Onward Pioneers: Visit Billings’s Manifest Destiny Tourism Campaign
A couple of months ago, I was driving back from a hunting trip in southeast Montana and a billboard in Lockwood caught my eye. The text reads: Onward Pioneers. The photo is of a man wearing a backpack overlooking a beautiful Montana vista with the Visit Billings logo prominently displayed.
I immediately went to the Visit Billings website to see if this was a one-off billboard or if it was part of a broader tourism campaign. It’s not a one-off.
The new Visit Billings tagline is: “Today is ours for the taking – tomorrow too.”
There are two more billboards that I have personally seen. One is between Laurel and Billings with the text, “Conquer New Endeavors” over a photo of a little girl eating ice cream.
Then, there is the other one. When a friend told me about it, I thought, no, it can’t be possible that Visit Billings would put up an Onward Pioneers billboard on the Crow Reservation. I wanted to double check so I drove out there to see for myself. I passed the Little Bighorn Battlefield and didn’t see one but I kept driving to Lodge Grass.
On the way back I saw it, right before Garryowen, very close to the place where the 7th Calvary was hoping to wipe out the rest of the Northern Cheyenne and Lakota Tribes.
The billboard has the words onward pioneers overlaid on a photo of three young women in a wildflower meadow on top of the Beartooth Pass.
Someone thought this was a good idea.
Manifest Destiny
Let’s take a step back into history and talk about Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny is a term used to describe the 19th century doctrine or belief that it was the country’s divine destiny and right to expand westward to fill the American continent. The philosophy drove U.S. territorial expansion and was used to justify the forced removal of Native Americans from their land and genocide that followed. My family benefited from it. Both sides of my family homesteaded in North Dakota and Montana.
The language being used by Visit Billings is the same language that was used to justify the genocide of Native Americans: onward pioneer, conquer, take, it’s ours. Words have definitions. Words have histories. Those words in this geographical place cannot be used without putting them in this context.
Today is ours for the taking, tomorrow too. All I hear in that statement is: the land is ours for the taking.
Manifest Destiny is a concept inextricably tied to race; the Visit Billings slogan makes me wonder what groups of people were meant to be included in the word “ours.” Judging by the website’s photos they are using in this campaign, it means white men, white women, and white families.
The very few photos of Native Americans I could find that are included on the website are from Crow Fair, as if that is the only thing that Native Americans do, as if they aren’t a part of our community, as if they aren’t people who mountain bike, hike and eat at restaurants (see every other photo on the website).
Onward History Buffs
Let’s take a trip to the history section of the website. This page features six pioneers: Yellowstone Kelly, Lewis and Clark, Calamity Jane, Preston Boyd Moss and Frederick Billings. The paragraph about Lewis and Clark doesn’t mention Sacajawea, who was the only reason they were able to do what they did. So much could be said about this.
The fact that no Native Americans are included in the main profiles is not shocking, considering the pioneer/conquering theme of the campaign. Visit Billings is right about one thing: Natives weren’t pioneers. Native Americans were killed or forcibly removed from land so pioneers could settle here. I guess that is an inconvenient fact that doesn’t really fit with the theme.
Native American culture gets a couple of grammatically bothersome and factually inaccurate paragraphs at the bottom of the history page in a swipeable banner.
The Northern Cheyenne Reservation, established in 1884, boasts many notable attractions including a historical buffalo jump, burial sites of Indian Chiefs, Custer’s last camp before the Battle of the Little Bighorn and St. Labre Indian School.
Where do I begin? First, I’m pretty sure the background photo being used for the Northern Cheyenne paragraph is a photo of members of the Crow Tribe during Crow Fair. Prove me wrong. I’ll admit it if I am.
Second, burial sites of Northern Cheyenne leaders who brought their people home after being forcibly removed to Oklahoma are not tourist attractions. My brain almost exploded when I read this. I’ve never heard a Cheyenne “boast” of them. I have heard many stories of bravery and loss and hope, however. I’ve heard my Cheyenne friends talk about how their ancestors fought for them and went through unimaginable hardships to return their people back to the Tongue River country.* What I haven’t heard is any Northern Cheyenne say that they should commercialize and advertise the graves of their ancestors.
