They Call Me Agnes: A Crow Narrative Based On The Life Of Agnes Yellowtail Deernose, A

An account of life on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana from around 1910 to the 1990s, based on interviews with Crow woman Agnes Yellowtail Deernose, and interwoven with background details about the origins of the Crows and their culture.

in they Call Me Agnes, The Narrator, Agnes Deernose, Provides A Warm, Personal View Of Crow Indian Family Life And Culture.

fred Voget, Anthropologist And Adopted Crow, Sets The Stage For Agnes S Story, Which He Compiled From Extensive Interviews With Agnes And Her Friends. He Describes The Origins Of The Crows And Their Culture During Buffalo-hunting Days And Early Reservation Life. Through Agnes, An Elderly Crow Woman, He Also Reveals Changes Wrought On This Once Far-ranging, Independent Tribe By Twentieth-century Forces.

Readers Will Learn Much From This Strong Woman S Compelling And Informative Story.—choice

Far From Being A Nostalgic Memoir, The Book Portrays The Evolution Of Crow Culture And Society.—montana: The Magazine Of Western History

One Of The Most Illuminating Books To Appear On Crow Life. . . . It Provides A Broad, Sensitive View Of The Lifeways Of These Former Equestrian Nomads Of The High Plains, Clearly Set In Its Cultural And Historical Perspective, Especially For The Post World War Ii Years.—w. Raymond Wood, Professor Of Anthropology, University Of Missouri, Columbia

publishers Weekly

anthropologist Fred Voget First Met Agnes Deernose In 1939, When He Taught School On The Crow Reservation In Montana. Since Then, He Has Made Repeated Visits To The Reservation, Conducting Extensive Interviews With Agnes And Her Family. Here He Provides Background, Then Lets Her Speak. Agnes's Narrative Reveals Her Remarkable Adjustment To Two Cultures. She And Her Husband, Donnie, Fluent In English And Active In The Baptist Church, Still Retained Crow Traditions, Integrating Them With Religion, Family And Social Activities. Agnes Describes Her Childhood In An Extended Family And Gives Us A Glimpse Of A Woman's Life In Crow Culture, As Well As A Good Sense Of The Culture's Yearly Rhythm. Agnes Has Made A Valuable Contribution To Indian Ethnography. Illustrations. (mar.)

This book is about life on the Crow Indian Reservation from around 1910 to the present and is based on the personal experiences of Donnie and Agnes Deernose. Following Donnie's death, Agnes became the principal narrator of the book. The Crow Indian Reservation is situated between Billings, Montana, and Sheridan, Wyoming. More so than any other Plains tribe, the Crow succeeded in developing a reservation culture that preserved traditional core beliefs, values, social relations, and mutual obligations, while conforming to the formal demands of dress, schooling, church, and legalisms of the local American culture. The narrative reveals the hardships faced within the reservation system as the Crow struggled to overcome the restrictions of limited resources and tried to achieve a secure, independent, and personally satisfying economic existence. Both Donnie and Agnes reflect the profound influence of their fathers, who warned them what the future held for Crow youth without educational skills in a world increasingly ruled by the invading Americans. In the course of his life, Donnie followed the traditional role of men as spiritual leaders, protectors, and providers. He did so through active participation in the Baptist mission church and by learning skills, working hard, and efficiently managing his cattle ranching business. He also dedicated himself to the welfare of his people by actively participating in political and economic affairs. Agnes followed the traditional role expectations of women while making the Baptist church a dominant force and guide for her life. The lives of both Donnie and Agnes emphasize the continuing importance of religion in sustaining traditional Crow values during the forcible transition to the values and rules of American culture. Chapter 5 is entitled "School, Education, and Church". Includes photographs, a bibliography, and an index. (LP) In They Call Me Agnes, the narrator, Agnes Deernose, provides a warm, personal view of Crow Indian family life and culture. In the lives of Agnes Deernose and her family the reader sees both resistance to and acceptance of change. Staunch supporters of the Baptist church, the Deernose family nevertheless found ways to accommodate the traditional religion, particularly the Crow belief in Akbatatdea, the Creator. Through Agnes's account the reader attains a sense of how the Crows integrated religion, family structure, political and social activities, the distribution of wealth, and education - even as the fabric of their traditional ways unraveled about them. In They Call Me Agnes, the narrator, Agnes Deernose, provides a warm, personal view of Crow Indian family life and culture. Fred Voget, anthropologist and adopted Crow, sets the stage for Agness story, which he compiled from extensive interviews with Agnes and her friends. He describes the origins of the Crows and their culture during buffalo-hunting days and early reservation life. Through Agnes, an elderly Crow woman, he also reveals changes wrought on this once far-ranging, independent tribe by twentieth-century forces. This narrative of a Crow Indian woman is accompanied by a study of Crow life. The author describes the origins of the Crows and their culture during the buffalo-hunting days and early reservation life. Through Agnes, he reveals changes wrought in this once far-ranging tribe by 20th-century forces. The reservation culture under which Agnes and Donnie grew up preserved the basic values, clan organization, and social reciprocities of Crow culture and society while accommodating to the formal, social, educational, and legal requirements of American culture.