The Briefs
Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow
Crow Tribal Historian Joe Medicine Crow received an
honorary Doctorate degree at USC on May 16th in Los Angeles,
California, where he originally received his Master’s degree 63 years ago.
He shared the ceremonies platform with 3 other recipients of this
prestigious award.
Medicine Crow, who is 90 years old, was the first member of
the Crow tribe to obtain a master’s degree.
His degree was in the field of anthropology, the year was 1939.
His Master’s thesis, “The Effects of European Culture Contact upon
the Economic, Social, and Religious Life of the Crow Indians”, remains still
today the most widely read source on Crow culture.
Medicine Crow was working towards obtaining his Doctorate degree at USC,
but his education was interrupted by World War II.
Medicine Crow commented “My Uncle had other plans for me…Uncle Sam
that is.” He went along to earn
the status of War Chief by completing the 4 necessary Crow War deeds required to
obtain that status. The Crow Tribal
council appointed him in 1948 as Tribal Historian and Anthropologist.
Joe still assumes a very heavy workload.
He is a guest speaker at Little Bighorn College, the Custer Battlefield
Museum, and several other colleges throughout the nation.
In 1999 he addressed the United Nations.
“Ted Turner and his moneyed friends got together 3000 spiritual leaders
throughout the world to give our statesmen moral support in finding peace” Joe
said. The proceedings got a bid
tedious for Joe, however he grabbed a piece of paper and wrote “a poetic
speech about peace,” which he proceeded to deliver.
He received a standing ovation.
Some of his publications include Handbook of the Crow Indians Law and Treaties, the Crow Migration Story, Medicine Crow, Crow Indian Buffalo Jump Techniques, and his most recent book From the Heart of Crow Country. He still has boxes and boxes of stories that have accumulated over the years. However for now, he is currently working on his autobiography, which should be completed this winter.
“As a member of the Crow tribe, and as a professional researcher, I think I’m doing quite a nice job of telling the Crow Indian story in the proper ways”, he says.Big Horn County News
Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow
Garryowen, Montana
Written by: Brian Osborne, special to Big Horn County
Local resident featured on Fox 4 TV
As local Lodge Grass resident Joe Medicine Crow gets ready
for his big trip to Los Angeles, California, where he will awarded an honorary
doctorate degree at USC, news media has been featuring the 90 year old Crow
Tribal historian on television as well as in Los Angeles area newspapers.
Medicine Crow was interviewed at the Custer Battlefield
Museum in Garryowen last week by News Channel 6’s Heather Williams.
The interview was aired May 7th on ABC Fox 4 news.
Medicine Crow reflected on stories he had heard from his Grandfather,
White Man Runs Him, who was one of Custer’s scouts at the Battle of the Little
Big Horn.
He also reminisced about trying to get a part in the 1939 Errol Flynn Custer movie “They Died with their Boots on”. Medicine Crow was asked to be on the writing crew and the Director asked him if he knew anything at all about Custer’s Last Stand. Medicine Crow told how his grandfather thought Custer foolish for being attacked too early, and the producer didn’t like what he had to say. Because the film was intended to build public confidence in US military troops during WWII, Medicine Crow was told “You’re fired. Get out.”
Medicine Crow went on to author the script that has been
used at the reenactment of the Battle of the Little Big Horn held every summer
in Hardin, since 1965. He
reminisced about the premier of the show, “for one psychological moment, I put
the white man on the side of the Indians,” he said.
“I felt pretty good.”
But in war, he said, “No one wins. Both sides loose. The
Indians, so called hostiles, won the battle of the day, but lost their way of
life.”
Medicine Crow also recounted his thoughts regarding
utilizing the methane gas resources on the reservation.
Jokingly, Joe said he hoped to see the extraction of it before he
died so he could have some of the money. If
the extraction ever happened he wanted to see the Crow people use the money
wisely. He wanted it to be put
towards education and others things that would have a positive impact on the
tribe. He then said that he was
afraid that some Crow would use their money in ways that would hurt his people,
like drinking alcohol and doing drugs. “The
worst enemies are ourselves”, he said.
Joe Medicine Crow will be receiving an honorary doctorate
degree May 16th from the University of Southern California.
Photo Credits: Christopher Kortlander