Third, let’s take a moment to talk about the “establishment” of reservations. The reservation system was created under the assumption that if the Native Americans who survived the genocide of their people, could be confined to one particular geographical place, they would become “civilized” and assimilated. For many years, they were not permitted to leave, except by permission, and those who left without this permission were arrested and punished or killed. So, if by “established,” Visit Billings means that a group of people were forced onto a piece of land, imprisoned on that land, and then had their children taken away and sent to boarding schools to be assimilated, then yes, I guess the Northern Cheyenne Reservation was “established” in 1884.
Then, Visit Billings tackles the apparently difficult task of describing the Crow Tribe.
Established in 1851, the Crow Reservation’s original name was the “Apsaalooke,” which in native tongue means ‘children of the large-beaked bird.’ Over time, this misinterpretation turned the tribe into the “Crow.”
The Crow name is an English mistranslation of their tribal name which is Apsáalooke. Apsáalooke is not their “original” name. It is their name.
Mistranslation didn’t “turn” them into anything. They are still the Apsáalooke. Also, see my previous comments on the establishment of reservations.
Onward Roadtrippers: Dead Indian Pass
Take in panoramic views at Dead Indian Pass and the rich history of our state along the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. Chief Joseph led the Nez Perce Indians out of Yellowstone National Park and into Montana along this same route in 1877.
Another one for those History Buffs, Custer’s Last Loop takes you along the historic path of the Indian Wars. Stop at Fort Custer, Northern Cheyenne and Crow Reservations, and Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, to name a few.
There are a couple things here that jump out at me. The first being is that it seems Visit Billings’s idea of including Native American history and culture in their campaign is to only include events and places that involve battles or efforts of the U.S. military to pursue Native Americans and kill them or put them on reservations.
Native Americans have been here for 15,000 years, if not longer. The last couple hundred years of war, settlement and genocide is not their only history. And if anyone is going to write copy about Native American culture for the Visit Billings website, it needs to come from the Tribes themselves, not the intern.
I don’t know about you, but the proximity of the words “Dead Indian Pass” to “the rich history of our state” seems completely out of line, as is describing Chief Joseph’s attempt to save his people from being slaughtered by the military as little more than a day hike.
Can I just put in a request now that the Nez Perce Tribe renames that pass to whatever they see fit?
What’s next for Visit Billings?
I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this entire situation. How did this happen, Visit Billings? Tell me how it happened. I want to know.
It’s not my place to say what should be done; that’s for Native American members of our community to decide, but I will tell you a couple things that seem important to do.
The Billings Chamber of Commerce should officially apologize to all of Montana’s tribal nations, especially to the Northern Cheyenne and Crow Tribes. I’d expect it to be a real apology, not an “Oops, we didn’t know.” This campaign doesn’t contain some innocuous mistake; this campaign is a manifestation of the structural and overt racism that exists in our community.
Visit Billings should immediately remove all the materials associated with this campaign: website, travel guide, billboards, and whatever other content has been created. That content should be archived and used as an anti-racism teaching tool for schools, organizations, and businesses.
Then, during their next stab at a tourism campaign they need to involve the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and Crow Tribe. It would also be nice if the photographs that were used showed the actual diversity that Billings and the surrounding area has, not just pretty, fit, white people recreating outside.
I have an idea for a new slogan though.
Instead of “Today is ours for the taking – tomorrow too” we should just go with “Billings – we have a lot of work to do.”
I want to apologize to all of my Native American friends, because in no way is what I wrote adequate to address this topic. This issue deserves more from someone who can speak from the depth of personal experience about the racism and exclusion that is so interwoven into Montana culture that this was allowed to happen. I hope that someone better suited to write and speak about this topic will do so.
*On a cold winter night in January of 1879, Chief Dull Knife and 140 Northern Cheyenne people broke out of the Fort Robinson barracks in Nebraska, where they had been held in captivity, starved and beaten, and began their journey home, to the Tongue River valley in southeastern Montana. The ancestors of the Northern Cheyenne people fought for their lives and the lives of their children and grandchildren in the middle of winter, starving and without supplies. The United States military hunted them down and killed many of them; men, women and children. Descendants of the outbreak survivors tell stories of children imprisoned in the barracks using their fingernails to scrape frost off the windows for water.
