"The Crow Country is exactly in the right place. Everything good is to be found there. There is no country like the Crow Country." Apsáalooke/Crow warrior, Sore Belly (1830).
Years later, upon sitting his saddled horse, generational Crow cowboy, Wailes Yellowtail, pondered those same thoughts as he gazed at the sunset radiated Apsáalooke landscape. Apsáalooke people make their home at the southeastern Montana crossroads of the Big Horn Mountains and rolling plains making their soil some of the most fertile and sought out in the nation. Crow cowboys are the first hand witnesses of change whether it's lifestyles or the environment. The Yellowtail family is no stranger to the ranching and cowboy livelihood while weaving together responsibility, respect, and resilience.
Responsibility: Becoming Cowboys
Wailes was born into the Yellowtail ranching legacy just as his grandfather, father, and his own son, Stephen, have been. Stephen Yellowtail’s great-great grandfather, Hawk With the Yellowtail Feathers, was born in the mid-1800s during a time of great change for the Apsáalooke Nation. Hawk with the Yellowtail Feathers was an avid horseman hunting buffalo across the rolling plains and, five generations later, Stephen is known as one of Crow country’s - and perhaps among the United States’ - ultimate cowboys.
Treaties, federal policies, and assimilation have all played roles in the lives of Apsáalooke people. Ranching was first introduced to Apsáalooke people through various efforts such as residential and missionary schools, political influences, and property requirements. We were faced with another challenge, we were now fighting for our land against settlers who wished to ranch. Becoming a Crow cowboy meant - that you had responsibility - we were on the land everyday, used our knowledge of the land, nurtured our connection to the land, and held onto the old values that come from the land.
Timeline of land theft and political influences of agriculture in Crow Country:
- Treaty of 1825
- Fort Laramie Treaties of 1851 and 1868
- 1879-1880: First wave of Crow children sent to residential schools
- Congressional Act of Cession of Lands of 1891
- Tribal Leasing transitioned into a bidding system in 1891 (first leasing agreements were made)
- Act of April 11, 1882
- Agreement of 1904
- 1920 Crow Act
(Photo/JoRee)
The Little Bighorn River is the staple of existence for Apsáalooke people. The river begins in the Big Horn Mountains then flows north 11 miles reaching the Montana-Wyoming state border hitting the Apsáalooke reservation line. This river provides sustenance to many including the Yellowtail family, Apsáalooke communities, ranchers - both tribal and non-tribal. Wailes reminded me, “I think we are really fortunate and it is a privilege that we are in some of the most beautiful land. Crow country used to be big and there is a lot of beautiful land we lost. But, here in the valley of the Little Bighorn River, we have been fortunate to get moisture most years. As a youngster, I just remember going up the mountain along the river with my dad and my uncles. There just aren't a lot of us who are fortunate to do that any more, especially more so now.” That somber thought of knowing not a lot of Apsáalooke people are lucky enough to know the land the way a Crow cowboy would severs extremely deep.
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When Apsáalooke people acquired horses, it completely changed the efficiency and ability of warriors to protect, provide, and persevere. Horses have always provided a means of survival, sense of identity, and deep connection to the land. Horses are a huge part of who we are as Apsáalooke people. They are kin and have an integral role in our families. Apsáalooke people are known as horse people and this is heavily known in the Yellowtail family. Stephen reminded me, “Horses, I have to have them. Horses are a huge part of my operation. To keep a horse, you have to feed it and take care of them. With the drought, it has just caused problems for a lot of us. Honestly, one thing that has been beneficial these past few years has been the horse market. I train my own horses. It has really jumped. I have been lucky to sell horses for quite a bit more money than you used to and this has helped the ranch out a bunch.”
