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He was probably ten years old. Sitting on the curb next to his family’s car, wearing a Big Sky Montana t-shirt that screamed, “I’m a tourist!” He wore the face of an unhappy kid. That happens sometimes at The Little Bighorn Battlefield. I’ve often wondered if young kids suspect this place is a sneaky way of teaching them history during their summer vacation. Our group, Friends of the Little Bighorn, take up stations every year on the anniversary of the fight at key points along the 5-mile long battlefield. We attempt to create a picture in a visitor’s mind of what happened on that day, June 25, 1876.
I knew the boy’s name was Tanner from his mother constantly calling to him. He sulked his way over to stand with his mom and sisters who were listening to my talk about the Reno-Benteen area where the survivors of the Seventh Cavalry held out until help arrived on the 27th of June. A small tour bus arrived at that moment that the Little Big Horn College located at Crow Agency had organized. The driver and tour guide was a Crow man named Maurice. He and I had gotten friendly over the past couple days and we began to combine groups. I would do the parking lot lecture and then he would take people out onto the trail system where they could self-guide with all the signs put out by the Park Service.
When I finished and handed the group off to Maurice, I saw young Tanner balk at the idea of walking out on the trail system. His mother was beside herself and I felt bad for her.
“Ma’am, if you would like to leave Tanner here with me, I’ll watch over him until you get back. Go enjoy the walk.”
She hesitated for a second. After all, I was a stranger, but I did have on my official group shirt on with my name tag and ridiculously bright safety vest the Park staff made us wear.
“Tanner, would you like to stay here with the staff?” she asked her child. He shrugged in reply. Mom, mouthing “thank you” at me took off with the girls, leaving me and a malingering Tanner in the parking lot.
“Tanner, would you like some Gatorade?” I said pointing at my cooler. “I’ve got a couple flavors here.” I always have a lot to drink with me in case visitors get dried out in the Montana sun. He nodded and reached for an orange one. Mumbling a thank you he sat on the curb next to my lawn chair.
“Tanner, where are you from?”
“California,” he replied looking at the ground.
“You don’t like it here, do you?” The boy looked up and shook his head no.
“How come?”
“It’s boring!”
“Some people agree with you, that’s for sure.” I sat in my lawn chair and stared off into the distance for a while.
“Tanner, do you know what happened here?” He shrugged. The kid was a big shrugger.
“Right out there by the river were thousands of tepees and Indians from several tribes. There were probably 15 thousand horses or even more grazing on all those hills out there.”
“Indians?” Tanner asked incredulously.
Ah, I thought. Maybe that’s the key to this kid. You would be surprised how many white kids think that Indians disappeared after the Pilgrims came ashore. Of course that’s not entirely untrue because… well, that’s another story for another time.
As luck would have it, Maurice came back from the trail system at that moment to get a bottle of water.
“Man, its warm out there.” he said to us. Maurice is a big guy. Probably 3 inches taller than me. He had on a black flat brimmed cowboy hat with an eagle feather hanging off the back. Wearing a blue ribbon shirt and jeans, his belt buckle was bright and beautifully beaded in white, orange, blue and red glass beads. He took off his gargoyle sunglasses, his dark eyes sparkled as he focused on my young charge. Tanner could not take his eyes off him.
“I was just telling Tanner about the Indian village down there and all the horses.”
Maurice leaned down to shake the boy’s hand.
“I’m Maurice.”
“Maurice is part of the Crow tribe, Tanner.”
“You’re an Indian?” The kid was entranced. “Did you fight here?”
“No son, the battle was over a hundred years ago. Some of us Crow fought on the soldiers side as scouts and came with them. The Lakota, Arapaho and Cheyenne lived in the village.” Maurice gave me a grin. “Come on, let me show you something.”
Maurice took Tanner by the hand and led him over to the edge of the parking area so they could see where the solders forded the river to escape the warriors defending the village. I could hear my fellow guide explain what went on down there and point out some markers where soldiers and warriors fell.
Maurice’s group was starting to return so he came back with Tanner in tow. The boy was full of questions now and they poured out of him. Maurice raised his hand to interrupt.
“Now, John here knows a lot about the fight. He can explain everything to you. I have to take my tour to the next spot.” Tanner looked devastated and Maurice noticed. “Come with me to the bus. I want to give you something.”
The two of them went to the bus where the tour group was gathering. Maurice went inside and came out with a paper bag. He opened it and showed Tanner something inside. The big man got on his knees and the two talked for a few minutes. The boy hugged him and then ran to me with his bag. Maurice waved goodbye and loaded people on board. With a little honk of his horn, he started up the hill.
Tanner looked at me holding his bag up. His face was tear stained but he gave me a big smile.
“Do you want to see what he gave me?” he asked.
“Sure, if you want to show me.”
Reaching inside the bag he pulled out his gift. A hoop made of a willow twig. The wood was encased in bead work. A spider web of twine filled the circle but had a prominent hole woven in the middle. Four leather thongs were attached to the hoop that had delicate feathers tied on to the far ends. I had never seen such a nice one before.
“It’s called a dream catcher,” Tanner explained. “Maurice made it himself! He said it would catch my nightmares and good dreams would go right through this hole in the middle and right into my head! Tanner traced the webbing attached to the circle of willow with his finger.
“John, how did he know I have nightmares about my dad?”
“I don’t know Tanner. Did he tell you how to hang it?”
“Yup! He told me everything!”
Tanner sat on the curb again, holding his dream catcher up over his head admiring it. The slight afternoon breeze made the feathers dance.
“Maurice says these are called breath feathers. Did you know that?”
“No, I didn’t. I’ve never had anyone make me a dream catcher. This is a very special gift for a very special person.”
“I know,” The boy whispered slipping it back into the bag.
Tanners’ mom and sisters had finished their walking tour and he jumped up and raced toward them.
“Mom! Mom! Look what I got!” Tanner was talking a mile a minute about his new Crow friend Maurice and everything he had learned. He explained the dream catcher while dragging mom over to look at the river crossing while he chattered.
“Did you know lots of men died down there? That’s what the white and red markers are for. But don’t be scared. No one is buried there. There are more places to stop up the road and there is an Indian mem…mem, what’s it called?”
“A memorial?”
“That’s it!”
Tanners mom’s face was a mix of joy and amused confusion. She looked at me for some kind of explanation but I just shrugged and smiled. Tanner was now explaining to his sisters about the river crossing so Mom came over to stand next to me.
“Thank you so much!” She quietly said out of the side of her mouth. “He has been so unhappy since the divorce. How did you know about the nightmares?”
“I didn’t even know about the divorce let alone the nightmares. He must have told Maurice about it.”
“He told a perfect stranger?”
“Maurice is very easy to talk to.”
“That boy has done nothing but shrug at me and hide in his room for months. His teacher called me this past spring because she was worried about him suddenly not talking. Now…” she pointed at the new tour guide and his sisters. “This! Maurice is some kind of miracle worker. How can I thank him?”
I gave her one of the man’s cards that had contact information.
“How long have you known him?” she asked while looking at the card.
“About a day and a half.”
“You’re kidding.”
“No ma’am. I was hoping to get the boy interested in this place but as soon as Tanner realized Maurice was an actual Indian, he was hooked. I’ve seen it before. There are books for sale at the Visitors Center about the battle and the tribes and some cool exhibits. Some of the books are perfect for his age. The staff will help you find them.”
“Oh, he doesn’t read much.” I gave a sly grin.
“I bet he will now!”
Very touching story, history coming alive through the living. I think it well worth a visit just as long as both sides are told.
Hi! Happy Mom birthday!