Big Fin - How about an episode on the Plains Indian History

[ErictheRed]

Last year while hunting the Big Belts my buddy showed me a bunch of Teepee circles. I had never heard of them much less seen one. We also saw a bunch of artifacts from an area where the Indians had camped near the Smith River. Latter on during the hunt I was shown the Bridger Mountains and Crazy Mountains on the distant sky line. Off course there is a bunch of history around those ranges. Have you considered a pod caste on the history of these cool places we get to hunt. The story's of the Crow, Suoix, Jim Bridger, Meeks, Johnston and others. Maybe knowing these characters better would enrich the hunting experience. It might be interesting to have an expert talk about things we can look for while hunting that would connect us to the history of the area. Stan Vestal wrote some great books on these subjects - but he's gone now. Anyway, just food for thought!

 

[MTGomer]

Its amazing how much of that stuff you can find if you know what to look for.
Lots of graves out there too.

 

[bobbydean]

Like.

 

[jzeck2]

How about a youtube video/hunt actually showing what some of this stuff looks like, I'm sure I've stumbled across stuff I had know idea about what it even was.

 

[Big Fin]

We have found lots of it while out hunting. For two reasons, we won't be doing it.

First, to get a public land permit to do what you ask is impossible. One of the requirements of our film permits is archaeological and paleontology clearance. In other words, determination that our location and activities will not harm or alter the archaeological and paleontology articles on the landscape.

Second and most importantly, I won't do it for my own personal reasons. I've seen too much important native history get ruined when the public learns of it. I don't want to contribute to that.

We have found some really cool stuff. My favorite is in Arizona. I had an archery antelope tag. I pointed to a small rock pile that rose from the floor of a sage-covered playa. I remarked that it looked like a good ambush location for antelope coming to water in the low spot of the playa. When we got there, a small rock wall was buried but dirt and sage, but could easily be seen as some sort of old rock wall. Even with a small bit of sweeping sand off the rock wall, native pottery was found in big pieces. I swore the two camera guys to secrecy. It is still on my GPS, but I will never tell a soul where it is, as it would surely be ruined.

Sitting there, it was cool to think that someone, possibly a thousand years ago, sat with a bow in hand, hoping to make an antelope his dinner. Someday, I plan to go back and try to learn more about that specific spot.

Below is a spot where I found a bunch of flat rocks with grinding pockets in them. It was about fifty yards from my elk camp in central Montana. There were about a dozen of these rocks within a twenty yard radius.

Just above our camp was a cliff that broke a large expanse of flat prairie to our north, much of which has now been usurped by fire-suppressed Ponderos saplings. Though I was chasing elk, it made me wonder how many Blackfeet sat at this same camp, rendering bison into Pemmican and other native foods. This is on BLM land and I should probably give the coordinates to the BLM, but I would rather the world not know where it is and screw it up as usually happens.













I grew up exploring the Indian Mounds in my back yard. The Ojibway/Anishinaabe were the indigenous people and they are one of many cultures who buried their dead (and the deceased's valuables) by building mounds. These mounds were in great number along the Rainy, Littlefork, and Big Fork Rivers. Unfortunately, they all got trashed within a few years of discovery. That has probably shaped my opinion about not wanting people to know where some of these treasures exist.

Thanks for the suggestion. Being a native history junkie, I like your idea. But, for reasons mentioned above I won't be doing it for TV.

 

[HSi-ESi]

It would make a very interesting podcast though - some stories and history would be cool.

I agree 100% with Randy on keeping these places "unknown". I know a couple of folks in the Bozeman area that could help research, if you are so inclined.

 

[ErictheRed]

Thanks Big Fin - I respect your position. Thank you for cool pictures. When I saw all the tepee circles ruined by the agricultural fields it really bothered me. So I understand. In any case, I love the pod casts and I'll keep on suggesting ideas. I'll give a good one eventually!

 

[Big Fin]

Thanks Big Fin - I respect your position. Thank you for cool pictures. When I saw all the tepee circles ruined by the agricultural fields it really bothered me. So I understand. In any case, I love the pod casts and I'll keep on suggesting ideas. I'll give a good one eventually!

My reference below was about not doing it for TV. If I could connect it to conservation, hunting, or public lands, I would gladly have some experts on the podcast to discuss those cultures and how they might have influenced our situations today. Just not sure if that connection exists. I bet someone out there has made a study of it, just that I don't know of them.

Thanks for tossing it out for consideration.

 

[PRM]

Different, but I hunt white tails adjacent to the Manassas national battlefield. I've found pictures of soldiers standing along Bull Run within 50yds of where I have a tree stand. Kind of cool to think about while in the stand.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Thanks Big Fin - I respect your position. Thank you for cool pictures. When I saw all the tepee circles ruined by the agricultural fields it really bothered me. So I understand. In any case, I love the pod casts and I'll keep on suggesting ideas. I'll give a good one eventually!

Thank you Big Fin.
Interactions between native americans and white men were not all giving them beads, trinkets and peace medals. Most were less than positive. A lot of what we were taught in school was candy coated rubish.

 

[hank4elk]

Cool stuff BF.
Have a stone hunt pit on my place & am always finding aritifacts, which I usually just put back. Pottery shards, arrowheads,grinding stones,tools.

 

[pre6422hornet]

The Native American culture is something I have been fascinated with for most of my life that I can remember.

I grew up in NW Ohio and we had a few forts ( Fort Meigs and Fort Miami ) within a few miles of my boyhood home. I was part of an archaeological dig when I was 9 or 10 and watched as piece after piece of both Native American and Colonial America artifacts were found. Cool stuff.

I commend you Randy for not sharing. I wouldn't either.

Back in 2014 I was antelope hunting a ranch in Wyoming north of Medicine Bow. The owner told us of a spot on his land that was a monument and every so often a new rock, bone, etc. would be placed there. He didn't know who or when it happened. He also said that legend had it that since it was the highest elevation for 20-30 miles around, it was where the tribe would go to watch for Buffalo, then plan their stalk.

After tagging out on antelope, he gave us permission to coyote hunt, which we did. The first morning as we were sitting there calling, a lone coyote appeared out of no where and sat down on the edge of that lookout hill. We were a good 1/2 mile away from it and watched through our Binos. He sat there for a minute like he was guarding the memorial shrine, then he walked over the back edge and disappeared.

We made our way over there and climbed the hill. At the top was just as he said. You could see forever! We stood there in silence just taking in the view. You could see the antelope trails, little water holes, streams, etc.. and just imagine a big herd of buffalo working their way toward you. There was shrine smack dab in the middle of the flat top and it was a pile of old liquor bottles, bones, antlers, stones, etc..

We stayed up there for a few minutes and without saying a word, turned around and walked back down. It wasn't until we got back to the truck that either of us spoke. I said " did you have a feeling we were being watched?". " Yup... my hair on my neck was standing straight up".. "me too"..

cool stuff indeed.

 

[Brn2hnt]

I too would love to hear a podcast on something of this ilk. I grew up minutes from where Ishi walked out into the white man's civilization, and learned to fish and hunt in the same streams and mountains as his tribe. Pretty cool finding arrowheads every spring from stones that geologists say don't occur for over 100 miles as a crow flies. My father was a collector of old archery books, and as such Ishi was a well known figure in our household. I am sure there should be a connection to be made between conservation and Native American history, maybe something to do with Arizona reservation conservation programs and their management of game species. Flies against public land theme though I suppose. Regardless, great work and love the podcast!

Mike

 

[madplume]

Walter Fleming is the Native American Studies Department Head at MSU there in Bozeman. He could be a good resource for this topic.