Do You See Me

Posted on May 10, 2020 by Dwight Lutsey

Crow rider impressing the 7th cavalry with his riding skill

The parade of the troopers showed their massed formation with each cavalry member dressed in their best uniforms, and carrying their newest weapons and using their military bearing to its best advantage. They wanted to appear to be invincible to the tribes who didn’t utilize this type of concentrated warfare.

There were times before the situation between the tribes and the whites became too adversarial that the two soon to be warring parties had contact. When this happened it was an occasion for them to impress each other with their strength and abilities, and especially their power.

The Indians on the other hand fought a more individual style of warfare with warriors banding together in large or small groups, but with each individual having his own style of riding and fighting, and they used their body paint as both a protection and a warning to all seeing them how powerful they were. Taunting their enemies with war cries and declarations of their strength and bravery were common even if they didn’t understand each other’s language.

The rider above is showing his prowess by his horsemanship and daring with his riding skill while calling out his challenge to the troopers watching him. “Do you see me? I am not afraid of your bullets. I welcome meeting you in Battle”. There was no fighting this day but it wasn’t long before each side would test their style of combat for better or worse.

After the Battle

Posted on April 18, 2020 by Dwight Lutsey

Crow Warrior washing off his horse’s warpaint in the Little Bighorn river

The Crow and every other tribe that used horses in the 1800’s used them for battle as well as other aspects of their life. The horses were used for traveling, moving camp, as a measure of wealth, as dowries, to make it impervious to bullets and protect it’s rider from harm, and as a measure of their prowess as a warrior. The art of stealing horses from enemies was a constant effort and proved the worth and valor of the warrior that was successful in obtaining the most horses.

When they were used for war the horses were often painted with symbols important to its owner. Every mark placed on the horse had a special meaning to its owner and could be religious in nature, or derived from a dream, or to signify who the owner was as they sometimes used the same markings on both rider and horse.

After the battle the markings were removed to preserve their meaning and value, so a trip to the river was in order to remove the paint from both horse and rider. This rider is washing the paint off his mount while standing in The Little Bighorn river just downstream a bit from where the remains of the 7th lay on the hillside in the greasy grass.

Diamond Creek Crown Dancers

Posted on May 25, 2018 by Dwight Lutsey

On April 26th Through the 28th the Gathering of Nations, the largest powwow in the United States was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There were over 3500 dancers (this is not a misprint) in the Grand Entry seen by over 80,000 attendees. 785 tribes were represented from the U.S. and Canada. It was a spectacular event.

This image is of a spirit dancer from the White River Apache Diamond Creek Crown Dancers group that participated and performed out on the open avenue in front of Tingley Arena. They are members of the White Mountain Apache tribe and have performed all over the United States.

Their performance was one of the hits if not the high point of the various dance groups that performed over the length of the event. An entire article, actually an entire book, could be written about the meaning of the dances they perform, the regalia they wear, the songs they sing, and the symbols they paint on their bodies, but that will have to be left for another time. For now this image represents their amazing culture and traditions and they deserve a debt of gratitude for sharing it with us.

Spoils Of War

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Dwight Lutsey

A day or two after the battle of the Greasy grass, or as we know it the Battle of the Little Bighorn, you could walk down between the lodges among the shadows of the cottonwoods that lined the river, and hear the women crying and keening as they continued to mourn their fallen loved ones. The wailing went on for an eternity as the knowledge that their fathers, husbands, brothers and sons were lost and gone forever.

Even at this cost it had been a great victory, the greatest victory against the pony soldiers that had ever occurred. Along with the deaths of the enemy soldiers there had been many things of great value that were taken that day. Scalps of course, but much more. Coups that were taken, guns and knives, clothing, blue jackets and belts and items like canteens and bullet pouches, sabers, small leather bags to keep things in and those curious pieces of paper with the picture of the Great Father on them that the soldiers seemed to value so much. Those were left behind as they were useless, but one of the real treasures to find were the wide brim hats that sparsely littered the field.