Alexis, thank you for taking the time to write and share this very important information. I suspect the culprit was thoughtlessness and lack of education on the part of the advertising agency who created the campaign. But I agree with you that it is insensitive and needs to change. We will create much goodwill if this is recognized and corrected on the Web site and billboards.
Your perception and insight is outstanding. You read what the signs REALLY said – from a Native standpoint. I wrote an article that I may try to include in segments on Facebook that shows how the signs affect us. I am enrolled Northern Cheyenne, also Lakota and Chippewa Cree from the Little Shell Band. THANK YOU for your words and the displays. As late as 1911 they were selling the land my Northern Cheyenne Grandparents assumed was theirs, the land our Ancestors’ fought and died for so we would have some place to finally be safe and grow. After centuries of having access to thousands of acres. The article deals with why the assumption made in the billboards was so horribly off track. Thank you for recognizing that!
This “campaign” is truly disgusting. It insults not just all Billings residents but belittles all Montanans. Tear it down and start over.
I am mortified by this ad campaign. It is akin to a dog marking its territory. Visit Billings needs to think about what it has done, apologize, and redesign its campaign.
Well done you…!!
As the descendant of pioneers who came to Billings long before there was a Billings… I couldn’t agree more. Keep up the good work, keep making the beautiful calendars (my best friend Jermo gets me one for Christmas every year), and keep working hard to make Billings an even better place than it already is
Wow, I was stunned reading those billboards. Incredibly bad judgement.
It makes me cringe that such an offensive, beyond tonedeaf campaign could be considered, let alone launched. I hope they listen.
“The Billings Chamber of Commerce should officially apologize to all of Montana’s tribal nations, especially to the Northern Cheyenne and Crow Tribes”.
Yes, they should!
Thank you!
Astounding! I am flabbergasted, truly. Thank you for bringing this to light and writing so perfectly about the situation. The utter cluelessness and offensiveness of this campaign shows how far we still have to go.
As a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Advocate, I sincerely thank you for your eloquent and intelligent
response to this disgracefully ignorant campaign. I am beyond disgusted by the callous actions of Visit Billings. There is still so much work to do. Keep fighting the good fight.
We at Visit Billings would like to thank each of you for sharing your perspective with us, and generating a larger conversation about inclusivity.
We strongly believe in open conversations and collaboration, and have reached out directly to Alexis to better understand her perspective.
This is an opportunity for Visit Billings and our partners to elevate our responsibility and campaign consciousness as a destination marketing organization.
Please know that we are immediately reviewing and revising all of our messaging to ensure it is fully inclusive. We appreciate this opportunity to be better and to do better for all. To better represent our colleagues, peers, tourism partners, and fellow residents as well as the history, culture, and traditions of our Native American communities.
In addition, please know that we are exploring opportunities to meet with our Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development Tribal Region Representative as well as colleagues with the Crow Indian and Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservations. We welcome this opportunity to collaborate to better understand perspectives and evolve our campaigns to be more inclusive.
I missed the apology in this comment…
Right on. Keep on Alexis! I can’t express enough support of your effort to root out all the dishonest actors in the beloved state that I was born. Your exposé is another incredible display of shining a light on the bad actors in a place that should know better, that I’ve held highly (despite the politics) as the Last Best Place, but one I can’t be more disappointed in when sh*t like this happens. Your efforts amaze me.
Don’t ever stop. Much love.
PV (Ginger’s kid, fellow Zag, fellow Border Collie lover). 😉
Happy Holidays!!
Though I understand why the signs were a bad idea and design; Why would they need to apologize to a blogger?
wow, what was that sound? …just the wind blowing through? Not an apology that’s for sure. A very well thought out and worded political answer, which points to the institutional issue that Alexis is highlighting.
As a foreigner in this land, even I could see how these billboards were immediately insensitive and narrow. I’m pleased to see Visit Billings rapid response to take them down. Thanks Alexis for your beautiful words and bravery in bringing this issue into the light.
Omg!!! Thank you Alexis ~ for your integrity and wisdom. Thank you for your respect to my people, the great Northern Cheyenne Nation!
It’s funny how some silly folks talk like we no longer exist! We are still here! And, we will continue to be here!
We bring financial wealth to the city of Billings, Montana every weekend and don’t we deserve some healthy representation!?
Thanks Alaina! I’ve learned so much from you and I appreciate all you have taught me.
