Parades, dancers, drums, rodeos, horse races and numerous vendors, are some of the events at the 103 Annual Crow Fair in Crow Agency, Montana.
Some sources say the fair started in 1904, when the U.S. Government gathered the Crow together to teach them how to grow vegetable gardens. Danielle Arnoux who is of Crow and Blackfoot heritage, said the Indians tell a different story.
Under the New Arbor at Crow Fair
She said that the Crow Reservation is very large and there are Crow Tribal members in Pryor, Lodgegrass and Wyola, with Crow Agency near the center. Families would come together in the fall to pick chokecherries, which are numerous in the area. They would camp out for several days, exchange news of the families, and just be together, as they do today. Each family has their own traditional camping spot, and as well as a tipi many attendees have modern camper trailers or various styles of tents.
There were some years that the fair did not happen, as in 2020 during the pandemic, but it has been going on for over 100 years.
The Crow Fair has been called the Tepee Capital of the World, with over 1500 tepees being set up in and around the small town of Crow Agency, Montana.
Start of a new tipi (Arnoux photo)
Setting up a teepee is quite a project, Arnoux said. The cover used to be made of buffalo hide, and it took around 18 hides for an average sized teepee, about 16 feet in diameter.
Readying the teepee cover (Arnoux Photo)
Finished Teepees at Crow Fair
Each day started with a parade, and horses and riders predominated. The horse has always been an important part of Crow and Plains Indian culture, used as transportation, for hunting and for war. The horses’ parade regalia was as colorful as the riders, if not more so. Parade contestants displayed different categories, such as native women’s dress, headdresses, reservation hats, traditional saddles, and Nez Perce Women’s dress.
There were vendors from all over the west, selling clothes, jewelry, crafts and children’s toys, as well as food trucks with everything from lemonade, shaved ice, Asian food, hamburgers and traditional Indian tacos.
After the parade there was a rest break, and the afternoon and evening were set aside for races, both flat races and the Indian relay race, rodeo, and for the dancing. Arnoux said she has heard that the event draws over 10,000 people to watch and take part in the events.
Native Dancers at the Powwow at the Sheridan Inn in July
Each year a young lady is named Miss Crow Fair, and this year it was Gabby Lopez.
Miss Crow Fair 2022 in Sheridan WYO Parade
The Crow Fair runs through Sunday, August 21, and all are invited to attend.
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Last modified: August 20, 2022