Thomas Yellowtail

Born in 1903, Medicine man and Sun Dance chief Thomas Yellowtail was a pivotal figure in Crow tribal life in the 20th century. As a youth he lived in the presence of old warriors, hunters, and medicine men who knew the freedom and sacred ways of pre-reservation life. As the principal figure in the Crow-Shoshone Sun Dance religion during the last half of the 20th century, Yellowtail has perpetuated the spiritual traditions of his Crow tribe as one of the last living links to the pre-reservation days. But his legacy is not limited to Native Americans because his principles and his message benefit anyone searching to find a balance in this fast-paced technological society. Through his writings we can reexamine the premises and orientations of both cultures. Yellowtail died at age 90 in 1993.  He was one of the most admired American Indian spiritual leaders of the last century, although he was not the most prominent member of his immediate family.  Historically, the Yellowtail family is the most famous Crow family of the twentieth century. His older brother, Robert Yellowtail, was the first Native American superintendent of a reservation and was selected as Commissioner of Indian Affairs by President Eisenhower, although he declined the appointment. Yellowtail Dam and Yellowtail Reservoir in Montana are named after him.  Susie Yellowtail, Thomas Yellowtail’s wife, was the first Native American registered nurse, a tireless advocate of Native American issues and is already enshrined in the Montana Hall of Fame in Helena, Montana. Among many other awards, in 1969 Thomas and Susie Yellowtail were jointly awarded the honor of “Indian of the Year” by the All-American Indian Day Committee. While Yellowtail was most well known in Native American circles, he has become well know partly because of his outspoken wish for more respect for our fellow man, earth and God. Yellowtail’s prayer concerning this wish opened the 100th Anniversary Parliament of the World’s Religions held in Chicago in October, 1993, which was attended by over 5,000 spokespeople from different religions from around the world. Yellowtail’s opening prayer there did not receive the media attention attached to the closing prayer of the Dalai Lama, but Yellowtail’s last public act aimed at a broad audience.

In February 1993, when Yellowtail received the Montana Governor’s Award for the Arts in recognition of his work in preserving the traditional culture of the Crow tribe, the program for the award ceremony contained the following quotation:

“This man is outside of time as we know it, centered in the spiritual world. Thomas Yellowtail has perpetuated the spiritual traditions of his Crow tribe as one of the last living links to pre-reservation days. But his legacy is not limited to Native Americans because his principles and his message benefit anyone searching to find a balance in this fast-paced technological society.”

The story of his life and his descriptions of the Sun Dance religion are revealed in the book Yellowtail: Crow Medicine Man and Sun Dance Chief, edited by Michael Fitzgerald. It was published by the University of Oklahoma Press (1991) and is now in its 5th printing. Extracts from this book appear in World Wisdom’s anthology Every Branch in Me . He also contributed a foreword to the bestseller, Indian Spirit . The Sun Dance Way is a documentary produced by World Wisdom. Gordon Tootoosis (Legends of the Fall) brings to life the voice of Thomas Yellowtail as he describes the mysterious and ancient Sun Dance ceremony as part of this 2 DVD set. Native Spirit: The Sun Dance Way is the companion book to this documentary, featuring over 100 color and sepia photos and a biography of Yellowtail.