Thank you for this.. I saw those billboards and wondered…. what?
Well stated and poignant critique. Thank you for trying to enlighten those who deliberately or maybe naively formulated this campaign.
An awakening. Thank you for leading.
Powerful work!! I appreciate your deep, inclusive compassion and awareness coupled with a well-researched representation of facts. In the face of so much ignorance, naïveté, and targeted exclusion- shine on, lady!
(Also, I’d be happy to help any effort to change the minds of those who created this campaign and create something entirely different.)
Thank you for this! (I found it via Russell Rowland’s FB post.) I agree that “The Billings Chamber of Commerce should officially apologize to all of Montana’s tribal nations, especially to the Northern Cheyenne and Crow Tribes.” As a former resident of Billings (27 years), I am appalled and outraged by this ‘campaign’ and its insensitivity. Those billboards should be taken down immediately and all the promotional ‘literature’ destroyed.
Thank you for writing this Alex. One part of why this happened I think, is that the Chamber hired a West Virginia ad agency for this campaign over a very good local agency. Some members protested this at the time, but were overridden.
It doesn’t matter who the Chamber hired; the Chamber provided the information and obviously approved it for distribution. We want ethical businesses, but the business produced what it was directed to produce. Deflecting blame on the advertising company only makes the Chamber look worse.
Thank you Alexis for your thorough and inclusive reporting on this ad campaign. A friend just sent me the link. This is ignorance at best! I am, however, not surprised. Colonialism runs deep in the white culture. So, in the comments I see Visit Billings has stepped up. We need to make sure they follow through. Also, another commentator said they hired a firm from West Virginia. Obviously not a good move.
Here is the contact info for everyone to not JUST comment here but to get a hold of Visit Billings and let them know you are in support of them throwing out the whole campaign, APOLOGIZE publicly to the Indigenous folks and hire them to help create an ad campaign that is truly by and for the People. It boggles the mind… and it is an open door for white folks to sit down and learn the history of genocide in this Nation and in MT. I remember every day I am walking and living on Stolen Land.
Gratitude for and to the people who have and still suffer from these egregious policies of the USA so we can live here.. We must continue to call out ourselves and others and work together to change systemic racism!
Visit Billings
815 South 27th Street
Box 31177
Billings, MT 59107-1177
Call or Text: 406-245-4111
info@visitbillings.com
Monday, we were notified that a local blogger created and shared a post noting insensitivity with the current campaign utilized by Visit Billings for the last 18 months to recruit tourists to our community.
The Forge Your Own Path campaign is designed to celebrate the warm, genuine, hardworking people who possess a perspective on life that is uniquely Montanan. The campaign, specifically the phrase “Onward Pioneers” was used to encourage our visitors to explore all of Montana; to make today all you can make it and tomorrow, too. To not let a day go by without living it to the fullest. The character of our community is the very foundation of our brand, and we didn’t go far enough in representing the entirety of the community and region.
This is an important lesson for Visit Billings and the Billings Chamber of Commerce. While not the intent of the campaign whatsoever, we now see that the campaign reads insensitively. This is very upsetting to our employees, our stakeholders and our leadership and we appreciate the perspective offered to us. Therefore, Visit Billings and the Billings Chamber of Commerce are responding with utmost urgency to amend and revise the campaign immediately. As of this writing, the following actions have already been taken:
– We placed an order to remove the billboard creative on the signage to the east, west, and south of Billings. These will be removed by the billboard owners and high priority has been noted.
– We are dismantling the core elements of the campaign that are insensitive, including removal of significant portions of the VisitBillings.com website and the Visit Billings Guidebook until the content can be evaluated and corrected.
– We connected with the Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development and their Tribal Tourism Officer to share this experience and ask for guidance in doing better moving forward. We are also working with them to secure recommendations of people whom we can hire to audit our website and guidebook. We will engage a Tribal consultant(s) who will help us ensure historic accuracy and proper promotion of the reservations.
Going forward, Visit Billings and the Billings Chamber of Commerce will be extremely mindful of social progression in all aspects of our work. This is an opportunity for our organization to elevate our responsibility and consciousness as a destination marketing organization and through our community development efforts.
We appreciate the larger conversation the blog post has generated regarding inclusivity. We will take this opportunity to be better; to do better for all, and to understand all of the diverse viewpoints creating the fabric of our region.
