- #1
During the period between 1856 and 1867,
- #2
Plenty Coups and Medicine Crow, as very young men, sought and spoke of dreams they had received,
- #3
while fasting on the high mountain peaks in and around the Yellowstone region. Plenty Coups and Medicine Crow
- #4
later became leaders of the Crow tribe and the two prophets foretold of events to their people,
- #5
which would one day come to pass and change forever the cruel, nomadic way of life.
- #6
Such men that would fast in those days were Medicine Crow himself--
- #7
Medicine Crow, Chief Plenty Coups, [Two Lincolns], and others.
- #8
Other chiefs that we know.
- #9
Young Mountain. And a group that would go up and place themselves on those mountains.
- #10
And it's never less than four days that they passed up there.
- #11
A young man, about 14, 15 years of age, would go up on a high mountain peak or some isolated place,
- #12
and they would fast for three or four days without food and water--
- #13
no clothes on-- with the idea of seeking and making contact with the great Spirit,
- #14
with the powers of the world. And this power, whatever it may be, an animal of some kind,
- #15
bear, grizzly bear, wolf, eagle-- any kind of animal which is regarded as an emissary of the Great Spirit,
- #16
and that this emissary would bring instructions to the supplicant or to the
- #17
faster and explain to him the powers that he's being given by the Great Spirit,
- #18
how to cure certain sicknesses or how to perform great deeds on the battlefield, perform miracles.
- #19
That's a power that's not given to just anybody.
- #20
Before you go on these, you plan for it. You go to your elders, your clanspeople, informing them of what you are going to do,
- #21
what your needs are-- saying that you must go out and you must worship,
- #22
that you must pray, because you are coming upon something that you feel you need help,
- #23
you need guidance, you need spiritual help from the first maker or our creator.
- #24
Then the clanspeople will prepare you and will counsel you.
- #25
They will allow you to use the pipe, the cedar, the smudging.
- #26
And will teach you as to what you should do when you are out there alone, and what you
- #27
should be expecting-- that you should not fear or be fearful of things around you.
- #28
The spirits, the animals that may come to you, and the weather, the rains, the thunder, the lightning that may appear.
- #29
If you are strong enough that these things may come to you and in some way, give you a message.
- #30
So that's what it's called now vision quest seeking-- questing, seeking a vision.
- #31
But actually they're seeking power from the Great Spirit. And Medicine Crow, Chief Medicine Crow, as a young man,
- #32
did that three times: one on Snowy-- Crazy Mountains, one on [Pryor] Mountains, another one someplace else.
- #33
I don't remember just now.
- #34
My great grandfather, Chief Medicine Crow, was born in
- #35
the Musselshell country of central Montana in 1848.
- #36
He was born into the Newly Made Lodge clan.
- #37
My great grandfather was a statesman, prophet and...
- #38
wear chief of the Crow tribe who died in July 20th, 1920.
- #39
He was a war chief, who went on the warpath against the Sioux, the Cheyenne, and possibly the Flathead of northern Montana.
- #40
Although he was a great war chief, I think the thing that stands out the most about his career was that he was a visionary.
- #41
In about 1866, I believe, he fasted on the Sacred Bighorn Mountains.
- #42
And according to historical accounts, that while fasting on the Big Horn mountains,
- #43
his spirit appeared to him and told him to look toward the confluences of the Big Horn and Little Big Horn rivers.
- #44
Medicine Crow looked and saw something shining there.
- #45
He heard a voice informing him that when he saw it again, he would be a chief.
- #46
In about 1865, Medicine Crow once again fasted on the Bighorns where he received two more visions,
- #47
which foretold the future. A spirit resembling a white man with gold teeth
- #48
appeared to him and told him that a great many Whites are coming to his people's country.
- #49
The future leader of the Crows has had been instructed to deal wisely with them, which would greatly benefit his people.
- #50
Medicine Crow further had a dream and he saw a black object with round legs puffing black smoke coming down the valley of the Chiefs.