Who Are the Crow Indians?
1) “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 (IPA: [əpsaːloːke]), 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).” “Traditional Crow shelters are tipis made with bison skins stretched over wooden pole
The Crow Indians are a Native American tribe. Long ago, they called the Yellowstone River Valley, which is in Montana, their home. Today, the tribe’s official home is a reservation near Billings, Montana. The Crow reservation spans more than two million acres of land. There are however, some members of the tribe who do not live on the reservation. The Crow tribe’s true name is Apsaalooke. According to the official site of the Crow Tribe, this name means “children of the large-beaked bird.” Eventually, this Native American tribe came to be referred to as the Crow Indians by Europeans who traveled to North America to explore and settle. It is said that this name was the result of a misinterpretation of the tribe’s true name. Today, the Crow Indians use the Crow name in addition to their true name.
