Names, Visions, and Imageries of the Crow tribe of Native Americans
Table of Contents
The rich cultural heritage of
the Native Americans is subject to different interpretations beyond the actual
meanings as understood by the natives. The Crow tribe’s names, visions, and imageries
are not spared from these relative interpretations. It is claimed that these
names, visions, and imageries denote exaggerations, triumphalism, or cultural
symbolism. Also, their name can visually reveal the true meanings of
descriptive language and metaphors or similes in words and expressions.
The objective of this writing is
to examine these names and imageries to differentiate the Europeans’
interpretations of the names and lifestyle of the Crow nation from the Crow’s presentations
of who they are and their way of life.
It will bring out the
significance of the Crow’s culture by examining their names, titles, and bands.
The Crow: Who are they?
The Crow is a Native American
tribe. Before the advent of the Europeans, the Crow occupied the entire Yellowstone
River and the Northern Plains of Montana and Wyoming. The Crow is a collection
of different bands of natives with one ancestry and homeland.
The Crow and the Hidatsa were kin
and speak the same language that was part of the Missouri valley Siouan
language. About the 15th century, the Europeans and the Americans
increased their activities in the area. The Sioux pushed the Crow out of their land.
That led to the Crow separating themselves from their kin, Hidatsa. This
further led to subdivisions of the tribe into the Mountain Crow, the River Crow,
and the Kicked in the Bellies, who later carved themselves out from the
Mountain Crow.
Names, Visions, and Imageries
With this brief description of
who the Crow is, below are a variety of names and imageries associated with the
Crow. Efforts will be made to understand them according to the minds of the
natives to put to the fore their meanings and significance.
Apsaalooke (or Absaroka)
The Crow calls themselves
Apsaalooke or Absaroka, meaning “people of the large-beaked bird” or the “bird
people.” This name is exemplified in their attire, where in their sacred
ceremonies, the Crow decorates themselves with dead birds hanging on their
heads. However, the early French explorers misinterpreted the name “Apsaalooke”
to mean “gens de corbeaux,” that is, “people of the crows.”
The early contact between the
French and the Crow introduced a simultaneous and hermeneutical understanding
of each other as well as health issues associated with migration.
The French explorers called
the Crow “beaux hommes”, that is, “handsome men.” The Crow called the French
explorers “Baashchille” which is a “person with white eyes.” We can see
the power of figurative uses of language in the instances of “handsome men” and
“person with white eyes.”
Writing about white eyes, it
is said that William Prescott, an American officer who, at the battle of Bunker
Hill during the Revolutionary War, instructed his troops: “don’t fire until you
see the whites of their eyes.” Though the above saying was associated with the Bunker
Hill battle of 1775 between the British and the Americans, the Crow referring
to the French as a person with white eyes may have a different meaning. The
comparison between the Crow’s use of the phrase “person with white eyes” and William
Prescott’s saying show some similarities in content but not in context.
As the Crow and French
explorers exchanged pleasantries and acknowledged their differences, the encounter
saw the introduction of smallpox epidemics that decimated the Crow population.
The Separations of the Bands
As stated above, the Crow was
a collection of different bands who were united and held together not only by
name but also by language, though with different dialects and homelands. Examining
the bands will help throw some light on the names and reasons for the
separation.
The Mountain Crow (Ashalaho)
The Mountain Crow was said to separate
from the Hidatsa kin because their leader, who was known as “No Intestines.” He
had a vision that made him lead his people in search of the Sacred Tobacco. The
move led to their occupying the valley of the Yellowstone River that stretched
to the Northern Plains in Montana and Wyoming.
The River Crow
After the Mountain Crow left
Hidatsa, the River Crow left too because of a dispute over a “bison stomach.” They
settled along the Yellowstone River and Musselshell River.
The Kicked in the Bellies
The Kicked in the Bellies
within the Mountain Crow decided and separated from the band. They moved from
the Big Horn mountains to the Wind River Range in central Wyoming.
When the Crow bands left
Hidatsa, the Hidatsa occupied the Missouri River area with the Mandan and
flourished as agrarians.
Something constant among the
different Crow bands was that they all linked their way of life to the bison. The
names, such as “No Intestines,” “the dispute over the content of a bison stomach,”
and “Kicked in the Bellies” symbolize the importance of the creature, ‘bison’
in their culture. More so, the bison was regarded as their food source, and its
stomach contents were viewed as delicacies.
Chiefs, Their Names and Meanings
We see the power and use of
language. Imagine a leader of the Mountain Crow being addressed as “No
Intestines” and the “Kicked in the Bellies” answering that. Below are a few other
names of some leaders or chiefs of the Crow.
Chief Long Hair (Issheuhutskitu)
The Crow term “Itchuuwaaooshbishish”
means “Red Plume Feather at the Temple.” Chief Long Hair, or “Issheuhutskitu”
was born in 1750. He was called Chief Long Hair because he had long hair that
measured 10-25 feet long at various times in his life.
Chief Sore Belly (Arapoosh)
He was chief of River Crow
around the first half of the 19th century. According to legend, as
he fasted, he saw a vision that he had received a shield that would become a
symbol of spiritual protection and prophecy.
Chief of the Camp (Ashbacheeitche)
He was a dealing-making chief.
He held the title of the band of chiefs of the whole Mountain Crow band. He was
a medicine man under whose purview the 1825 “Treaty of Friendship” was signed
with the United States at Mandan village and was witnessed by 15 other Mountain
Crow chiefs.
Chief of Plenty Coups
The name of this chief is an
interesting one. His name sounded like either his accomplishments or genius. The
term “coup” is understood as its dictionary meaning suggests. According to the dictionary
definition of a coup, it is “a sudden violent and unlawful seizure of power
from a government especially through military manoeuvres.” It also means “an
example of successfully achieving something difficult.”
Plenty Coups is an appropriate
phrase that better describes Chief Plenty Coups. He was faced with the mighty power
of the Europeans and the Americans. For sure, he knew that their lands would
soon be in the hands of foreign settlers; his astuteness and boyhood vision helped
him navigate through those hardships and bought for his people a resettlement
that was very close to their natural homelands in Montana.
As a young boy, he saw the
appearance and disappearance of buffalo on the Plains, and later the buffalo
was replaced by other breeds. Again, he saw a vision where the wind blew every
tree down, but one tree was left standing. He interpreted the vision to mean
that the white man would take their lands away from them as well as their way
of life. As a result, he enjoined his people to assist the Americans during the
Indian Wars so that when the war was over, they were spared and compensated for
being good allies.
From the above, the Crow can be said to have a powerful language that allows them to speak in idioms, imageries, and context. Their names, visions, and imageries are part of who they are and the means of communicating among themselves.
