Montana - Long Post
It's hard to find time to write on a road trip like this. So far, our rhythm has been sleep, drive, sight-see, sleep, repeat. There's not much time in that to reflect AND type. But I don't want to miss this. So here I am at 5:30am trying to record some of what we've experienced this past week.
Days 2-4: Montana
We spent about 8 hours driving from eastern Washington to the east side of Glacier National Park on Monday. It felt long but we drove as fast as we could because I wanted to get off the mountains before sundown. Yeah, that didn't happen. As soon as we got into GNP pulling over to stop and take in the views was absolutely irresistible. My phone was dead at that point so no pics. When we got off the mountain it was still about 30-40 minutes to our hotel in Browning, MT. On that final stretch we came across a couple surprises. Apparently, we were already on the Blackfeet reservation where they allow cattle to roam freely. It turns out the cattle enjoy roaming on the roads as part of their nightly hang sesh. It also turns out that the road we took is undergoing a several year renovation that just began last May. I basically drove a cattle-filled bumpy gravel road with orange cones sporadically placed so motorists like myself wouldn't accidentally drive off the side of the road in the dark down a ravine into the valley below us. I do believe my blood pressure was sky high by the time we reached our hotel because I was actually shaking from the drive. Thankfully, the good people of the hotel casino restaurant fixed up a killer open faced roast beef sandwich and mashed potatoes that settled my spirits.
I've always had a romantic fascination with Montana. Somehow a part of me bought into the fairy tale of the west. Rustic and wild. Wind in my hair. Jeans and boots. Free. It is possible that I've listened to enough old timey country western music to imagine myself living on the plains in the shadow of great big mountains. If I remember those old song lyrics a little better I'd remember that those stories are also filled with loneliness and heartache. We spent 3 days in Montana wandering the mountains and the plains. We spent time with gentlemen from the Blackfeet and Aane nations hearing their stories. There is beauty and heartache a plenty. I can't fully capture it just yet in words.
Virgil, also known as, "Sleeping Wolf," as named by his grandmother, led our tour around Glacier National Park. He is a member of the Blackfeet tribe. He began with a history of his people on this land before horses arrived in America. Leo and Ruby were excited to hear this part of the story because before our trip we read, "Om-Kas-Toe: Blackfeet Twin Captures an Elkdog," which is about a boy and his twin sister who grew up during that time. "Elkdog" is the word the Blackfeet use for horse as when they first saw one they didn't know what it was. It looked kind of like an elk but behaved like a dog. As Sleeping Wolf spoke of the land and his people, he tried teaching us a few words from the Blackfeet language. He wished he could do a better job but he was of the generation that did not grow up knowing the language. They are now teaching the language to the Blackfeet children in their schools. Sleeping Wolf spoke of this with great pride and hopes to catch up and learn as well. It was always like this. When Sleeping Wolf shared something awful about their past - like getting stripped of their language and customs to conform to "English" ways - he was quick to pair it with something his people are doing now of which he is proud. He lovingly spoke with pride of the history and might of his people of the past. They were great warriors and feared by nearby tribes. And now because of shared tragedy those tribes with which they use to war against have now come together as allies and friends to rebuild and to build up a new way of life for their peoples. As much as Sleeping Wolf wanted to share the history and culture of his people, I am sure he wanted to leave us with a picture of resilience and the pride he has for them today. They have their struggles -- about 50% unemployment rate on their reservation -- but there are people like himself and the owners of the Glacier Sun Tours company who are entrepreneurs ready to build up their people by using their own voices to tell their stories as they write new ones for their future.
After 2 days at Glacier National Park, we headed east several hours to Fort Belknap Reservation in the very center of Montana. You truly don't know how big something is until you see it for yourself. Montana is HUGE and the landscape is just stunning. How did I come to choose Fort Belknap? Because it was the town the correct number of hours away I wanted to drive for the day. Fortunately, it also offered a history and cultural tour of the reservation and its people.
Junior Horse Capture, also known as, "George," is an old revolutionary spirit who grew up on and off different reservations but spent many of his formative years in Oakland, CA during the civil rights era and the Black Panthers. He was just a young boy as he watched his father, a sailor in the Navy, come to terms with his lost native culture and revive his desire to reconnect with his people. He was our guide for the afternoon. Whereas we were in a tour bus with 8 other strangers with Sleeping Wolf, it was just us and Junior in a car driving over a barely-there road all over their reservation and Snake Butte in search of the buffalo herd. This conversation was way more intimate and unreserved.
