Lodgepole Tipi Village
Photo: Lodgepole Gallery & Tipi Village
Museum of the Plains Indian
Photo courtesy: Museum of the Plains Indians
Little Flower Parish
Photo courtesy: John Ansotegui
Blackfeet Warriors Sculpture
Photo courtesy: Jay Laber
Browning is the agency headquarters for the 1.5 million-acre Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Blackfeet Indians are Montana's largest Indian tribe. Although today the majority of the Blackfeet on the reservation live much like the residents of any western community, they have maintained many of their cultural traditions. Painted tipis, colorful feather headdresses and beaded deerskin costumes are used on special occasions such as the North American Indian Days celebration. North American Indian Days are held behind the museum on the powwow grounds during the second week in July. The Heart Butte Celebration is a four day celebration of one of the oldest traditional communities fo the Blackfeet Reservation held in August.
The main attraction is the Museum of the Plains Indian, near the intersection of US Highways 2 and 89. A comprehensive collection of cultural artifacts and exhibits are professionally displayed at the museum. A gift shop features a wide variety of authentic, contemporary Native American art and jewelry. Another cultural attraction is the Blackfeet Heritage Center and Art Gallery offering fine art, crafts, jewelry and a the most complete skeleton of a juvenile Tryannosaur found in North America.
The Blackfeet Cultural History Tours feature a reflection of the rich and varied history of the Blackfeet people representing a unique crosssection of tribal life from prehistoric time to the present. Sites include: Sun Dance, Buffalo Jumps, Tipi Rings, Old North Trail, Old Agency and the Starvation Winter of 1883-84, Holy Family Mission, Meriwether Lewis meets the Blackfeet, Fort Shaw and Fort McLeod Road. Half-day or full-day minibus tours are offered, personally guided by a Blackfeet interpreter. The tours start at the Museum of the Plains Indian and cover portions of the Blackfeet Nation with historic and cultural interest.
The resort communities of St. Mary and East Glacier are located near Browning on the eastern edge of Glacier National Park.