Again, like above. I missed any apology whatsoever in your note. You acknowledged what was wrong, but nowhere in there is there a clear statement of, “I’m/we’re sorry for any pain we’ve caused with our errors.” You just allude to your mistake. There is a big different. This whole message is just a justification of why you used the language that you did. It’s still a problem. And don’t just apologize to us. Apologize to the tribal communities that you continue to erase with your insensitivity.
Thanks for responding to my blog. Also, just a quick aside. When you posted a comment the first time, I was in already bed and off my website. I have to approve all the comments that are posted to my website so did not see the original comment until I logged back in the next day. The delay was not on purpose.
Horrifyingly ignorant. How hurtful!
Thanks Alexis for this analysis. So informative and spot on. Our whole community benefits from this type of work, and I am hopeful that we will take the essential steps to learn from our history, open conversations, and grow together. This was eye opening to me, and I appreciate your perspective.
Personally, I find it incredibly ridiculous that any drivers first thoughts upon reading a marketing billboard entering Billings, MT that reads “Onward Pioneers.” conjures thoughts of manifest destiny, the Indian wars of the late 1800’s and the bloodshed of more than a century ago, in fact it’s laughable. I understand where your coming from, but sincerely have some whit and common sense, I highly doubt the ad agency or city of Billings intention was to be racist when working up the campaign. Petty blogs like this should remind us ideas of how privileged we are in the U.S. to take a 2019 ad campaign compare it to a sensitive topic and then wield the power to have the signs removed.
Hey Zach, Thanks for taking the time to comment on the piece. Although the billboards were definitely part of my argument, my essay delves much deeper into the campaign and looks at how the Tribes were talked about and how they were included (i.e. burial sites being advertised as tourist attractions). I also agree there was not a bad intention by anyone in particular and I never said that there was, not once did I say that. However, intentions aside, I believe that the impact is what we need to consider. Thanks for responding though!
Thank you for this, Alexis. I found the story on the Missoula Current
You are absolutely right about the Crow Fair photo. I’m an artist and I traced the origins of this photo to Donnie Sexton, a well-known Montana photographer, who took it about 15-20 years ago. I wanted permission to paint it, which she kindly gave me. Just wanted to verify your intuition / thoughts. Thanks for a great article. Keep up the good work. Some of us are called to teach and to awaken.
Just came over here all the way from the East Coast. Thank you for this post! It’s relevant far beyond “East of Bilings,” and so well said.
And then I had to spend hours reading through all of your blog. Wow, it’s all so beautiful, I’m overwhelmed. Tears.
Plus, I now have so much more love for the goats that I never wanted and never will have. I had to read two of the goat posts out loud to my own kid, who was equally delighted.
Thank you so much.
Thank you Denise! I appreciate the good words and thank you so much for spending some time reading through my other stuff. Alexis
Well done. May the veneers be washed from our eyes. May we see the white bodies in these campaigns (where we tell ourselves stories about who “we” are) through the eyes of people who care about and remember the history of violent removal and brutality, all of which was undertaken using the language of conquest and manifest destiny. Maybe the Chamber could convene an “Indigenous Futurism” conference in which Indigenous writers explore the futures that could be possible given the realities of climate crisis now, and its disproportionate impact on Indigenous communities. It’s time for us all to know how to see, think, and act in honor of the biodiversity upon which our lands depend, and about which our Indigenous communities have the richest traditions.
Thanks Alexis. That’s how you do it. Can’t believe how fast the responses from those involved came. How did this campaign ever get off the ground. I’d also like to suggest that contracting PR from other parts of the world to sell our state to tourists is as rude as the messaging in the campaign. Shame on those who signed off on every part of this. If we want to do right by Billings and Montana, spend the money here. Montana’s got talent.
The ad agency might have taken their tone from the Billings City Council, in failing you pass a NDO declaration, and former mayor who stated
“ Billings isn’t ready for this.”
Not ready for Diversity?
Are you ready yet Billings?
I not here to start anything, I just would like someone to bluntly point out to me what was the racist part of the campaign. Are we talking about the use of the words Conquer and Pioneer?
