From the Heart of the Crow Country: The Crow Indians' Own Stories

As a member of the Crow (Apsaalooke) Tribe I recommend this book. I especially like the story of the warrior "Plays with His Face." I like this book and my sons do too. Buy it, you won't be disappointed.

Joseph Medicine Crow was officially designated as the tribal historian and anthropologist by the Crow Tribal Council in 1948. One of his grandfathers, Medicine Crow, was one of the tribe's last war chiefs and a signer of the 1880 treaty with the United States. His great-uncle, White-Man Runs Him, was one of Custer's favorite Crow scouts. At a young age, Joseph Medicine Crow began collecting stories of the elderly Crows as well as members of their tradition enemies, the Sioux and Cheyenne. From the Heart of Crow Country, his first book, is a combination of oral tradition and the written record. The result is a unique compilation of stories and history from the Crow and other Northern Plains tribes. This short book is comprised of several short stories and anecdotes from the Crow perspective. Beginning with the creation of the Crow people, the book offers brief sections on Crow society such as Crow social organization, military organization, religion, economy, language, and physical appearance. Emphasizing the importance of land and hunting ground, he tells the Crow story of migration, which contrasts with the "whites'" version of the same progression. He explains the purposes of war, and how its prime objective was not bloodshed or manslaughter, but rather [for the Indian] to distinguish himself in battle. He explains the requirements necessary for becoming a chief, including "counting coup" on one's enemy, ridden an opponent of a weapon, taking an enemy's horse, and commanding a war party successfully. Intertribal warfare on the Plains, a "dangerous sport through which young men climbed the military ladder to attain chieftaincy," is discussed using oral history. Medicine Crow recounts the way in which the Crows hunted buffalo before they had horses. He offers an analysis of techniques used in luring, driving, and stampeding buffalo over cliffs. At certain points in a chapter, he will "switch" to from the oral history of one Crow to the voice of another, to finish the story from a different perspective. At other times, he will employ archival research to fill in certain gaps such as the names of places, or years and stipulations of treaties. Medicine Crow believes it is his job to close the gap between legend and reality in the telling of the history of his people. He writes, "as oral and recorded history reach back into the past and begin to support and substantiate the legendary, the gap begins to close and a starting point is finally found from which some continuity can be identified and maintained" (16). This method of using archival history to, in a sense, "validate by scholarly standards" specific details of traditional oral history results in a well rounded account of previously undocumented historical events. The importance of this book is the documentation of oral history, and the friendly and accessible manner in which it is presented. For scholars, this book could use the help of an editor to introduce certain sections

Much of the popular understanding of the Plains Indians is based on the extensive and ubiquitous literature on Lakota Sioux. Other tribes, such as the Crows (Absarokee), the Arapaho, or Gros Ventres tend to be overlooked. Especially Crows. These beautiful people were THE principal enemy of the Lakota and although just a fraction of their number, the Crows were very successful in heckling the Sioux bands and keeping them at bay. These book is a recapitulation of the stories of such exploits. Stories, which would have been forgotten, if not for Joseph Medicine Crow... we hear about the introduction of the horse (in 1700s; the Crows call the horse "ichilay", which means "to search with"), the "buffalo jumps", invented by the Crows, and the interminable war parties and horse-stealing. The war was not waged for conquest, gain of property or territory: it was the ultimate sport, a game of wits, chivalry, bravery and honor between the tribes. The Crows were incredibly successful in raising horses: so succesful that in 1919 the secretary of the interior issued orders that they must get rod of their horses. The governement contracted bounty hunters, hired planes and helicopters and killed tens of thousands of animals... a tragic and traumatic experience for the Crows, which was worse than the military defeat. Still, the Absarokee were spared, to a large extent, the large scale depredations by the US military, due to to the role played by a Frenchman named Pierre Chienne, who practicaly wrote the provisions of the treaty that chief Blackfoot signed in 1868. There are many stories about grizzly hunting, about old shamans, vision quests and military exploits. About the historic defeat of the Sioux, who tried to exterminate the Crow tribe in 1900s once and for all by attacking with 10 000 warriors. And lost. In short, this is an entertaining and informative book about a remarkable people. i recommend it highly.

From the Heart of the Crow Country is a unique book by Joseph Medicine Crow, oral historian of the tribe. Filled with stories, observations, biographical portraits, accounts of hunting, warring and religious practices, and even examples of Crow Indian humour, From the Heart of Crow Country is a valuable compilation enriched by many black and white historic photos of Crow Indians, including the author's own parents and family. Convincing cultural and religious parallels are drawn such as between Jesus' fasting for 40 days and a Sun Dancer's fasting for 4 days. In this vein a good definition is given of a holy man: "This special person is the product of three factors coming into conjunction: First is the event or situation at hand; second is a man with capability and intelligence; and third is this man's definition of the situation, which leads to the solution's becoming a reality. The result of the successful conjunction of these three factors is the emergence of a new leader, who brings about the final release of the people from their predicament (p.55)." A chronology of Crow history is included that highlights major events of Absarokee History from ca.1500 to 1962. From The Heart Of The Crow Country is a fully authentic work that has value and appeal to both scholars and general readers, elegantly voiced, and easily read.Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer