Heart Mountain Storytelling

Heart Mountain rises up out of the plains north of Cody, Wyoming, a landmark with a storied history. Considered sacred by the Crow and Eastern Shoshone tribes, it also shaped the horizon for the Japanese-American internees at Heart Mountain Relocation Camp during WWII. 

In 1999, The Nature Conservancy of Wyoming purchased the Heart Mountain Ranch, nearly 15,000 acres that included the north and east slopes of this iconic landmark, as well as the farm and rangelands below.  The ranch had been slated for a recreational development with multiple mountain homesites and tennis courts. Under TNC stewardship, these lands are protected from development and made available to the public for education and hiking.

Nasa Earth Observatory 

In the years that followed, Grant Bulltail– Crow tribal elder, storyteller, and pipe-lighter– began conversations with local partners about returning to the mountain which he called Foretops Father.  In 2011, he gathered tribal members at the foot of Heart Mountain once again to perform the traditional pipe ceremony after many, many years of absence. His intention was to raise awareness of the disconnect between nature and modern culture. 

Although Grant Bulltail passed away during COVID-19, the pipe ceremony at Heart Mountain continues each summer. Named “Return to Foretops Father,” the gathering includes a campout the night before the ceremony and a convening of storytellers, dancers, and friends who share food, honor the past, and forge a richer future for us all. This gathering often coincides with the Pilgrimage event that draws the descendants of Heart Mountain internees back to the mountain, and the stories and food are shared.

In the summer of 2022 while attending the evening gathering, we were struck by the cross cultural sharing that surrounded us. We heard stories of respect and caring for the place and for the people gathered there.  We heard stories about the power and spirit of Heart Mountain. 

We began conversations with Crow elders about the possibility of gathering the stories of Heart Mountain as a sacred place.  We shared a view of Heart Mountain as a bridge between cultures and a healing place. When asked, Delora Old Elk and Johnny Tim Yellowtail agreed to co-lead the project for the Crow tribe, conducting interviews and transcribing. Our hope is to explore similar stories from within the Eastern Shoshone tribe as well as the internees from the Heart Mountain Relocation Center and their descendants.

Rylon Bird, Valley of the Chiefs Productions, is creating a short film about the young Apsa’alooke youth who attended the Return to Foretops Father last summer. They are called Ak Basheeitchilewioosh or “Those Who Will Be Leaders” and are mentored in leadership and Crow cultural traditions by Noel Two Leggins as part of a Little Big Horn College program.

Currently funded by a generous private donor, the project will provide an archival recording to the tribe(s). We also envision a large-format book with photographs, maps, and some of the stories within its pages. We are exploring indigenous photographers and partners for the project and are problem-solving these first steps toward making it a reality. The working title is Heart Mountain Stories: As We Have Been Told.

Partners include:

Wyoming Philanthropic Trust

Rylon Bird, Valley of the Chiefs Productions

Delora Old Elk and Johnny Tim Yellowtail, members of the Crow Tribe

Heart Mountain Relocation Center

The Nature Conservancy Heart Mountain Ranch