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“Somebody told my grandfather that one of the old timers tried to fence off his allotment. They dug holes and put cedar posts in there. They didn’t tamp them to make them solid. A big wind came and blew their fence over,” Wailes laughed and said, “my dad had a lot of stories about Crows who were trying to learn how to live a whole new lifestyle.” We are living proof of navigating through history. We may have struggled through changing times but we always ensured we did what we could to remain in Crow country.
Wailes went on saying, “they had to live off the land. Just listening to my dad, they were so far away from Crow Agency, where they might’ve got employment, but back then, they were able to make a living and raise a family with what little wheat, pigs, and chickens they had. We all had big gardens and cellars. We would harvest our gardens and put it in the cellar, maybe butcher a pig or a cow. We could live and feed our families. Being so far away from jobs, we had no choice but to live off the land.”
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Wailes recited his grandfather, Carson Yellowtail, telling me about the origins of their beginnings, “they said 'if you have some milk cows and you can save those calves, you can take them.'" In the early 1900s, a blizzard hit and covered the horse trails that led to herds of cattle during calving season. That winter marked the beginning of the Yellowtail ranching legacy that is still successfully running to this day. Carson knew the land well enough that they were able to locate those calves and take them in. The cabin shown in this photograph is the cabin of Thomas Yellowtail, Carson’s brother who was a highly revered medicine man in the Apsaalooke community and Sundance chief, and is located on the current Wailes Yellowtail Ranch on the Crow Reservation. The last name Yellowtail is a shorter version of their patriarch, Hawk With the Yellowtail Feathers. The Yellowtail family holds a very strong legacy across Indian country. Wailes and Stephen are very proud to come from a strong family and are doing everything they can to continue this legacy. This photo is a representation of how close our ancestors are to us and how time is merely a construct.
(Photo/JoRee)
Stephen Yellowtail holds an engineering degree and chose to return to where it all began in Crow country. He told me, "with engineering, it is all about optimization and efficiency. There is no better place to apply that than in agriculture." It is important for our own people to become educated and return home with an education.
“My family legacy is something that means alot to me. Our family can be traced to this land. The fact that we are still living on this land means more than anything. We are the current generation who is still holding and protecting it. I want to do whatever I can to hold onto it and pass it onto my kids so they can pass it onto theirs. I hope it always stays with us," Stephen stated as he carried his first born. Not only is Stephen on the ranch every single day, he is also a stuntman starring in movies and TV shows like The Magnificent 7 and 1883 but was also a finalist for the season 3 Ultimate Cowboy Showdown. Stephen is holding a portrait of his ancestors. His great-grandfather, Carson Yellowtail, located on the far-left, is posing with his siblings.
(Photo/JoRee)
Respect: Overcoming Changes
The sedentary agricultural lifestyle was forced upon Apsáalooke people through assimilation efforts. As Apsáalooke we say immaachikittúua meaning we respect all beings. This ancient teaching is manifested in many different ways. We have been instructed on how to show our respect and gratitude for the land and their protectors. “The values that you learn from it. Work ethic. Putting things whether it's people or animals before yourself. Being honest, having respect, and integrity,” Stephen said, “I am the only one of my siblings that stuck with the ranch life but every one of them has been successful in what they do because they have learned that work ethic that comes from being raised on the ranch.” These values can be applied to any part of our lives.
“To me what makes Crow ranchers unique is the fact that we are on our home turf. We have been here since the creation of man. Since man walked the earth our people have been here. We are still here and that’s something that is super important to me. Just all of the adversities we go through - not necessarily as Native Americans - but also stuff that comes with ranching. I think about the creation story of our people. You know how Old Man Coyote put all of them arrows out and told several groups of people to pick them up but everyone was afraid of them. There was a last group of people who picked up those arrows and weren’t afraid of them. He told them that since you have no fear, I am going to put you people on the most beautiful place on earth that I have created,” Stephen remembered.
