Crow "Lies Sideway"

Digital mixed media made in 2014 by Giovani Zanolino

Introduction

This artwork came in a period that I was doing an extensive series of Native American portraits. Their cultures and lifestyles have intrigued me since I was a child. It never seemed Savage to me, but a way of living in respect and harmony with nature and the self. I hope we can find a contemporary way of living with these types of values once again. To accompany this portrait of the Crow Indian "lies sideway", I picked up some interesting facts on

https://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/indian-tribes/crow-tribe.htm

and

http://www.rodneyohebsion.com/crow.htm

The Crow tribe

The Crow tribe were a nomadic group of hunters who roamed the Great Plains in search of buffalo. They were kin to the Hidatsa tribe. The Crow were known as notorious marauders and horse-stealers. They had no villages, except where they camped. The only crop raised by the tribe was tobacco which they traded along with buffalo hides and furs. In their own language, the Crow tribe call themselves Absaroka which means "Bird People." In sacred ceremonies the Crow did indeed wear dead birds on their head. The tribe was particularly noted for their long hair which trailed to the ground.

The Long Hair of the Crow men

The men of the Crow tribe grew their hair for all their lives and it was so long that it swept the ground behind him. Every morning the men of the Crow tribe would oil their hair with bear's grease. The hair of Chief Long-hair measured ten feet, seven inches in length. For practical purposes for fighting and hunting his long hair would be pulled into a bun. According to the custom of the tribe in the time of mourning a warrior would cut off a number of locks of his long hair, as a sign of respect for the dead. This was a great honor as his hair was highly valued as his greatest ornament, which he had cultivated for the greater part of his life.

What did the Crow live in

The Crow tribe lived in tent-like homes called Tepees. The tepees were constructed using long wooden poles that were covered with animal skins such as buffalo hides which, like their clothes, were made from white, sun-bleached buffalo skins. The tepee tent was pyramid shaped, with flaps and openings. The tepee was rounded at the base and tapered to a narrow open smoke hole at the top. Most tepees were approximately 12 - 16 feet in diameter at the base. A hearth was built in the center of the tepee for heating and cooking. However, the Crow tribe were known to erect huge tepees for their ceremonies, meetings and rituals. The tepee suited the nomadic lifestyle of the Crow tribe as it was quick to erect and easy to dismantle. The Crow tribe used Pictograms on their clothes and tepees to convey a story through pictures and symbols that represented physical objects, people and events.

Photo by Edward Curtis

Crow Grub

The food that the Crow tribe ate included the meat from all the game that was available in their vicinity: Buffalo, deer, elk, bear and wild turkey. The mainstay of their diet was supplemented with roots and wild vegetables such as spinach, prairie turnips and flavored with wild herbs. Wild berries and fruits were also added to the food available to the Crow. When animals for food was scarce the tribe ate pemmican, a form of dried buffalo meat.

Crow Philosophy

The religion and beliefs of the Crow tribe was based on Animism that encompassed the spiritual or religious idea that the universe and all natural objects animals, plants, trees, rivers, mountains rocks etc have souls or spirits. The Great Plains tribes such as the Crow believed in Manitou, the Great Spirit.

Some Crow Rituals

The rituals and ceremonies of the Crow tribe and many other Great Plains Native Indians, included the Sweat Lodge ceremony, the Vision Quest and the Sun Dance Ceremony. The sacred, ceremonial pipe (called a Calumet), was ritually filled with tobacco was passed among participants at all sacred ceremonies of the Crow. The Calumet, was often used to seal a peace treaty, hence the term 'Peace Pipe', but it was also used to offer prayers in religious ceremonies and in war councils.

Digital mixed media made by in 2014 by Giovani Zanolino

5 Crow Proverbs

1. People’s eyes say words that the tongue cannot pronounce.

2. Stand in the light when you want to assert yourself.

3. The laws of man change, but the laws of the spirit stay the same.

4. You already have everything needed to become great.

5. The earth you see is not just earth—it contains the blood, flesh, and bones of our ancestors… It is consecrated.

Conclusion

I'm no History expert, so I took most of this info from the internet. I found it interesting myself, and thought some of my readers would enjoy getting to know more about different Native American alongside my artworks. I hope you found some inspiration in getting to know our ancestors better. May we learn and thrive together with our tribe.

Thanks for the continued Love and Support,

                                        Gio

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