This story was originally published by Environmental Health News and is republished here by permission.
It was a cold winter day when my káalixaalia, great-grandmother, sat us down to tell stories.
When the snow sticks to the ground, we, as Biiluuke or Our Side, tell our traditional stories so that they are passed down from generation to generation. One of my favorite stories was about a young boy named Uuwaatisaash, or Big Metal, who was pushed off a cliff by his stepfather after a day of hunting. As his stepfather returned to camp leaving him to die, Uuwaatisaash heard our language in the distance, and they spoke of saving a boy who was stuck in a shrub. The voices he heard were voices of Iisaxpúatahchee Sahpua, the seven sacred Big Horn rams, who saved him and chose to raise him as their own. He grew up into a prominent warrior and was given seven sacred teachings that he would bring back to my people.
When I was 8 years old, a bilingual afterschool program took me on a trip that left memories I still carry. A boat drove us into the deep canyons of Iisaxpúatahcheewilichke, Bighorn Lake. As we cruised by cliffs incised by Iisaxpúatahcheeaashe, the Bighorn River, we witnessed the power that it held: cliff sides looked as if a knife made a clean cut through a cake, except it was through sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous layers of the Earth. I will hold this day with me forever because me, my twin sister and other Apsáalooke/Crow youth saw where Uuwaatisaash was pushed off the cliffs, and where Iisaxpúatahchee Sahpua had saved him.
As Biiluuke people, we revere Iisaxpúatahchee Sahpua and we show our honor and respect for them. One of our Apsáalooke warriors, Bear Crane, taught us that in order to honor and respect the power of Iisaxpúatahchee Sahpua, we need to take care of our mountains and rivers. “To this day the Bighorn and Little Bighorn Rivers carry the memory of the Seven Sacred Rams,” he said, “we were told to never change the names . . . they have retained their ancient names, assuring that the land will always be ours.”
We have known that the water is a reflection of us since time immemorial. However, our rivers and water have been impacted by human activity such as agriculture, sewage waste and abandoned mines. But I and other Apsáalooke researchers are working together to understand the quality of our water systems and how this poses risks to our community members and cultural practices. As Apsáalooke researchers we are testing the water of our neighbors, friends and family — and by leading this research we are contributing to our individual, community, cultural, and tribal autonomy.
We have known that the water is a reflection of us since time immemorial.
Our hope is to provide foundational research that will help our Nation set water quality standards to protect our precious water sources so that we can continue our cultural and ceremonial practices.
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