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“I run into a lot of teepee rings. There are several buffalo jumps and battle sites. I haven’t found one myself but I have been with guys who have found arrowheads. I love history," Stephen articulated, "I mean growing up, we only learn in textbooks about the Greeks, spartans, Mesopotamians, Egyptians, and all these different people that are far away who have this history and crazy language and designs, but, there is so much of that right here. It’s cool for me to know that this is where our people were and to still be here making a living off of this land is indescribable."
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"Riding up the valley, just seeing the beautiful land, the water, the springs. Seeing the different seasons. Summers were enjoyable. Summertime, we had the rain," Wailes professed, "just seeing the beauty of our land of what we have left. Just being out there with that freedom and knowing it is Crow country. We are able to support our families because of this land. We are able to make a living up here off the land."
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Resilience: Crow Cowboys and Climate
Chief Plenty Coups was viewed by Bureau of Indian Affair agents as a great example not because of his war deeds and accomplishments when war societies were at a pinnacle but because he grew and successfully harvested the best apple orchard on the entire Crow Reservation. This is a true testament to the resiliency of my people.
Crow cowboys are outside no matter what element the day has to offer so they have become first-hand witnesses to our changing environment. Invasive species, droughts, less precipitation, unpredictable snowmelt and weather patterns, and fires are all climate factors that have impacted my people, especially ranchers who rely on the land and its processes. It is a two-way street here in Crow country.
Ranching became an essential way for Crow cowboys to maintain traditional values, stay connected to the land, fulfill responsibilities, demand and give respect, build resiliency, adapt to drastic change, support their families, and provide a means for tomorrow.
Crow cowboys are known for their strong horses equipped with tenacity and endurance because of their ability to work in every season. Montana has a climate that experiences all four seasons and at extreme levels, too. Stephen recalls, “we have been seeing more frequent years of less precipitation and our pastures are being hit hard. There is a pasture of ours called Iron Horse Flats that dad talks about when he was my age. He said that grass up on that flat used to be belly deep, shoulder deep on a horse. Now, it’s just short grass. I mainly use that pasture as a back up. When I am going to the mountain, I put them in there and eventually from there to the mountain. When we come off the mountain, I trail to that pasture and leave them there for a day or two, then get them to another pasture. Just because, for me, since I have had it, the grass hasn’t been as strong up there as it has been in the previous decades. It has turned into a place for my animals to just rest for a day, but we must hit the road again with them.”
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"Just with the drought anyways, there isn’t enough grass, but now, you have issues such as invasive species of grass. One of them is ventenata that has just taken over this area. It's grass that your animals don’t eat," Stephen goes on to say, "nowadays, it’s becoming a much bigger issue every year. The only way to combat it is to spray from the air but the price to do that is so high and then you have to think about the environmental impact. It’s about $60/acre to spray and then you have to spray it again in another three to four years.”
“The best we can do is control the controllables. That’s where paying attention and doing your due diligence. The biggest thing for me is that we are in one of the most beautiful places in the state of Montana, if not the country. I love being outside. I love being on a horse. I was very fortunate that I got to grow up in the middle seat between my dad and grandpa and it’s funny because, now, my little boy is a part of that. It’s the family aspect," Stephen said with a grin on his face.
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It is up to us as the generation of today to care for our land and to learn from our past. It is up to us to make wise decisions that protect our water, lands, rights, and people. We not only have to know the history but understand why decisions were made. When we learn from the past, we are better equipped to lead our nation in the direction of prosperity and advancement. Stephen is doing just that as he takes on the role of being the next generational leader in the Yellowtail family and for the Apsáalooke Nation. Not only does Stephen get to continue his knowledge with his family but he is able to uplift the values of our people.
“When I am riding out checking cows, if it is the sunrise, sunset, snow storm, or spring time. I think despite the droughts we have endured in the last few years, we have fared so much better than everyone else," Stephen claimed, "it has almost been like a little oasis in the state of Montana. It’s just something that I think is cool especially with our creation story and the teachings we are given from that.”
(Photo/JoRee)