Distinctly Montana Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.distinctlymontana.com/i/690345
D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 54 The passing of Joe Medicine Crow, patriarch of the Crow Nation, on April 6 at age 102 was noted in media around the world. To my knowledge, no contemporary Native American has received that measure of recognition. ere was something special in the name and record of the man who possessed an encyclopedic knowl- edge of the history and culture of his people which he shared with many individuals and groups over a long lifetime. Joe was the first of his people to earn an advanced academic degree. Beyond his gift for oral history, Joe's heroics in World War II gave him special recognition. With Crow war symbols under his uniform, Joe fulfilled all the requirements for the status of War Chief including stealing horses from the enemy. He received highest honors from both the French government and the United States government. I knew him best in his role as senior elder in the Traditional Circle of Indian Elders and Youth, an organization formed in 1977 to work with the American Indian Institute on behalf of sustain- ing the traditional cultures and worldviews of Native Americans and communicating authentic Native American values across cul- tures. Joe was one of the hosts of the first meeting of that group at the Missouri Headwaters in 1977. I want to note the unique symbolism of a major event in Joe's life: his receiving the highest civilian honor from President Barack Obama. e televised scene remains vivid: an African/American President placing a medal around the neck of a Native American. In one sense it represented a sea-change in ethnic and cultural awareness in spite of evidence to the contrary around us. e im- age stands out like a light at the end of a depressing tunnel. Joe Medicine Crow takes a treasured presence with him. We remember him well. ~ Robert Staffanson, author of Witness to Spirit, My Life with Cowboys, Mozart, & Indians THIS SPRING MONTANA LOST TWO OF ITS FAVORITE PEOPLE — AUTHOR JIM HARRISON AND CHIEF JOE MEDICINE CROW. WE HONOR THEM HERE. IN TRIBUTE IN TRIBUTE IN TRIBUTE Story of Joe Medicine Crow www.distinctlymontana.com/joe163 DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL President Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Joseph Medicine Crow at the White House, 2009