Montana Museum of
Art and Culture
Presents

Their Eyes Tell Everything

All people have stories.

The purpose of this exhibition is to bring to a non-Indian audience an opportunity to learn about some of the stories, thoughts, and feelings of the Montana Chippewa-Cree in the early part of the 20^th century. The exhibition includes images of tribal chiefs, elders, women, and children. They have been assembled by tribal member, John Well-Off-Man, who is a direct descendent of Chief Rocky Boy. His position as a tribal member gives him access to many of the stories of the Chippewa-Cree. Numerous family and tribal members have contributed images from their personal collections and family holdings: Duncan Standing Rock, tribal councilman; the late Paul Mitchell, Sr., a tribal elder who made many of the images in this exhibition available to Mr.Well-Off-Man; Wolf Child, an elder of the tribe, contributed much of the oral information; various other interested tribal members have contributed information and stories.

The central theme of the exhibit revolves
around the Chippewa quest for a place which has been revealed to Chief Rocky Boy, and to his father, Wapeno (Coming Morning), in prophecies speaking of a land that lay between two rivers, mountainous in the south, and plains toward the north. The images depict their struggle to obtain land in that place on which to practice their religion and to conserve their stories. The exhibit also depicts their circumstances during the two decades before and after the founding of their reservation. The arrival of the Crees led by Little Bear during these years, and the blending of elements of their cultures and stories as both tribes shared a reservation created in 1916 are reflected in this exhibit.