He was so skilled that he always brought home meat, and because he wore an antelope hide on his back as a disguise, he became known as Packs Antelope. One very old story, as shared by Apsáalooke elder Harry Bull Shows, is as follows: In the time of bows and arrows lived a great hunter. Within this tri-layered universe, there is a natural flow and tension between and among all living things. Otters are regarded by the Apsáalooke as the most dominant of all water beings. The third is Under Water/Earth, where beings such as fish, otters and turtles reign supreme. The second is the Surface of the Earth, where many powerful beings exist and are generally identified as plants, animals and minerals. First is the Above World, where the stars, birds and clouds reside. One noteworthy story about the lake touches on all these themes and provides insight into the Apsáalooke cosmological belief system.Īpsáalooke philosophy divides the universe into three realms. These oral traditions help explain unique behavioral aspects of the region’s wildlife, seasonal weather phenomena, and even human nature and our relationship to the animal kingdom. It’s no surprise that Yellowstone’s largest lake, a body of water surrounded by geologic and hydrothermal wonders, represented a source of primordial power to the Apsáalooke community, and the stories about the place reflect that importance. Yellowstone Lake has several Apsáalooke names, including Where the Elk Flirt and Elk Lake, that relate to the herds of elk that return in the spring and the summer, following an ancient migration pattern. “Mother’s Knowledge,” oil on canvas, 2020 camera icon ©DEL CURFMAN WHERE ELK RIVER BEGINS/IICHÍILIKAASHAASHE ALACHILICHE (YELLOWSTONE LAKE) Here are three ancient Apsáalooke origin stories about some of Yellowstone’s most prominent landmarks. Our long history and deep knowledge of the Land of Steam are reflected in the many Apsáalooke place names located throughout Yellowstone that tell of a complex and profound relationship between the people and the landscape. Learning about my Tribe’s history in Yellowstone and the stories associated with it, I realized that this sacred homeland was the source of many foundational aspects of my culture and my ancestors’ understanding of the world. As I aged and matured, I sought to learn as much as I could about my culture – turning to Tribal elders, oral historians and rare written materials such as ethnographies. When I first visited Old Faithful as an 8-year-old tourist from Crow Agency, Montana, I was oblivious to the importance of the place to my great-great-grandparents. Many of my peers and I simply didn’t learn about the age-old, rich cultural connection to the Land of Steam held by our ancestors. Colonial calamities such as forced relocation, smallpox epidemics, warfare, Indian boarding schools and modern education systems devoid of Native American content or perspective all worked against my Tribe’s oral tradition of passing knowledge down to the next generation. Growing up on the Crow Indian Reservation in the 1970s and ’80s, I wasn’t aware of the significance of the park to my Tribe or my family. The world’s first national park marks a significant milestone today - but its history reaches much further back than 1872 and involves the stories and cultures of more than… See more › My Tribe, the Apsáalooke (Crow), know it as Awé Púawishe, the Land of Steam, and our intimate knowledge of this land goes back centuries.Ĭommemorating Yellowstone’s 150th Birthday with the Park’s ‘First Family’ Yellowstone National Park is an ancient Native homeland, and at least 27 Tribal Nations maintain strong connections to sacred sites within the park. Whether told through living breath or signs on paper, the oldest stories inspire us to consider the human roots of our modern world: Where do we come from, what makes us special, and how can we honor our ancestors, ourselves and future generations? Ancient stories about a homeland are a deep kind of knowledge that allows us to know the place - not just with our heads, but with our hearts - and that is true whether or not you are Indigenous to a place. Both old stories and new have the power to inform us, entertain us and bring us together as kindred folk. Stories are an integral part of the human condition, and they are the most powerful tools we have to shape our understanding of the universe and guide our paths forward.
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