FIRE BOAT by Cary Morin published on 2023-07-25T00:04:31Z I was drawn to Charlie’s paintings of Natives on horseback. It reminds me of stories of Crow men on hunting rides, eating white clay to curb their hunger so as not have to eat for days. I had an uncle who knew Indian sign language very well and it was something I was always interested in. Indians would stop talking around the pioneers and only use sign language and observe. At about that time, Crow Chief Plenty Coup spoke of a vision he had where he saw white people and their cattle, which he referred to as spotted Buffalo, and his advice to the Crow people was to learn as much about them and their culture as possible because he knew they were never going to go away. The song is based on Crow Indians as they encounter the first contact with settlers and consider these strange new people. One of the first things they saw was the steamboat on the river. They didn’t necessarily want to harm anyone, but these new pioneers were easy to raid. The take would be horses and funny looking clothing. This song drifts between my imagination of viewing Charlie’s painting Fire Boat and the words and stories from my mother Anita Yellowtail, my Uncle Tom Yellowtail, and stories I’ve heard over the years of Native life on the plains before contact with settlers. Associated Paintings: The Fire Boat Watching For Wagons Musicians: Cary Morin - author, composer, guitars, piano, vocals Genre Country