First, the wildlife. Prairie dogs EVERYWHERE!!! Also, grasshoppers EVERYWHERE. The kids were thrilled with every prairie dog sighting. They freaked every time a grass hopper jumped into the car with us and landed on or near them which happened several times. AND rattlesnakes. Apparently this is the time of year when rattlesnakes on the reservation are in more abundance than usual so whenever we got out of the car we carried walking sticks and were told to look around and if we saw one just to use the stick to flick the snake away. 😳
Second, the ride. We rode over the plains which was mostly flat and made up of dry grass, wild sage, and little cacti. We also drove up the Snake Butte where we found a few buffalo grazing. We pulled over a few times to check out areas of cultural/historic significance. We saw ancient pictographs carved on leftover glacier rocks that peaked up out of the ground. We saw a circle made of stones that some believe helped keep tee pee skins down while others believe were used for sacred ceremonies.
Finally, Junior Horse Capture. Junior is a tribal leader and considered a chief and elder from the Aane tribe. He has spoken around the country and in DC on behalf of his people -- telling their story and lobbying for their rights and needs today. We learned so much from him on our hot bumpy car ride. I will share one story.
As I wrote earlier, Junior's father was in the Navy. For years he had his hair cut short per regulation. As he was out in the world and off the reservation, Junior's father saw more and more people speaking out in protest for their civil rights which caused him to look at himself and his people. Junior's father had joined the Navy because it was a good career choice for anyone growing up with little to nothing on the reservation. Many reservation kids enlist in the military. After realizing more and more how important it was for him to get back in touch with his culture he began growing his hair out. At the first opportunity he could, Junior's father made his way back to his reservation to proudly show his beloved grandmother his two not even shoulder length braids. Junior told us that this is one of his most vivid memories from childhood. He remembered watching his father excitedly go up to his great-grandmother's bed. She was nearly blind so Junior's father went up close to her, took her hands and placed them on his braids. He said to her, "look grandmother," and waited with great expectation to see her reaction. First silence, then her head fell to her chest. Junior remembers watching his father's excitement change into worry. After some time, Junior's great-grandmother spoke. "You shouldn't do this. They won't like this." And Junior's father was crushed. Junior's great-grandmother had been of the generation of children who were sent from their families to boarding schools to un-learn the ways of their families and people in order to learn English and how to be "civilized."
Leo and Ruby listened with great interest to this particular story because we also read, "When We Were Alone," a picture book about the boarding school experience for native children. Now they were listening to a real live person talk about his real life great-grandmother actually went to one of these schools. This. This is one of the reasons why we decided to do this trip. To make real from books that which only stirs our imaginations to where our hearts themselves are engaged because we have met face to face with living history.
Montana is too huge to fit into three days. I am thankful for its beauty and the time spent learning from Sleeping Wolf and Junior Horse Capture. I pray a blessing over them and their people. As Junior Horse Capture told us as we parted, we are family now for having spent this time together. Amen and amen.
Days 2-4: Montana
We spent about 8 hours driving from eastern Washington to the east side of Glacier National Park on Monday. It felt long but we drove as fast as we could because I wanted to get off the mountains before sundown. Yeah, that didn't happen. As soon as we got into GNP pulling over to stop and take in the views was absolutely irresistible. My phone was dead at that point so no pics. When we got off the mountain it was still about 30-40 minutes to our hotel in Browning, MT. On that final stretch we came across a couple surprises. Apparently, we were already on the Blackfeet reservation where they allow cattle to roam freely. It turns out the cattle enjoy roaming on the roads as part of their nightly hang sesh. It also turns out that the road we took is undergoing a several year renovation that just began last May. I basically drove a cattle-filled bumpy gravel road with orange cones sporadically placed so motorists like myself wouldn't accidentally drive off the side of the road in the dark down a ravine into the valley below us. I do believe my blood pressure was sky high by the time we reached our hotel because I was actually shaking from the drive. Thankfully, the good people of the hotel casino restaurant fixed up a killer open faced roast beef sandwich and mashed potatoes that settled my spirits.
I've always had a romantic fascination with Montana. Somehow a part of me bought into the fairy tale of the west. Rustic and wild. Wind in my hair. Jeans and boots. Free. It is possible that I've listened to enough old timey country western music to imagine myself living on the plains in the shadow of great big mountains. If I remember those old song lyrics a little better I'd remember that those stories are also filled with loneliness and heartache. We spent 3 days in Montana wandering the mountains and the plains. We spent time with gentlemen from the Blackfeet and Aane nations hearing their stories. There is beauty and heartache a plenty. I can't fully capture it just yet in words.
