Tourist Traps I Say NOT

On a recent visit to Little Bighorn Battlefield, we concluded our visit to the park by stopping at a "Trading Post" just outside the exit. I can remember when moving to Montana years ago it was always fun to stop by St. Ignatius, MT Trading Post when I happened to be headed to Missoula, MT for more adventures. These memories caused me to say to the kids, "let's stop here" for you to have a look see at what treasures might be inside.

My husband immediately piped in "tourist trap". I did somewhat agree with him as I remember family trips to the Smokey Mountains as a kid and my parents saying the same thing.

I found the scenery inside and out inviting at this "tourist trap" and my daughter did get to purchase a little tote bag with a zipper on it that she is using on a daily basis to hold her hand held game system. So my camera came out and I played tourist at this stop. Hope you like the views we saw that day. And me personally, I would recommend everyone stop in and take a look see if you are ever in the area.

Indian Memorial at Little Bighorn Battlefield

A beautiful landscape of blue skies, fields of green and brown, and natural vegetation surround this monument. The following is from the National Parks website: "Lt. Col. George A. Custer and 262 soldiers, scouts, and civilians attached to the 7th U.S. Cavalry fought at least 1,500 Cheyenne, Sioux, and Arapaho warriors. Custer and all his men died. In 1881 the War Department erected a monument for the 7th Cavalry, attached civilian personnel, and Indian scouts killed in the battle. The U.S. Army also took custody of the site, controlling access and historical interpretation for decades. At least 100 American Indian men, women, and children died, too. They fought in defense of their families, land, and traditional way of life. The Indians’ courageous effort, however, was never formally recognized-until now. In 1991, the U.S. Congress changed the name of the battlefield and ordered construction of a privately funded memorial for the American Indians. "The public interest," according to Public Law 102-210, 'will best be served by establishing a memorial...to honor and recognize the Indians who fought to preserve their land and culture." On December 10, 1991, President George Bush signed legislation to change the battefield’s name from “Custer” to “Little Bighorn” BattlefieldNational Monument and to create the Indian Memorial. The law authorized a national design competition, construction of the memorial, and acceptance of donations. An advisory committee made up of members of the Indian tribes involved in the battle, historians, artists, and landscape architects has overseen the process. The committee adopted the theme “Peace Through Unity” in accordance with the advice of Elders Austin Two Moons (Northern Cheyenne) and Enos Poor bear, Sr. (Oglala Lakota). The theme would help “encourage peace among people of all races,” as required by the law. The Indian Memorial stands 75 yards northeast of the 7th Cavalry monument, a circular earthwork carved gently into the prairie. Visitors inside the memorial see a view of the Cavalry obelisk through a “spirit gate” window. The spirit gate welcomes the Cavalry dead symbolically into the memorial’s circle. For many tribes, a circle is sacred, and it remains open for ceremonial events. The surrounding walls carry the names of those who fell here as well as the words of some who fought in the battle." Here are some photographs of items on the wall. I couldn't help but snap one of everything on it but space does not permit me to enter it all here. If you have an interest in American history and its people, this is the place to visit. I noticed so many different dialects in the tourists. There was thankful enthusiastic talk on getting to see and experience park from one gentleman from a different country while we were in the museum and I marveled quietly at his happiness.

Native American Buffalo Art

Wynston snapped some photos at the local newspaper building on Saturday of our latest buffalo find around Great Falls, Montana. This one has a Native American feel. I love the faces on it and the artist is very talented. Hope you enjoy the photos taken of this buffalo.

Blackfeet Indian Grass Dance

Clothing was a major part of the Blackfeet Indian culture. It represented them, their beliefs, and most of all, nature. For example, a circle sewed on blue represented the sun in the sky. Green symbolized grass, and red circles were mountain ash berries. There were special clothes for certain occasions such as ceremonies and dances. When an Indian from another tribe was captured, the Blackfeet would often steal his clothes and copy them, making it their own design, and using it as their own. Men wore native- tanned buckskin garments, with porcupine quilled shirts. Chiefs often wore elaborated head dresses, with white leggings and beaded moccasins.



Women are very important in the Blackfeet Indian tribe, and this is represented in their style of clothing. They are considered to be the most holy of people. They often wore stringed, beaded dresses with assortments of bells, beads, shells, and even elk tusks, which were very rare. On the ordinary working day, they would generally wear a loose fitting gingham dress, about three feet wide and knee length. The sides of the dress were frayed and often beaded.



The Blackfeet were known for their traditional and unique dancing. In the 1800’s, their dances usually symbolized something from nature, for instance the animals, birds, flowers and stars, but today the dances are mostly fancy steps with no meaning at all. There were two major dances, social and ceremonial. Dancing usually involved singing and drumming. Some of the most famous dances were the Pipe dance, the Blacktail Deer dance, and the Medicine Pipe dance.



Today there are still Blackfeet in Montana. Many have lost their heritage, customs and religion but there are a few who keep the true spirit of the Blackfeet alive. Most of the Blackfeet live on a reservation located in Northwest Montana along the Rocky Mountains. Its headquarters are located in Browning, Montana. The reservation is one and a half million acres and is home to 9,000 enrolled members and another 7,000 members living on or around the reservation.

