This work was completed over several moths in and around the Crow Nation reservation and the site of the Battle of Little Bighorn in northern Wyoming.
History for the Crow Nation is more spatial than it is temporal. That is to say that where things happen is more important to the Crow People than specific dates when they look back at their history.
One of the most important sites in Native American history lies within the modern Crow Nation’s territory — the battlefield of Little Bighorn. This battlefield has been preserved by the U.S. government in the 140 years since the battle, and lies largely unchanged to this day. All while the Crow Nation reservation was created and its people have lived their lives mere miles away. Despite this, the battlefield holds little to no meaning to many Crows. Instead of seeing massacre or victory they merely see the land; the place that their ancestors settled and the place they now call home, by choice or no.
The battlefield itself was once thick with sagebrush, buffalo berries and choke cherries, now flattened and matted by farmers and fires alike. Now it seems nothing wants to take root there but the lone markers of fallen cavalry and native warriors alike.