Max Big Man was a

Crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...

educator, historian, and artist born in Crow Agency, Montana. He represented the Crow in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, promoted the Custer Battlefield Association, and was made an honorary chief by

Plenty Coups Plenty Coups (Crow language, Crow: ''Alaxchíia Ahú'', "many achievements"; c. 1848 – 1932) was the principal chief of the Crow Tribe and a visionary leader. He allied the Crow with the whites when the war for the West was being fought becaus ...

. Big Man worked with CBS Radio to conduct educational programming about Native Americans, sharing information and playing his flute.

Career

The Crow reservation where Big Man lived had a railroad stop, where trains would stop briefly before heading towards more populated places like

Billings, Montana Billings is the most populous Lists of populated places in the United States, city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, i ...

. Some time in the 1920s, Big Man began delivering historical lectures on Native life and the Little Bighorn Battlefield for tourists at the train stop. The

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwest, Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, CB&Q, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of ...

soon saw an opportunity to capitalize on these lectures. Railroad staff encouraged Crow Agency superintendent Charles Asbury to provide "atmosphere" and entertainment at the stop with stereotypical "Indian lore" such as "beads and buckskin, eagle feathers, war bonnets, tomahawks ... and typical Indian tepees." In the summer 1929, the Railroad paid Big Man fifty dollars per month to entertain tourists at the stop. Big Man's reputation grew. In 1930, the Custer Battlefield Hiway Association hired Big Man to tour the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

promoting the highway. He also visited New York City and Chicago. In 1930, the ''

Chicago Daily News The ''Chicago Daily News'' was an afternoon daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, published between 1875 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois. History The ''Daily News'' was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty ...

'' quoted him as telling New York mayor

Jimmy Walker James John Walker (June 19, 1881November 18, 1946), known colloquially as Jimmy Walker and Beau James, was an American attorney, lyricist, and Democratic Party politician who served as the 97th mayor of New York City from 1926 until his resign ...

, "You have some fine high tepees here in New York city, but I like our tepees better in Montana." In subsequent years, Big Man travelled occasionally for his work with Columbia Broadcasting System and New York schools. On one such trip he met actress Te Ata, and the two became friends. During another trip to Washington, D.C., Big Man visited President Herbert Hoover to pay respects.

Personal life

Big Man was described as "a towering Indian." He painted as a hobby, often depicting scenes from tribal life and his own activities.

References

External links

Portrait of Max Big Man, Montana State Library

Portrait of Max Big Man, National Museum of the American Indian
Year of death missing 20th-century American painters 20th-century indigenous painters of the Americas Crow people Painters from Montana {{NorthAm-native-bio-stub