Crow flag now flies at Bighorn Canyon marina

Posted 8/12/21

The Crow, United States and Montana flags now fly at the Ok-A-Beh Marina in Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.

To honor the Crow Tribe’s request to fly the Crow Flag at the Ok-A-Beh …

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Crow flag now flies at Bighorn Canyon marina

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The Crow, United States and Montana flags now fly at the Ok-A-Beh Marina in Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.

To honor the Crow Tribe’s request to fly the Crow Flag at the Ok-A-Beh Marina, park staff installed three new flag poles at the marina. Those poles, along with a Four Winds interpretive exhibit, were formally dedicated at a July 27 event.

The flag ceremony opened with a prayer by Mary Louise LaForge with the Crow Tribe Veterans Office. Secretary Levi Black Eagle and Superintendent James Hill both gave opening remarks emphasizing the importance of the Crow Tribe and National Park Service to continue efforts to collaborate to present stories and care for the land.

Veterans Wayne Howe and Leland Hugs raised the flags for the first time while the drum group — led by Jason Old Coyote and joined by fellow drummers Manual Covers Up Jr., Mathew Old Horn, Leo Cummins, and Leland Skeeter Old Crow — performed the traditional Flag Song. 

The second half of the ceremony was conducted at the Four Winds Interpretive Exhibit, which was first installed over 20 years ago. This exhibit honors the traditional importance of the four directions while also sharing history and cultural stories of the Crow Tribe. The original exhibit had faded over time and was hard to read, so park staff worked with the Crow Tribe to refresh the exhibit. Black Eagle and Hill cut the ribbon, opening the exhibit once again to the public.

Hill called the dedication at Fort Smith, Montana, “a resounding success.”

“It is my sincere hope that the dedication was the first of many collaborative events with the Crow Nation and other tribes, to present the tapestry of stories, experiences, and knowledge indigenous to this place,” Hill said.

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