Little Bighorn: Come For The Memorial, Stay For The Bannock
We passed the over the rolling, golden hills, through the valleys and past a lot of sombre white crosses that marked the places where people had died in the midst of their journey. As we approached the Little Bighorn Battlefield monument, the sun was already starting to get close to the mountains in the distance. This time of year always catches me off guard.
As I arrived I realized it was already 5. And this monument was closed for the evening. It was just as well, because the entry fee was close to $50 Canadian anyway. Now, I don’t consider myself a tightwad, but with impending potentially expensive RV repairs coming up, I was kind of glad to sit this one out. Anyway, I could make out a distant hillside covered in grave markers beyond the fence. And that was just for the American Army. Crazy Horse’s guys didn’t get any such honor. What happened to their lifeless bodies. Or those of the families in the trical villages that had been burnt by Custer’s soldiers. Suddenly, it seemed like basic armed robbery on a larger scale. Since when is it ever okay to take anything from someone at gunpoint, anyway? I thought of the significant tragedy of it all and the fact that no amount of reparations could ever be done that would make it right.
Supporting Indigenous Business
However, the one thing I could do that could help was to support indigenous businesses. And there happened to be one across the highway from the Little Bighorn Monument with a sign saying “BANNOCK” in big block letters. Well they had me at bannock, but when I went in, I wound up in a mesmerizing gift store full of T-Shirts, Crow and Lakota jewelry, crafts, antiques and so much more. I would check it out before it was Bannock time.
As I found cool souvenirs for my family and friends, among a milling crowd of tourists in the store, I overheard something. There was an old white guy leaning on the glass countertop near the cash register. He was clearly trying to catch the attention of an awkwardly dismissive 19 year old native girl on the other side of the counter.
“What’s the matter honey, doncha like me? I’ll wait fer you. After you finish work we can have a good time” The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and the old man got older with every creepy line he uttered. His brash greasiness was beyond impressive. It was also shocking, scary and disgusting all at once. The young girl clearly wanted nothing to do with him. Surely a manager or co-worker would come and bail her out. The girl was trapped in a 10 foot long runway behind a glass counter that separated her from this predator. I waited and watched for help to arrive for her.
Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women
Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women
I thought about the scores of billboards I’d seen along the highways between South Dakota. Each of them portrayed the giant face of a young indigenous woman beside the words “MISSING. Each represented a young woman who had disappeared without a trace. It dawned on me as I drove thatmissing and murdered indigenous women were not just a canadian problem. Indigenous women in the USA were also being targeted by murderous predators. The realization filled me with sadness.
My Creepy Guy Diversion
I became increasingly concerned for the young woman. She looked shaken but was trying her best to keep her composure. I didn’t know the whole story, about this old man and this girl. But I didn’t feel right leaving her on her own dealing with that guy. So I feigned interest in a turquoise and silver necklace beneath the countertop and made eye contact with the young sales clerk. She politely excused herself from the old guy and hurried over.”Can I have a look at this one please?” I asked. We chatted a bit, mostly about the different necklaces and bracelets.
The creepy guy waited for her for at least 15 minutes while I hemmed and hawed over the beautiful jewelry. I finally chose a turquoise and silver necklace with a dreamcatcher on it. Around us, the shop was slowing down. The crowd had suddenly waned. Finally a matronly older woman with long black hair and colourful beaded earrings stood beside the girl, who still looked a little shaken. But it was now the end of the day and the crowd had waned. The creepy guy vanished. The older woman motioned to where CG had been waiting for the attention of the young girl. “Was that guy bothering you again Tess?” I paid Tess for all of the treasures I had picked up It was finally time for me to get some yummy bannock and then hit the road.
The Bannock Was Mind Blowing
When my bannock arrived, I was delighted. Because it was very much like a giant, oversized donut. Only without all the sugar It was delightfully crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. It was a bannock that I would henceforth aspire to. SOOO. delicious….If you’re ever in the area of Little Bighorn, Wyoming, don’t miss the Custer Battlefield Trading Post Bannock.
Enjoy this kind of RV travel content? Get new posts weekly
