Yellowstone Association Institute Press Releases

Yellowstone Association Institute Press Releases Index

Crow Tribal Culture and Yellowstone National Park

March 29, 2006

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK – In this class led by an anthropologist and a Crow tribal historian, students will examine the importance of Yellowstone National Park to Crow people historically and today. Through a combination of classroom sessions and field trips to critical cultural sites, they will learn about the origins and history of Crow people, the Crow explanation of how natural features within Yellowstone National Park were created, child rearing and training, hunting and warfare, historic and contemporary Crow beliefs and practices in Yellowstone Park.

The seminar, presented by the Yellowstone Association Institute and taught by Timothy P. McCleary and Alden Big Man, begins on May 22, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. and ends on May 24 at 4:00 p.m.

Alden is a member of the Crow Nation who speaks Crow fluently and has in-depth knowledge of the traditions, history, and culture of his tribe. He is completing a Ph.D. in history at the University of New Mexico, with an emphasis on the American West and Northern Plains Culture.

Timothy works with the Crow Nation to record and share their history, traditions, and culture. He is a professor at Little Big Horn College, the Crow tribal college, and is a Ph.D. candidate in anthropology at the University of Illinois: Urbana-Champaign. He has published papers on Crow culture, and the book, The Stars We Know: Crow Indian Astronomy and Lifeways.

The program entails leisurely hikes up to 1 mile per day through relatively flat terrain on maintained trails.

The fee for the course is $230 (Yellowstone Association members get a $10 discount). The course will be taught at the Buffalo Ranch Field Campus in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park. Heated cabins can be rented at the Ranch for $25.00 per person per night.

The Institute is a nonprofit field school operated by the National Park’s official educational partner, the Yellowstone Association. The Institute offers a variety of courses in ecology, wilderness skills, and natural history year-round in Yellowstone National Park.

To enroll in this or another field seminar, or to request a catalog that includes a full description of all summer and fall courses, please contact the Yellowstone Association Institute at PO Box 117, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190 307-344-2294. Complete information is also available at www.YellowstoneAssociation.org.