The Crow Fair was created in 1904 by Crow leaders and an Indian government agent to present the Crow Tribe of Indians as culturally distinct and modern peoples, in an entrepreneurial venue. It welcomes all Native American tribes of the Great Plains to its festivities, functioning as a "giant family reunion under the Big Sky." Indeed, it is currently the largest Northern Native American gathering, attracting nearly 45,000 spectators and participants. Crow Fair is "the

teepee A tipi , often called a lodge in English, is a conical tent, historically made of animal hides or pelts, and in more recent generations of canvas, stretched on a framework of wooden poles. The word is Siouan, and in use in Dakhótiyapi, Lakȟ� ...

capital of the world, over 1,500 teepees in a giant campground," according to 2011 Crow Fair General Manager Austin Little Light. Held annually the third week of August on land surrounding the Little Big Horn River near

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metr ...

, Crow Fair is very similar to a County Fair. It serves as a venue for the display of the region's arts and culture, from craft jewelry for sale to physical feats of dance.

The Parade

The Crow Fair traditionally includes its own unique version of a

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of s ...

. The

begins each morning of the Fair at ten o'clock. The Color Guard leads the parade with retired veterans and active members of the armed services. Following the Color Guard are the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

, Vice-President, and First Vice-President of the Crow Fair. The President carries the American Flag. In the past, the

royalty Royalty may refer to: * Any individual monarch, such as a king, queen, emperor, empress, etc. * Royal family, the immediate family of a king or queen regnant, and sometimes his or her extended family * Royalty payment for use of such things as int ...

of the Crow Nation would follow the Presidents; however, in modern parades the Crow Tribal Officials replace Crow royalty. The majority of participants in the parade are essentially members of the Crow Nation, dressed in traditional wear with eagle feathers, warbonnets, old-time saddles, western saddles,

reservation hats __NOTOC__ Reservation may refer to: Places Types of places: * Indian reservation, in the United States * Military base, often called reservations * Nature reserve Government and law * Reservation (law), a caveat to a treaty * Reservation in India ...

, and extravagant

beadwork Beadwork is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another by stringing them onto a thread or thin wire with a sewing or beading needle or sewing them to cloth. Beads are produced in a diverse range of materials, shapes, and sizes, and vary ...

. The

of the Crow Nation is among the most technically proficient in the world. The parade takes place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the Crow Fair. The Sunday parade involves the greatest number of participants, and may extend as long as 1.5 miles in length.

Dance Celebration

Crow Fair hosts one of several Dance Celebrations. The Crow Dance Celebration, commonly known as a

pow-wow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Powwows today allow Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their cultures. Powwows may be private or pu ...

, is held every late afternoon and evening during the fair. The

Crow Nation The Crow, whose autonym is Apsáalooke (), also spelled Absaroka, are Native Americans living primarily in southern Montana. Today, the Crow people have a federally recognized tribe, the Crow Tribe of Montana, with an Indian reservation loc ...

makes the distinction that dancing is the most fundamental form of celebration, as members may come to the dance arena simply for the pure joy elicited by dancing. However, pow-wows do often involve competition dancing.

Rodeo

The Crow Fair Rodeo is sponsored annually by the

. The rodeo is a daily feature at the Crow Fair, offering a full day's entertainment of youth events, professional Indian cowboys and cowgirls, and horse racing. The

Northern Plains Indian Rodeo Association Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...

, organized under the Indian National Finals Rodeo, is the current association that sanctions the rodeo event. The Crow Fair Rodeo is held at the

Edison Real Bird Edison Real Bird was the chairman of the Crow Nation Tribal Council from 1966 to 1972. While in that position, he implemented several key democratic reforms, and oversaw the election of Pauline Small, the first woman to be elected in the Crow Na ...

Memorial Complex, in

Crow Agency, Montana Crow Agency ( cro, awaasúuchia) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Big Horn County, Montana, United States and is near the actual location for the Little Bighorn National Monument and re-enactment produced by the Real Bird family known as B ...

. The rodeo arena, race track, stables, and campgrounds are all part of this complex.

Committee

On the last day of the Crow Fair week, the

annually elects a new committee to organize the next Crow Fair Dance Celebration, Rodeo, and Racemeet. The Tuesday morning and afternoon is filled with campcriers and announcers telling the campgrounds via megaphone of the candidates. Campcriers are hired by candidates to notify the campground of their candidacy. Often, rumors are flying before and during the Crow Fair regarding which individuals will run for election for the committee.

References

External links

Crow Fair Article

* ''Crow Celebrations'' (photographs from 1911 to the 1950s) {{Religious music festival Annual fairs Crow tribe Fairs in the United States Pow wows Music festivals established in 1904 Folk festivals in the United States Dance festivals in the United States Festivals established in 1904 Native American music festivals