Petroglyphs dated back to 11,000 years ago were on the drive from Thermopolis to Cody, Wyoming. After our evening soak when we decided to drive to the petroglyphs and camp out on the side of the road so go see them during sunrise. as we were driving the last few miles it to the petroglyphs site was pretty neat because everything was clear except versus one misty area in the valley. it was as if the spirits all Native Americans were hovering right there where the petroglyphs were. Of course that where the mist was wasn’t exactly where the petroglyphs were probably about a half mile away and when we parked we could smell the salt for a knew there must’ve been a hot Springs close by but it was kind of fun to think about as we were driving in. It was pretty great we were there as the sun was rising because the sun shone right onto the rocks.
Do you know the difference between petroglyphs and pictographs? Petroglyphs are carved or etched into the stone with a tool. Pictographs are painted on the stone.
Since we are driving through Cody to get to Little Bighorn Battlefield and decided to stop in to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West museum.
There was a rifle exhibit
The Buffalo Bill exhibit. William Frederick Cody 1846 – 1917. He worked for the Pony Express. Became a scout for the US Army during the Indian Wars. Became ‘Buffalo Bill’’ in honor of the amount of buffalo he killed (supposedly he killed 4,282 and 18 months between 1867-68. You can put it in an 8-hour buffalo shooting match to exclusively use the name “Buffalo Bill” against Bill Comstock where he won by killing 68 animals to Comstock’s 48). His legend soon followed him as he was written about and became a symbol of the “Wild West”. He later became a showman and toured the country with his famous “Buffalo Bills Wild West Show”. Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show was also credited for making Annie Oakley famous as well.
After going through the exhibit, the girls were quite sure why he was/is famous and celebrated.
And didn’t even realize and almost left before we walked through was the Plains Indians exhibit. It was really nicely done. As we were leaving I was bothered that the exhibit was in the back past the cafeteria (which is why we almost missed it) and felt like it should’ve been more prominent like the rifle exhibit which caught our attention first…i imagine people going for that would’ve found it 😐
There were approximately 670 Plains Indians tribes. The Plains Indians were nomadic. Their tribal survival depended on the hunter-warrior society. A man’s ambition was to provide for his family by being an expert horseman, successful hunter, and adept warrior. His status in the tribe was derived from his bravery. Spiritualism in the belief in oneness with his/her respect for the natural environment are central to their religion.
Women were vital to the nomadic society. Their responsibilities involved strenuous labor in running the camp, drying meat, cooking, preparing hides, making clothing, and moving their lodges as the people moved. Through it all, they reared their children.
Every adult in the village played a role in a child’s development and education. Grandparents were especially important. They cared for the children, made them toys, and resources of cultural knowledge and wisdom.
Many tribes consider the Buffalo a sibling and provider of life because it provides protection, nourishment, and roll materials. It symbolized protection.
The Bear was power. The grizzly symbolizes inherent strength.
Realizing how much change happened in such a short amount of time must’ve been so difficult beyond traumatic. Plains Indians were assigned to reservations in the late 1800s and expected to “settle” on single family plots. Remember, they were nomadic.
When are driving to Montana, well, you see some colorful folk.
Right when you drive in to Little Bighorn Battlefield you see a large grassy field filled with tombstones. I’ve been to plenty of cemeteries before in Hungary, but I’ve never been to any associated with a war like the Civil War or a World War in Europe. There’s something different about seeing all the matching tombstones and knowing it all happened in one occasion.
I have to say part of me felt happy (happy not quite the word) to know that there were times when Native Americans defeated the Americans. The more you travel around and see and feel the country and learn about the Indians, the worse you feel about the Native American’s end of the stick. At some point, sadly this was probably inevitable, yet the United States definitely did not go about it admirably or honorably. It is definitely a black stain on our history.
Interestingly, right when we walked in I asked the Ranger what tribe he was a part of (it was evident he was Native American). I think I was expecting to hear him be proud in someway about what happened here, that the indigenous people had some redemption, but that was not necessarily the case. He was part of the Crow Indians and currently lives on the Crow Reservation. The Crow Indians actually helped Lieutenant Colonel George Custer scout for the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Indians. He said the Crow showed Custer and his men where all the Indian tribes were camped. Lt. Col. Custer said thank you that’s all they required of them and dismissed them. He said the Crow Indians went up the hill to “watch the show”. One of the Crow Indian scouts name was (no joke) “White Man Runs Him”. The young lady behind the desk helping the Ranger in the visitor center mentioned that she was a direct descendent of White Man Runs Him. This is where I am happy that me and Edwin are not afraid to talk to people and we spent more time talking to these two Crow Indians then looking at the displays inside the visitor center. After I apologized if I was ignorant by asking her, “Are you proud or embarrassed of your heritage of being a descendant of White Man Runs Him?…helping the white man locating the Indians and telling Custer where they were camped. She responded with “…that is a little tricky to answer. But what I can say is…is that the Crow people were a peaceful people. Family is very important to them. They took care of their elders and their children. They were concerned with keeping their families and their land intact. They had worked with the white man and made an agreement for their reservation land. They were concerned with longevity of their own tribe. The Lakota and Cheyenne has been their natural enemies. These tribes were originally located in the Dakotas. They moved into their territory into Montana and began a hunting the animals that they felt they had a right to. The wanted those tribes “out” of their land. So yes, they helped the white man. And do do not/did not regret it”. We really appreciated her talking to us and giving us frank and honest answers.
They say Lieutenant Custer poked the hornets nest. There was help just a few days away.
Two Moons (Northern Cheyenne) “We circled all around them swirling like water around a stone.”
Waterman (Arapaho) “ The soldiers were entirely surrounded, and the whole country was alive with Indians. ”
Major Marcus Reno “I….saw that I was being drawn in…and I could not see Custer or any other support, at the same time the very earth seemed to grow Indians”
White Man Runs Him (Crow) “All the Sioux charged up on Reno’s men, and he retreated up the river on foot..”
We rounded out the evening with a lovely sunset and found some native american humor at the trading post…
