The Real Bird family hosted a reenactment of the Battle of The Little Bighorn in Medicine Tail near Garryowen and Crow Agency.
It's the land and history that are very special to the family and all those involved. "I feel as special as my grandpa's land, his dad's land," said Gold Man Real Bird, who portray sone of the main warriors.
"Freedom," said Jim Real Bird, Gold Man's grandfather and event organizer, about horses. "You're floating on your horse. You've got so much balancing, you're not hanging on, no limits when you got one of the best horses and you can feel them you can, it's like movement that's so powerful,
The Real Bird family business is horses, and it's that connection that inspires the family to host the reenactment for three days, because of the importance of horses in the battle.
"If you were riding the best that day, you weren't going to get shot," Jim said. "(The horse) was going to take you wherever you were protected."
"You got somebody to go to, kind of like your friend, your brother," Gold Man said about his bond with his horse.
Those on the cavalry side also have a bond with the horses and share a special feel for the land.
"I've actually burst into tears, just the emotion of it all, and taking it in," said Steve Fox, who played a cavalry soldier. "We're on the same ground 145 years later. We're immersing ourselves as deeply as possible into what those soldiers and men went through."
The National Anthem and the U.S. Flag are also a big part of the proceedings.
"We were uniting the people from all directions," Jim Real Bird said.
"We're all good friends," Gold Man Real Bird said about the reenactment actors and crew. "Nobody's bad to each other. Try to treat everybody well. Everybody should be united as one."
"As Americans, amen," Fox said. "It almost leaves me without words to describe it. It's really heartfelt."
"That's the healing if you take your shoes off before you go, you'll start," Jim Real Bird said.
More information is available on the Battle of the Little Bighorn Reenactment website.
