Wind River Stories: Gallery Show & Tribal Waters Film

Long before the arrival of Europeans and the beginning of the Western conservation movement, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem was stewarded by Indigenous People who viewed its lands, waters, and wildlife as sacred. The Indigenous way of caring for the land acknowledged its life-giving energy, was centered on reciprocity, and used Traditional Ecological Knowledge to keep the ecosystem in balance. Today, at least 49 Tribes, including the Apsáalooke/Crow, Cheyenne, Blackfeet, Shoshone, Bannock, Arapaho, Kiowa, and other Indigenous Peoples are keepers of this knowledge and retain deep connections to this remarkable place.

Join the Greater Yellowstone Coalition as we dive into impactful stories showcasing the social, economic, and cultural injustices against Indigenous People, including the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho of the nearby Wind River Indian Reservation, a key landscape within Greater Yellowstone. As the event opens, you’ll enjoy food and drink while mingling among breathtaking fine arts portraits and accompanying stories created by artists Carlos Alejandro and Hannah Habermann during the recent Inter-Tribal Gathering on the Wind River Indian Reservation.

Later, you’ll watch the powerful 50-minute film, Tribal Waters, created by Teton Gravity Research, and described and funded by Patagonia: The Shoshone people have lived on the eastern slope of Wyoming’s Wind River Range for more than 10,000 years. The Wind River, which flows through their homeland, has deep meaning for them and the Northern Arapaho, the tribe they now share this land with. The water is crucial to their way of life, history, and customs. After hundreds of years of witnessing their waters, lands, and culture come under constant attack, there is hope that an outdoor-based, sustainable recreational economy could flourish here.

After the film, you’ll hear from key staff and stakeholders about GYC’s work to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife on the Wind River Indian Reservation and help elevate Native voices into the Western conservation movement.

GYC knows we must acknowledge and confront the past in order to help build a brighter and more inclusive future for all people who call this region home. Recognizing and reinstituting Indigenous values, beliefs, and practices is a vital step in restoring the cultural and ecological integrity of the region now, and for future generations. We hope you will join us in our commitment to help restore Indigenous conservation priorities that honor cultural landscapes, Tribal rights, and Tribal ways of life.

Event Dates & Locations:

Thursday, November 17 Emerson Center for Arts and Culture, 111 South Grand Avenue, Bozeman, Montana

Program:

5:00 pm Gallery Show & Reception

6:15 pm Presentation & Tribal Waters, by Teton Gravity Research and funded by Patagonia, followed by short Q&A session

Gallery Show featuring the images and stories Indigenous People including:

Albert Yellowbird, Samson Cree Nation, Wind River Inter-Tribal Gathering Attendee

Ruth Miller, Dena’ina Athabaskan and Ashkenazi Russian Jewish, Wind River Inter-Tribal Gathering Attendee

Richard Baldes, Eastern Shoshone, Wind River Inter-Tribal Gathering Attendee