politics

In Montana, Crows Thrilled to Be Obama’s ‘Brothers and Sisters’

Beverly Big Man, a Crow Agency Elementary School teacher: "Somebody finally recognized us enough to come an extra few hours. We're always the forgotten ones."

By Guest Writer, 5-20-08

Photos by April Gregory, Reznet.

CROW AGENCY, Mont. -- Some Crow tribal members waited in line more than six hours to ensure they would have a good view when the first presidential candidate to visit their reservation stepped to the stage to speak.

Others spent those hours braiding their hair and fastening the ties of their traditional outfits so they would look their best when Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama took the microphone and explained his stance on issues that affect hundreds of Native American tribes throughout the country but often go unmentioned by candidates running for national office.

"Somebody finally recognized us enough to come an extra few hours," said Beverly Big Man, a Crow Agency Elementary School teacher. "We're always the forgotten ones."

Big Man, 73, was among the first dozen people to arrive and stake out a place in line around 8 a.m. for the 2:45 p.m. event. Once a Hillary Clinton supporter, Big Man said she decided to vote for Obama after hearing him mention Native Americans on television. She called Obama's visit to the reservation "a once-in-a-lifetime event."

Obama, the front-runner in a race with Sen. Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, became the first presidential candidate to visit the Crow Reservation Monday. He spoke to a crowd of several thousand people gathered at the Apsaalooke Nation Veterans Park on Monday.

To welcome Obama, Crows showered his family with gifts that included a beaded medallion for him to give to his wife, Michelle, and beaded, doll-sized cradleboards for his two daughters, Sasha and Malia. Sen. Obama was adopted into the tribe's Whistling Water clan and given a Crow name, "One who helps people throughout the land."

Joe Medicine Crow, who at 94 is one of the tribe's eldest members and a tribal historian, wore a beaded buckskin vest and pair of pants, and commented on the historic day.

"This man is the first presidential candidate who has made a stop here with the Crow people," he said. "I consider that an honor not only for Crow Indians but for Indian Country."

As the crowd waited for Obama to arrive from Billings, where he held a morning town hall-style meeting, the Black Whistle Singers sang powwow songs and a score of tribal members wearing traditional clothing danced on the lawn of the park that lies just to the south of the Little Bighorn River, which winds through town.

Medicine Crow stood watching, bouncing his knees to the music's beat and smiling.

"It is my prayer that he will go all the way," he said of the candidate who often evokes the word "hope" on the campaign trail. "His door will be open to Indian people. He's going to change things around."

During an 11-minute speech here, Obama vowed to bring change to Indian Country if elected president. While the speech was shorter than the 40- to 50-minute talks the Illinois senator often gives during rallies held in larger venues, he said the Crow Agency stop marked one of the campaign's most important events.

He promised to improve the Indian health care system and noted that he co-sponsored the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, a bill approved by the Senate last February. Clinton and John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, co-sponsored the bill, too.

Obama also said he would make sure children on the nation's Indian reservations received a "world-class education" and he would end "nearly a century of mismanagement of Indian trust."

"Too often Washington has paid lip service to working with tribes, while making a one-size-fits-all approach with tribal communities across the nation," he said. "That will change under my administration."

The pledge drew cheers from the mostly Native crowd as eagle-feathered fans and the Obama campaign's blue "Change We Can Believe In" signs waved in the air.

Susan Quilt, a 36-year-old Lodge Grass resident who came for the event, said she hoped that if Obama wins his party's nomination and beats McCain in November, he would keep the promises he made as a candidate.

"Hopefully some of the tribes' needs will be fulfilled," she said. "Past elected officials and past presidents haven't done anything about that."

Before he stepped down from the stage to shake hands with supporters, the Illinois senator pledged that an Obama administration would deliver on the promises he made to Native Americans.

"I will never forget you," he said. "I'm a member of the family, you know I won't break my promises to my brothers and sisters."

A group of teenagers chanted "Obama" as the senator made his way toward his bus, shaking hands and embracing supporters before moving on to his next stop in Bozeman.

When he reached for the last hand and waved goodbye, Darrin Old Coyote, the tribe's vice secretary, called out to Obama to tell him Crows say "Shinuk," a Crow expression for "I'll see you later." For the Crows, there is no word that translates to goodbye.

"Shinuk," Obama answered before turning away and climbing aboard his bus.

This article was originally published by Reznet (reznetnews.org). Mary Hudetz, Crow, is finishing her master's degree in journalism at the University of Montana in Missoula. A graduate of the Freedom Forum's 2006 American Indian Journalism Institute and a Chips Quinn Scholar, Hudetz interned as a reporter at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis last summer. This summer she'll intern as a reporter at the Denver bureau of The Associated Press. [End of article]

I am glad that Obama finally is talking directly to Native Americans instead of just mentioning them as an ethnic group in his stump speech.

But the facts are that the Clintons and McCain have excellent track records in promoting the welfare of Native Americans. Obama unjustly condemned many important Native American advocates when he stated " "Past elected officials and past presidents haven't done anything about that."

Unfortunately, at this time Obama in fact is just "lip service." He has a very very slim record regarding Native America. And his grasp of Indian issues is very limited. And that is the disadvantage of moving from urban South Chicago to the U.S. Senate where he has missed a large number of votes in his first term. In the 110th Congress, Obama has missed 241 votes (42%) just behind South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson who had the more than legitimate excuse of a brain hemorrhage.

P.S. My son is Native American and I live on a reservation in Washington State. I have been paying close attention to the presidential candidates.

