Indigenous History and Culture

EXHIBITS

Experience Indigenous History and Culture

In the spring of 1881, David Russell and his wife Ijkalaka — an Oglala Lakota woman — moved to eastern Montana and began a family. In 1885, a town had grown up near their ranch and was named Ekalaka, spelled phonetically for the ease of visitors. The Carter County Museum tells the story of the presence of American Indians in this area which goes back more than 10,000 years. Lakota (Sioux), Tsistsistas and So'taa'ee'o (Northern Cheyenne), Apsaalooke (Crow), Minnetaree (Hidatsa), Sahnish (Arikara) and Mandan Indigenous nations. On exhibit we have bead work, pottery, hunting, and gathering tools as well as other items that illustrate a livelihood and enduring traditions that continue today.