Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1940-02-02


lowtail, superintendent Of the Grow
Indian reservation, reveals that the
Crow buffalo herd now numbers
more than 600 head. The buffalo
are roaming once again over the
grassy hills in the land Of the
Crow and an old watch-fire proph-
ecy of Crow medicine men has
been fulfilled. Once more the Crow
have buffalo meat and hides avail
able for times of need. Once again
the women sew dancing garments
with buffalo sinew.
In pre-Columbian times the Crow
country. vast territory lying between
the Yellowstone river and the Big
Horn mountains of Wyoming, was one
OF the finest buffalo hunting regions
in the northwest. From remotest times
it had been the private preserve of the
Crow and they defended it against all
corners. They were among the most
peaceful of western Indian peoples but
when their hunting country was
The bunch grass grew knee deep on
the rolling hills and the buffalo that
grazed there were fat, famed among
distant tribes for the fine quality OF
the robes they provided.
Then, in latter years of the 10th
century the robe hunters. white men
looking for quick riches, came to the
the buffalo were almost exterminated
Carload after carload of stiff buffalo
robes went east on the newly con-
structed railroads and countless thou
sands of buffalo carcasseS lay rotting
on the prairies. The Grow people could
not, would not believe that in SO short
period of time all of the buffalo
their chief source of food. clothing, and
shelter, had been killed Off No, it could
not be said the chiefs and the medicine
men. The chiefs were of the opinion
that the buffalo had migrated to the
far north, but the medicine men had a
different theory. The buffalo, said
they, had not been all killed off. for
Old Man Coyote had seen to that. He
had caused a great hole to open in the
earth and into the hole he had driven
the buffalo. Some day, according to the
medicine mems prophecy, the buffalo
would return to the land of the Crow.
And they did.
The present immense Crow reserva-
ton, one of the largest in the United
States, includes a large portion of the
original Crow hunting ground. OF
course the buffalo have not come back
in the great numbers the Crow once
knew, but there are enough to make up
one of the largest herds remaining
within United States borders. The buff
falo herd is part of the Indian rehabil-
itation program of Robert Yellowtail,
first full-blood Indian reservation
superintendent appointed west of the
Mississippi.
In 1885 Yellowtail conceived the plan
of stocking the reserve with wild game.
Although some of his critics said so,
Yellowtail had no idea of sending his
people back to the blanket" or pro-
viding them with the thrills of the old
time hunt. His objective was to have a
ready supply of food for the Crow in
times of economic stress.
From Yellowstone park the Crow got
200 head of buffalo. The animals were
shipped to the reservation by truck
and loosed in a vast pasture Of more
than thirty thousand acres, a pasture
surrounded on three sides by canyons
of the Big Horn river and two tribu-
tary streams. These deep river courses
on the north, east. and west sides of
the grazing area have steep sides that
prevent the animals from wandering
away. All that is needed to prevent
their escape to the south is a 7O0-yard
fence. This comparatively short piece
Of fencing keeps the buffalo in the
great pasture. The fence is eight feet
high and is built of heavy timbers.
Buffalo walk nonchalantly through or
binary cattle fencing.
Since it was started the Crow herd
has shown steady increase Come
what may, the Crow people will have
meat when they need it, and officials
of the United States Indian bureau are
watching Mr.. Ye1lowtail,s experiment
with interest. 1t may be tried on other
reservations.
To date there has been no need for
the Crow to turn to their buffalo herd
Tor meat and only about 10 animals
have been slaughtered for tribal cere-
monlalS and festive barbecues. Robes
bones, sinews have been used to revive
tribal arts in the making of ceremonial
costumes
Far from any village or town, the
Grow buffalo range gives the animals
living conditions identical with those
OF olden times, and in their new home
the buffalo have become as wild as
their ancestors. The sight of man.
afoot or on horseback, sends them
numbering over the hills in wild flight
And migratory instincts have not dim
med In the laundering herd. After the
melting OF the SHOWS each springtime
the buffalo travel to the highest point
on their range to summer They travel
IN groups made up Of a bull, several
cows, and the calves The old law Of
survival of the fittest is still in force
and when young bull attacks an old
ster in an attempt to steal his family
the ensuing fight is fierce and NAV he
hours long. If the challenger is sue
cessful and the patriarch is driven off.
the latter retires from the herd to live
out his life as hermit.