"Past elected officials and past presidents haven't done anything about that."
He is condemning those that haven't done anything. Those that have didn't get condemned.
I can't believe no presidential candidate has visited the Crow Reservation.
Wherever I have lived (at the present, I live 1/2 mile from a Reservation...and I might have a 32nd or so Native blood but no one knows 'cuz I'm a mutt), Native Americans have been military families in large numbers. And on that note Nickberry, I have to disagree that Obama is weaker on Native American issues. Obama's (and Clinton's) support of the Webb Bill to revamp the GI Bill and add money to the program and let the money be used by either the soldier or their spouse to go to school does more for the welfare of Native Americans than anything McSame has ever done for Native Americans.

I'll also mention that all that Jack Abramoff garbage where Abramoff ripped off tribes and acted like he was helping them (and called them "monkeys" and "troglodytes" in the process) went for investigation before McSame's Senate Committee. The stuff coming out was bad, bad, bad for Republicans. McCain lessened the damage for them. He released enough to still be called a "maverick" by people who weren't paying full attention, but more stuff went unreleased than released. He also took way longer than he needed to investigating, pushing it past a lot of stuff past the 2004 elections. When push came to shove, he protected the Republicans that were scamming Native Americans.

Great Story about the hope for our country. This story shows how real people have great hopes for a change in the direction of this country.

Its so sad to see these politicans come to the reservation, promise all the things, and they don't tell the people the only way these promises can be fullfilled is by a vote from Congress. These politicians do not tell the truth only the things the people want to hear for the votes. I grew up on the rez and came back to the rez for 20 years. Jessie Jackson did the same thing when he ran for office. I hate to see these great people let down again but that will be what will happen. They are good people and the white community (I am white) could take a lesson on their way of family respect and close family ties for their elders.

I take issue with "flounder" and his false depiction of McCain. It is OK to support your candidate (Obama) does not mean that one is free to misstate facts about other candidates... even GOP candidates. (Full disclosure: I support Hillary.)

FYI... McCain was a principal sponsor of the Tribal Self-
Governance Act of 1994 (Title II, P.L. 103-413), which dramatically downsized the Federal-Indian bureaucracy.

FYI... McCain authored the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act (Title IV, P.L. 101-630).

FYI... McCain advocated for permanent self-governance
authority for the Indian Health Service to enable Indian tribes to directly administer tribal health facilities and
programs.

FYI... McCain introduced the first comprehensive legislation to resolve longstanding litigation over trust accounts
and reform the trust system... and vows to resolve this issue if elected President.

FYI... McCain supported Indian housing assistance programs under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self
Determination Act.

FYI... McCain led Congressional efforts to build the Native American Veterans' Memorial, and will continue his fight to honor our national commitment to our veterans.

Finally... as for the Abramoff scandal... "While many Republicans in Congress are running away from Abramoff (and his business partner, Mike Scanlon), McCain is using his position as chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee to investigate the uber lobbyist's alleged corrupt dealings -- a probe that has so far helped reveal Abramoff's links to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) among others." (New York Times--2005)

The only negative take on McCain's hearings are from Democratic blogs as repeated above by flounder... but I ask... Who/what/how was the "damage" lessened? Many Democrats (e.g. Delay and Ney) did not want any hearings and McCain went against them. I do not see where any involved GOP (or Abramoff) were spared.

McCain framed the investigation so that Abramoff was painted as a loose cannon that did something or another on behalf of corrupt Indian tribes and their casinos. In this way the real role of Abramoff was obscured in prejudice against Indians.
As a result, Abramoff's 25-year role as a money launderer and bag man for Republicans was minimized, as was his ties to the White House and congressional leaders.
McCain protected Tom DeLay, and didn't investigate Abramoff-led payments to Capital Athletic Fund, which was a "non profit" set up by DeLay that was used to launder money to Republican candidates and get around donation limits.
Out of 750,000 pages of documents detailing Abramoff's ties to Republicans, McCain released 8,000, or 3%. He released just enough to assuade public outrage and convict a scapegoat or two, but not enough to know the true story.
As to McCain's role in Indian Affairs, is it true that Indian leaders took to calling McCain "Great White Father" as a derisive term hearkening back to the days when the Government claimed to know better than the "savages" what was best for them?
P.S. When you say McCain "will continue his fight to honor our national commitment to our veterans", it is very McCain-like that he is for building statues and memorials but is fighting against increasing health and education benefits for Veterans. He is against the Bipartisan Webb G.I. Bill, and has voted against all increases to VA funding in recent memory.

Just more false accusations based on innuendo. McCain actually went against the GOP leadership to hold these hearings. I do not know what part of the story you do not know about... but it is substantially all out there. Notably, the FBI was also investigating at this time.

FYI... McCain has his own Veteran's bill and that is why he is not supporting the Webb bill. You may prefer one bill over the other, and Mccain happens to prefer his own.

Facts do matter.

P.S. McCain is well respected among mulitple Indian tribes who many supported him in the 2000 GOP primaries because of his long history of working for them. Obama has NO history... only a relatively recent action.

McCain's GI Bill is a joke. Veterans get basically the same benefits they get now until they serve 12 years. Plus he only came up with his own bill a few weeks ago when he started getting crap over it.
Look, this war has now lasted longer than WWII and McCain is saying their service isn't worth taking care of them. Further, his claim that giving veterans good benefits will hurt retention is a lie according the non partisan Government Accounting Office. As you said "facts do matter".
My wife work with veterans with PTSD, many of them Native Americans and this is important and could help with get many of these young people back on their feet.
I hope you read McCain's 2000 word freak out over this issue today, which started with him not showing up to vote on it.

Very disrespectful of John McCain. Your strong emotion for Obama is taking away from a civil debate. No need to answer... I will not be checking back.

Maybe if the guy was acting in a respectful fashion he would get my respect.
Instead we get flip flops and temper tantrums, and him making stuff up.