The Crow Tribe (0)

The Crow, also called the Absaroka or Apsáalooke, are a Siouan- language tribe of Native Americans who historically lived in the Yellowstone River valley . They now live on a reservation south of Billings, Montana . Tribal headquarters are located at Crow Agency , Montana.
The name of the tribe , Apsáalooke was translated into French by interpreters as gens du corbeaux (people of [the] crows). It means " children of the large-beaked bird ," a name given by their neighboring tribe, the Hidatsa. The bird, perhaps now extinct , was defined as a fork- tailed bird resembling the blue jay or magpie. In 1743 near present -day Hardin, Montana, the Absaroka first encountered people of European descent - the two La Vérendryes brothers from French Canada . The explorers called the Apsáalooke beaux hommes (handsome men). The Crow called the French Canadians baashchíile (persons with yellow eyes).
The Crow Indian Reservation in south-central Montana is a large reservation covering approximately 2,300,000 acres (9,300 km2) of land area, the fifth-largest Indian reservation in the United States. The reservation is primarily in Big Horn and Yellowstone counties with ceded lands in Rosebud, Carbon , and Treasure Counties. The 2000 census reported a total population of 6,894 on reservation lands. Its largest community is Crow Agency.
Traditional Crow shelters are tipis made with bison skins stretched over wooden poles . The Crow are historically known to construct some of the largest tipis. Inside the tipi, mattresses and buffalo -hide seats were arranged around the edge , with a fireplace in the center . The smoke from the fire escaped through a hole in the top of the tipi. Many Crow families still own and use the tipi, especially when traveling. The annual Crow Fair has been described as the largest gathering of tipis in the world.
Traditional Crow shelters are tipis made with bison skins stretched over wooden poles. The Crow are historically known to construct some of the largest tipis. Inside the tipi, mattresses and buffalo-hide seats were arranged around the edge, with a fireplace in the center. The smoke from the fire escaped through a hole in the top of the tipi. Many Crow families still own and use the tipi, especially when traveling. The annual Crow Fair has been described as the largest gathering of tipis in the world.
The Crow wore traditional clothing distinguished by gender. Women wore simple clothes - dresses made of deer and buffalo skins, decorated with elk teeth. Male clothing usually consisted of a shirt, trimmed leggings with a belt, a robe , and moccasins. Their hair was long, in some cases reaching or dragging the ground , and often part was styled into a pompadour .
The Crows' main source of food was bison, but they also hunted mountain sheep , deer, and other game. The rump , tongue, liver , heart , and kidneys all were considered delicacies.
The Crow had more horses than any other Plains tribe; in 1914 they numbered approximately thirty to forty thousand head. They also had many dogs; one source counted five to six hundred . Unlike some other tribes , they did not consume dog.
The Crow were organized by matrilineal descent. After marriage , the couple was matrilocal (the husband moved to the wife 's mother 's house upon marriage). Women held a significant role within the tribe.