Featured Speakers
Alden Big Man, Ph.D.
Ph.D. (2011) and M.A. (2001) in History, University of New Mexico. Enrolled Tribal member in the Crow (Apsáalooke) Tribe. Author of the dissertation Crow History, 1700–1950: A Political and Social Battle to Retain Their Culture and the master’s thesis Curley: Crow Scout for Custer. He has assisted and taught Native American Studies, Crow Studies, and History courses at Little Big Horn College, Fort Berthold Community College, and the University of New Mexico. He has also done Native American curriculum development for public schools and served as a consultant for contemporary programs relating to Tribal operations, markets, human resources, natural resources, and historic preservation.
Sharon Stewart Peregoy. M.Ed.
(2002) in Education (Emphasis on Curriculum and Instruction), City University at Seattle. Enrolled Tribal member in the Crow (Apsáalooke) Tribe. Professional experience includes working as Director of Title III Program at Little Big Horn College, Coordinator for Crow Tobacco Prevention Program, Director of Crow Tribal Health Department, and Research/ Development Specialist for Office of Economic Development of the Crow Tribe. She is an advocate for the revitalization of Crow language and culture on the Reservation. She has been an elected member of the Montana State Senate and currently is a member of the Montana House of Representatives.
C. Adrian Heidenreich, 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
LBHC graduate and retired interpretive ranger at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument; former Chairman of the LBHC Board of Trustees.
Tim Bernardis. 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);. 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
(1975) in Linguistics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Enrolled Tribal member in the Crow (Apsáalooke) Tribe. Author of (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. Is a popular emcee/announcer on the Indian powwow circuit both nationwide (U.S. and Canada) and at home in Montana.