Blackfeet Indian Prairie Chicken Dance

The chicken dance came from the Blackfeet confederacy...... The chicken dance (and it's songs) is a sacred dance and not merely a dance style. It is a dance that must be learned and taught in the appropriate way, with the dancer being initiated into the chicken dance society. The dance is imitating the prairie chicken in mating, no bustle is worn.


Most things the dancer carries when he dances have a meaning like the otter skin that is a part of a society, there are a lot of things that some people don't understand about this dance.

From George Ceepeekous: Dancer "Back in 1961, a prairie chicken landed right in front of my car one night. My wife and I were coming to the reserve from Raymore. He landed right in front of my car, so I had to stop. Then all of a sudden, he started to showing off, and dancing right there on the road. His little feet were going back and forth. he moved pretty fast on his feet. He would shake, and hop around in a circle. I started to think, Geez, that was something. 'It was like he was showing me how to dance the chicken style. So I sat there, and watched him dance until he was done. He danced for us for about ten to fifteen minutes. The whole time he danced too, then he flew away. This is a true story!



The chicken dance. I call it the Prairie Chicken Dance. This is how my dad made me understand it. You can say it was the Straight Chicken Dance. I heard a lot of places calling it different, but I learned it as the Prairie Chicken Dance. One thing I don't like, is just calling it the chicken dance. Some people who don't understand this dance, might think of it as a farm chicken, or some other chicken. At one powwow, they were making fun of it. They called it the Kentucky Fried Chicken Dance, and I was in the bunch, dancing. They called us the Kentucky Fried Chicken Dancers. That is not right, you know. It offends us.

I know that the Prairie Chicken Dance started the same time as the Grass Dance style. There was one old man, a long time ago, watching these prairie chickens in the spring. They were mating and doing their courting dance. That's where he picked up these dance styles. Grass and Prairie Chicken Dance is almost danced the same way."

Blackfeet Indian Fancy Feathers Dance

One of the most visually spectacular dances to watch of the Blackfeet Indian is the Fancy Feathers Dance. There is more aerial artistry in jumps and turns with the dancer's feet being in mid-air more than on the ground while performing.



The costume is very elaborate and weighs around 65 pounds.



Some history of the Blackfeet Indian can be found by clicking on this highlighted sentence.


Another interesting fact we heard during the presentation was how to acquire an eagle feather. One must write to the US Fish and Wildlife Department making a request. We were told there is usually a 3 year waiting period because you are put on a list and the feathers are rare. If a person finds an eagle that has died, he should turn it into the Fish and Wildlife Department.

Blackfeet Indian Bell Dancer

Another dancer at the Blackfeet Indian Dance Presentation this past weekend at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center was "The Bell Dancer". Her sweet young daughter also performed some of the dance with her and then decided she was tired and moved over to sit on her father's knee and help with the drumming on the hand drum while the men sang the song for the dancer.




Her regalia was exquisite with so much detail I had to go up after the performance and ask for some close up shots of her moccasins, beadwork and bells.



The bells are made out of snuff cans. There are 365 bells which represent a dream the dancer has had. The dancer makes her regalia along with the help of family members. They can take years to finish. She also had a beautiful beaded purse she carried while she danced, but I did not think to ask for a close up picture of it.



More postings to follow with the men who performed dances at the festival as well.

Blackfeet Indian Shawl Dance

This past weekend some out of town family and friends went with us to Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center to see a Blackfeet Indian Dance Presentation and to take part in the 11th Annual Illuminaria Walk along the Missouri River on the River's Edge Trail along Black Eagle Dam.

The evening was beautiful but bright as the sun shown brightly through most of the dance presentation.



I fell in love with the colors of this regalia worn for "The Shawl Dance". It is more modern in design than the usual buckskin most are made out of.



The sun really made it shine and everyone could tell the dancer loved the spirit that flowed through the air with the hand drummers beating the drum and singing their song for her.

Roadtrip Montana

This past weekend my brother and I took a roadtrip from Great Falls, Montana to Kalispell, MT.

Distance between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Kalispell, Montana, United States, as the crow flies: 149 miles (239 km) (129 nautical miles)



The snow covered mountain peaks were spectacular and many pictures were taken in the van headed toward our destination. We drove through a little section of Glacier National Park along the way.




The question that just came to my mind is -- What is a glacier? Computer research yields these answers -a slowly moving mass of ice, a perennial mass of ice which moves over land. A glacier forms in locations where the mass accumulation of snow and ice exceeds, and a mass of ice formed through the accumulation of multiple years of snow input causing compaction and thus the expulsion of air from within the mass.




It was a quick trip and I was glad we had one good day of sunshine as the return trip home was like a fog hanging above our heads with scattered snow on the roads.





I couldn't help taking pictures of the storefronts, statues, scenery, and culture around us.





This is a picture of Big Mountain Ski area as headed into the town of Whitefish, MT.


On a bit of fun side -- We thought this advertisement might be something to check out on our next adventure to Kalispell.