Visit Garryowen!

Monday, August 31, 2009

Custer Battlefield Museum: 10 Little Known Facts

It is said that Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer is the most photographed/researched/written about man in history. Likewise, his Last Stand at the Battle of the Little Bighorn has drawn interest from hundreds, nay thousands, of individuals. This is part of the reason our director, Christopher Kortlander, decided to open a museum on the battlefield.

Those who choose to visit the Custer Battlefield museum will undoubtedly leave knowing more than they did when they entered. Working in the museum every day, I have had a unique opportunity to learn a lot about the battle, but my knowledge of the museum's exhibits has come to include some things that often go unnoticed.

1.) Of the ninety-some photographs lining the museum's walls, it is easy to miss seeing a few. One that I hope you don't miss seeing is Hairy Chin, of the Hunkpapa tribe, dressed as Uncle Sam. It never fails to bring a smile to my face.

2.) According to one of our exhibits, the name Hunkpapa means "those who camp at the entrance." Now I find this to be interesting, because in June of 1876, the Hunkpapa tribe was situated on the edge of the Indian Encampment in the valley of the Little Bighorn - the edge where Major Reno's column attacked, beginning the battle. Could it be that their name was prophetic? Or that they really did always situate themselves at the entrance to the camp?

3.) One of the Indian casualties of the battle was a Cheyenne named Roman Nose. What an interesting blend of cultures - a Native American with a name referencing an ancient culture, of which one presumes they only knew through their interactions with the White Man.

4.) Apparently the soldiers of the all-Black Ninth Cavalry were called Buffalo Soldiers by the Indians, because their hair resembled that of a buffalo. Now I've read several articles about the Buffalo Soldiers, but not one seemed to mention the origin of their nickname. Thank you, Custer Battlefield Museum, for clearing that one up for me.

5.) Sitting Bull - one of the most repeated names in the museum - is mentioned in the exhibits 30 times. Lending credence to my opening statement, Custer is referenced more than 100 times.

6.) A close examination of the museum's several oil paintings will prove to be enlightening and inspiring. However, Kirk Stirnweis' "They Died With Their Boots On" seems to be the most gruesome, featuring a soldier falling into death with an arrow in his throat and a man staring out of the canvas with one bulging eye - too uncannily like that video of the prairie dog on the Japanese game show. Don't know what I'm talking about? Look here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Kyi0WNg40

7.) The museum's collection includes nigh a dozen pairs of moccasins. One, however, is missing a shoe lace.

8.) Custer always went into battle with his personal flag, sewn for him by his wife, Libbie. The Custer Battlefield Museum has a replica of this guidon, however, it has one flaw: it is missing Libbie's initials, which she stitched into one of the corners. To our credit, though, these initials were shot off the guidon before it even reached her husband.

9.) In the diorama of the battle created by a high school class in 1976, one of the warriors appears to be pulling off the Matrix bullet-dodge move - and this before the technology seen in The Matrix was even dreamed of!

10.) The painting "Battle of Little Bighorn," by a European artist named Bergven, hangs on the museum's back wall and is covered in thick stains. I spent days lamenting the painting's poor quality of conservation, and then I realized it used to hang in a bar. The stains? Beer. The painting's quality? Inexplainably, yet quaintly, improved. KB

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Salutations

Twenty days after my arrival, I've figured it's finally time to introduce myself. Hi, I'm Kathy, the new intern.
So far I've been enjoying my time here at Garryowen. The museum is a great place to work, and there's never a dull moment with visitors in the museum. Of course, now that summer is coming to a close, this week has shown a significant decrease in traffic, and the museum has been rather quiet. That's okay, though, because it will give us an opportunity to do some more work in the display cases. Keep an eye open for pictures of the upcoming display of Birdie Real Bird hand-crafted dolls.
Last week, before Lauren left, she and I were able to head over to Crow Agency for the Annual Crow Fair Celebration. As we wandered through the "Teepee Capital of the World," we marvelled at the mingling of unique customs, crafts, and foods. (I'm serious about the foods - I expected to see Indian Tacos and fry bread, and Mexican food was a only tad unexpected, but there were way too many Chinese food vendors!) After our perusal of the different vendors - I bought a turquoise bracelet, and Lauren bought a tomahawk - we grabbed some food (not Chinese), nabbed a spot on the bleachers, and waited for the powwow to begin. There was an impressive opening procession, followed by intertribal dancing and dance competitions. The prizes for the three finalists of the Tiny Tots divisions were miniature horses - awesome, and so unfair! Of course, the evening would not be complete without honoring Joe Medicine Crow, just returned from his trip to D.C., where he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (See pictures to the left!) KB

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Joe Medicine Crow is the Man

Lauren: And then there was one. Justin left on Thursday the 30th, before even the birds were up, and now there's just one of us left here until Kathy, the new intern, gets here on the 5th. In other news, Dr. Joe Medicine Crow (96), the Crow chief and historian, will be honored by President Obama in DC on the 12 of August. Dr. Medicine Crow is to receive the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom, along with such visionaries as Stephen Hawking, Senator Edward Kennedy, Billie Jean King, Harvey Milk, Sidney Poitier and Mary Robinson (there are 16 recipients, total). About a week ago Justin and I had the fantastic opportunity to meet Joe and take a picture with him (see the picture collection to the left). He really is an amazing guy. He was the first Crow Native American to receive a masters degree, and while he was studying for his PhD he was drafted into World War II - though the draft may have interrupted his studies, it did allow him to fulfill all the requirements of chiefdom while abroad (leading a successful raid, stealing the enemy's horses, counting coup). Dr. Medicine Crow had previously song a "Praise Song" to President Obama (prior to his election) and now feels that the President has earned the honor of a victory song, the same song taught to Joe by his grandfather, White Man Runs Him, one of Custer's scouts. The ceremonies are taking place in just over a week and the Director of the Museum has been invited to accompany Joe to D.C., which will allow the Custer Battlefield Museum a whole new insight into Native American relations and history. -LK

Follow the road to glory....

Follow the road to glory....

The View From the Outside Looking In

The View From the Outside Looking In

All the Pretty Horses

All the Pretty Horses

The First Visit to LBH NM

The First Visit to  LBH NM

Battle Recreation Table

Battle Recreation Table

Ghost Dance Shirt

Ghost Dance Shirt

LBH Miniatures

LBH Miniatures
a close-up of the battle recreation

Custer's Cravat

Custer's Cravat
Somebody loves the cravat

Lewis and Clark

Lewis and Clark
A bear, a 400-year-old canoe and a ram head, with one thing in common

Justin and his gun

Justin and his gun
he is waaaay too excited about holding this gun

Search This Blog