Featured Speakers
Mardell Plainfeather
Mardell Plainfeather earned a B.A. in History (1979) from Rocky Mountain College and is an enrolled member of the Crow (Apsáalooke) Tribe. She has worked in various capacities with the National Park Service as well as with institutions including the Western Heritage Center and Little Big Horn College. She served as Plains Indian Historian at Little Bighorn Battlefield, where she educated and trained the public on Crow history and culture. Her written work includes studies on Crow history such as factionalism during the reservation period and A Personal Look at Curley’s Life After the Battle of the Little Big Horn (1988). She is a strong advocate for the preservation of Crow culture and language.
Sharon Stewart Peregoy, M.Ed.
M.Ed. (2002) in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction from City University at Seattle. Enrolled Tribal member of the Crow (Apsáalooke) Tribe. Professional experience includes Director of the Title III Program at Little Big Horn College, Coordinator for the Crow Tobacco Prevention Program, and Director of the Crow Tribal Health Department. She is an advocate for the revitalization of Crow language and culture and has served in both the Montana State Senate and House of Representatives.
C. Adrian Heidenreich, Ph.D.
Ph.D (1971) and M.A. (1967) in Anthropology with minor work in Visual Communication from the University of Oregon; held a Post-doctoral Fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. He is Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Sociology, Political Science, & Native American Studies, Montana State University Billings. Author of many articles, including “The Crow Indian Delegation to Washington, D. C., in 1880” in Montana, the Magazine of Western History (1981); and “Western Tipi Pole of Crow Country” in the North American Fur Trade Conference Proceedings (2012). Adopted member of the Big Day family in the Crow (Apsáalooke) Tribe.
Col. (Ret.) Rodney G. Thomas
Col. (Ret.) Rodney G. Thomas is a retired 30-year veteran of the United States Army. He holds an M.A. in National Security and Strategy from the U.S. Naval War College and an M.S. in Transportation Management from the Florida Institute of Technology. He served eighteen years overseas, including combat operations in Southwest Asia. A respected researcher and award-winning author, he has written extensively on North American warfare and military history, including Rubbing Out Long Hair – Pehin Hanska Kasota and Biilaachia – White Swan.
Frank Rzeczkowski, Ph.D.
Teaching Professor in the History Department at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. He earned his Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 2003 and has written extensively on the Crow people and the Northern Great Plains, including “The Crow Indians and the Bozeman Trail” (1999) and Uniting the Tribes: The Rise and Fall of Pan-Indian Community on the Crow Reservation (2013), published by the University Press of Kansas.
Marvin Dawes
A retired National Park Service ranger and historian who served for 21 years at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. An enrolled member of the Crow (Apsáalooke) Tribe, he has long interpreted the Battle of the Little Bighorn, with emphasis on the role of the Crow scouts. A 1974 graduate of Hardin High School and an alumnus of Little Big Horn College, he earned two Associate of Arts degrees in history and Crow Studies. He worked as a permanent interpretive ranger and contributed to public education on Crow history. Dawes is also a Crow cultural presenter and private tour guide, sharing oral history and community knowledge.
Tim Bernardis, M.Ed.
M.Ed. (1987) Adult and Higher Education, Montana State University Bozeman; B.A. (1981) in History and also B.A. (1981) in Native American Studies, University of California, Berkeley. Library Director, Little Big Horn College (1985–present). Seasonal Interpreter, Little Bighorn Battlefield, 1983–84. Has been an Adjunct Faculty Instructor in Crow Studies and History, LBHC. Author of many articles, including “Battle of the Rosebud” and “Fetterman Fight” in Encyclopedia of the American Indian (1996); author of Crow Social Studies Baleeisbaalichiwee History (1986) for the Bilingual Materials Development Center, and with Frederick E. Hoxie, “Robert Yellowtail” in The New Warriors, Native American Leaders Since 1900 (2001). Adopted member of the Plainfeather family in the Crow (Apsáalooke) Tribe.
Dale Old Horn, M.S.
M.S. (1975) in Linguistics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Enrolled Tribal member in the Crow (Apsáalooke) Tribe. Author of the master’s thesis Some Complement Constructions of the Crow Indian Language. Author of Music and Dance of the Crow Indians (1999), Baaanniile (The Direction of the Path of the People) (1986), and Apsáalooke Social and Family Structure (1995). Has been Department Head of Crow Studies and Social Studies at Little Big Horn College. He was Chairman of the Native American Studies program, Montana State University, Billings. Dale was also Crow Tribal historic preservation officer. He is a popular emcee and announcer on the Indian powwow circuit both nationwide and at home in Montana.