Virgil, also known as, "Sleeping Wolf," as named by his grandmother, led our tour around Glacier National Park. He is a member of the Blackfeet tribe. He began with a history of his people on this land before horses arrived in America. Leo and Ruby were excited to hear this part of the story because before our trip we read, "Om-Kas-Toe: Blackfeet Twin Captures an Elkdog," which is about a boy and his twin sister who grew up during that time. "Elkdog" is the word the Blackfeet use for horse as when they first saw one they didn't know what it was. It looked kind of like an elk but behaved like a dog. As Sleeping Wolf spoke of the land and his people, he tried teaching us a few words from the Blackfeet language. He wished he could do a better job but he was of the generation that did not grow up knowing the language. They are now teaching the language to the Blackfeet children in their schools. Sleeping Wolf spoke of this with great pride and hopes to catch up and learn as well. It was always like this. When Sleeping Wolf shared something awful about their past - like getting stripped of their language and customs to conform to "English" ways - he was quick to pair it with something his people are doing now of which he is proud. He lovingly spoke with pride of the history and might of his people of the past. They were great warriors and feared by nearby tribes. And now because of shared tragedy those tribes with which they use to war against have now come together as allies and friends to rebuild and to build up a new way of life for their peoples. As much as Sleeping Wolf wanted to share the history and culture of his people, I am sure he wanted to leave us with a picture of resilience and the pride he has for them today. They have their struggles -- about 50% unemployment rate on their reservation -- but there are people like himself and the owners of the Glacier Sun Tours company who are entrepreneurs ready to build up their people by using their own voices to tell their stories as they write new ones for their future.
After 2 days at Glacier National Park, we headed east several hours to Fort Belknap Reservation in the very center of Montana. You truly don't know how big something is until you see it for yourself. Montana is HUGE and the landscape is just stunning. How did I come to choose Fort Belknap? Because it was the town the correct number of hours away I wanted to drive for the day. Fortunately, it also offered a history and cultural tour of the reservation and its people.
Junior Horse Capture, also known as, "George," is an old revolutionary spirit who grew up on and off different reservations but spent many of his formative years in Oakland, CA during the civil rights era and the Black Panthers. He was just a young boy as he watched his father, a sailor in the Navy, come to terms with his lost native culture and revive his desire to reconnect with his people. He was our guide for the afternoon. Whereas we were in a tour bus with 8 other strangers with Sleeping Wolf, it was just us and Junior in a car driving over a barely-there road all over their reservation and Snake Butte in search of the buffalo herd. This conversation was way more intimate and unreserved.
First, the wildlife. Prairie dogs EVERYWHERE!!! Also, grasshoppers EVERYWHERE. The kids were thrilled with every prairie dog sighting. They freaked every time a grass hopper jumped into the car with us and landed on or near them which happened several times. AND rattlesnakes. Apparently this is the time of year when rattlesnakes on the reservation are in more abundance than usual so whenever we got out of the car we carried walking sticks and were told to look around and if we saw one just to use the stick to flick the snake away. 😳
Second, the ride. We rode over the plains which was mostly flat and made up of dry grass, wild sage, and little cacti. We also drove up the Snake Butte where we found a few buffalo grazing. We pulled over a few times to check out areas of cultural/historic significance. We saw ancient pictographs carved on leftover glacier rocks that peaked up out of the ground. We saw a circle made of stones that some believe helped keep tee pee skins down while others believe were used for sacred ceremonies.
Finally, Junior Horse Capture. Junior is a tribal leader and considered a chief and elder from the Aane tribe. He has spoken around the country and in DC on behalf of his people -- telling their story and lobbying for their rights and needs today. We learned so much from him on our hot bumpy car ride. I will share one story.
As I wrote earlier, Junior's father was in the Navy. For years he had his hair cut short per regulation. As he was out in the world and off the reservation, Junior's father saw more and more people speaking out in protest for their civil rights which caused him to look at himself and his people. Junior's father had joined the Navy because it was a good career choice for anyone growing up with little to nothing on the reservation. Many reservation kids enlist in the military. After realizing more and more how important it was for him to get back in touch with his culture he began growing his hair out. At the first opportunity he could, Junior's father made his way back to his reservation to proudly show his beloved grandmother his two not even shoulder length braids. Junior told us that this is one of his most vivid memories from childhood. He remembered watching his father excitedly go up to his great-grandmother's bed. She was nearly blind so Junior's father went up close to her, took her hands and placed them on his braids. He said to her, "look grandmother," and waited with great expectation to see her reaction. First silence, then her head fell to her chest. Junior remembers watching his father's excitement change into worry. After some time, Junior's great-grandmother spoke. "You shouldn't do this. They won't like this." And Junior's father was crushed. Junior's great-grandmother had been of the generation of children who were sent from their families to boarding schools to un-learn the ways of their families and people in order to learn English and how to be "civilized."
Leo and Ruby listened with great interest to this particular story because we also read, "When We Were Alone," a picture book about the boarding school experience for native children. Now they were listening to a real live person talk about his real life great-grandmother actually went to one of these schools. This. This is one of the reasons why we decided to do this trip. To make real from books that which only stirs our imaginations to where our hearts themselves are engaged because we have met face to face with living history.
Montana is too huge to fit into three days. I am thankful for its beauty and the time spent learning from Sleeping Wolf and Junior Horse Capture. I pray a blessing over them and their people. As Junior Horse Capture told us as we parted, we are family now for having spent this time together. Amen and amen.
Comments
Post a Comment