These hats were highly prized when gathered by the warriors who had killed the soldier wearing it and given a place of honor in the teepees when not being worn. This night one of them had been set on the corner of a backrest highlighted by the firelight seen against the wall of the lodge. The gold of the crossed sabers glimmering and glistening in the subdued light adding highlights to the worn patina of what must have been this soldiers proudest possession. Before long a wife would sew some handsome delicate beading on it and the warrior would add some coup feathers tied to the hat band to display his honors. This would turn an item taken from the battle into a treasured personal possession of the victor. Proof that the victory had taken place and now this piece of the spoils of war had a new owner.

He Who Watches

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Dwight Lutsey

This post has been moved to OpenChutes.com. All future postings of Powwows, Indian Relay Races, Rodeos and Rendezvous will be posted there from now on exclusively. So if you’re looking for new images and posts for all those events attended this year, plus all the old posts posted on BigShotsNow.com check out OpenChutes.com. See you there!

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16th Annual Indian Market and Powwow at The Fort Restaurant

This past weekend, May 14th and 15th, was the 16th Annual Indian Market and Powwow held at the Fort restaurant in Morrison Colorado. It was an incredible affair with Indian vendors showing off amazing art and jewelry, members of various tribes participating in the accompanying powwow and re-enactors dressed as people of the late 1800’s telling stories of times long past. There were informational exhibits that portrayed life in the 1800’s and various Raptors were on display as well. The fact that the setting included the extraordinary Red Rocks that made this area famous as a backdrop just made a good thing better. All in all an exciting event and a great time was had by all.

Jeremy is one of the re-enactors and greeted those arriving through the main entrance in a welcoming but stoic manner. Mountain men tended to be somewhat taciturn when amongst town folk anyway. They were more comfortable in the high country, but like you and I, came to town occasionally to see the sights. Costumes of the period were extremely well done as were the regalia worn by the powwow participants. This is an extremely interesting gathering and the atmosphere and architecture of The Fort Restaurant is more than worth the trip itself. Especially if you get to order one their Buffalo Burgers.

Over the next few weeks we will be bringing you more images of the Powwow and other events from the Tesoro Indian Market and Powwow featuring Powwow participants from the various tribes that attended and other events that took place. Over 50 tribes were represented plus drum groups and singers to round out the festivities, so there was plenty to see, hear and enjoy.

If you get a chance to attend this event make sure you do, you don’t want to miss experiencing this spectacular event held at the Fort Restaurant. Even if the Indian Market is not happening treat yourself to a wonderful meal. It’s worth the trip.

Crow Elder – Time Keeper

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Dwight Lutsey

When photographing the Crow Fair last year I noticed how many of the elders of the tribe so easily fit into the duality of the moment. On one hand they were a large part of the present yet fit so naturally into the past. It was as if they were caught between time. You could easily imagine them shifting between now and then effortlessly. Their clothes draped on them so naturally, they held the trappings that they carried as if they were never out of their hands, and their faces showed the wealth of years of experience and memories. It would not be difficult to imagine them revisiting their heritage by slipping back and forth between time. Perhaps they do in their memories.

Elders in the tribes are held with the utmost respect and are included in the forefront of all the ceremonies and activities. In practically every major event there is a color guard that opens the activities and it is a mixture of young and old with the older participants in the front of the procession. They are a proud people and it shows in everything they do. This Crow gentleman was one of the color guard participants and his patience and serene demeanor was an example for all.

It was my pleasure and honor to be able to photograph the members of the Crow tribe and I will be periodically featuring them through out the year.

Blackfeet North American Indian Days – Portraits

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Dwight Lutsey

The North American Indian Days is an annual event held on the Blackfeet Indian reservation usually in July and is billed as one of the biggest tribal get-togethers in North America. They say North American instead of the Unites States because some of the participants are from tribes that live in Canada. It lasts for about a week, four days according to the advertisements, but everybody’s there early and leaves late so plan on at least five or six days if you want the full experience.

This post is about the people who participated in this gathering. It is an attempt to show the pride and dignity of the members of the various tribes who gathered here to dance, sing, display their heritage and enjoy the fellowship a gathering such as this brings. They are in no particular order or precedence. Since it is the people shown here that is important there will be very little written. Each one of these images stands on its own and as you look through the gallery you can see how important the participants take this time together. This is more than a contest, this is their history. I feel proud I had an opportunity to see and join with them in some small way.