's "wives." When the senator took the microphone, he corrected Venne with an air of humor, saying he only has one wife. "I don't want to get in trouble when I get home," Obama said. "I can have new parents, but no new wives... My wife is spectacular, she really is."

• Closer to home, the Billings Gazette's Becky Shay and Molly Priddy have a pair of articles about the Crow Agency rally.

Enjoy.