Hi! Just a quick question before I dive in. Did you read my entire piece or just the news articles? Alexis
I did and I understand where you are coming from, but I don’t understand how its was taken as racist. As we have similar issues. I’m not from the US but from up North (Canada), just here in town visiting family.
Do Americans consider those words (the ones I posted) derogatory and just as bad as other Ethnic slurs among indegiuos poeple in the US?
I was ready to jump on your comment with a quick and snappy response, but then I read you’re originally from Canada. Rasism is, unfortunately, entwined into American culture. There are times when we ourselves don’t even see how a statement, comment, picture, campaign, etc. could possibly be racist.
I urge you to reread Alexis’s article and consider how MT, not just Billings has let down and ignored our Native American brothern.
Alexis, thank you. A friend sent me your blogpost, knowing I’d be horrified at the Visit Billings website. By the time I got to it, parts had already been taken down. Thanks for leading by example. Thank you for speaking out. Billings Tourism, with IEFA an educational mandate in the Montana for over ten years, I’m horrified that no one understood the ramification of this. I hope this is an opportunity for many people to learn. Thank you for reacting so quickly. Thank you for now reaching out to consult with tribal members. I trust that the rest comes down very soon–including the billboards. It will be an expensive lesson, I’m sure–for the ad agency as well.
It’s very challenging to actually feel like a “Montanan” being of Northern Cheyenne descent. I have lived the majority of my life in Montana, but because I am a Northern Cheyenne woman, I am treated like an outsider in Billings. It’s sad that so many of our members choose a “street” lifestyle that is problematic and quite visible in Billings. However, that does not apply to all of my people. There are many Cheyenne people who work, go to college, own property in Billings. There are many people who spend their hard earned money in Billings, we contribute to the economy. Thank you Alex, for your wonderful article, and thank you for taking the time out of your life to care.
Thank you for this insightful post and your beautiful blog. Here’s some more info on the word ‘Pioneers’ that you may find helpful https://twitter.com/sarahtaber_bww/status/1193564517302775808?s=21&fbclid=IwAR25IEBeky-NH8xisKFvnvfTADW1MWS6wvlHaVK0YjN-dQjD-TamMWwD0mU
Yes that is the origin on the word Pioneer. But I don’t see the relationship to race with that word. Also that’s like taking the word Gay and pointing to its origin. It doesn’t mean what it used to mean. Also people refer to Astronauts as pioneers. I’m just having trouble making the connection to racism in this Ad Campaign.
I do understand that people found the choice of wording offensive. Im not trying to argue on that, I’m just trying to understand the connection to it being racist. Was this directed at the indegiuos people of Montana or were they excluded from participating?
Im sorry but I don’t have any back story on the motive of the VisitBillings Ad Campaign. Just looking for some answer to understand social issue here in the US.
Good job in bringing this issue out and making the billboards come down. I thought they were a poor message of what Billings should represent. Another issue of racism east of Billings is the road named Squaw Creek in Huntley. County Commission has been asked to change this racist name but refuse.
Great detective job, Alexis! The critics of your “petty” blog (including the chamber) are unneeded further proof of the racist influence in MT of those “early settlers” from the confederate and border states.
Those who could count came before the Civil War, those who couldn’t count came after they got their asses kicked. Unfortunately (for the US) not kicked well enough: Sherman and Sheridan, by their own accounts, wanted to hang every confederate officer (for treason) who had previously accepted a US officers’ commission. Old Grandma Abraham Lincoln wouldn’t allow it: thought the rebs would learn from forgiveness. They did learn: “learned” that President Lincoln was still afraid of them. Check Granville Stewart on this.
I had seen only the billboard of the cutie “conquering” an ice-cream sundae, thought her “conquest” typified white peoples’ burdens: can’t find the right color Buick when you really need a new Buick. PTSD’s a-comin’.
Wow, thanks for the insightful review here!
Thank you for the public service. Regarding the history, part of the point you make is that no white family would have to argue against a “Blondes have more fun” sign outside The Little Big Horn Battlefield. Or “Have a hot time in the mine” near the site an underground accident near Red Lodge or Butte. Or “Get it right the second time around” for the homesteaders who came in the 1910s and left by 1920 because of drought (or some of the farm failures in the 1980s and 90s). The people who make decisions remember because it is woven into their family history and they are woven into the decision making fabric. This is sheer ignorance was born out of an unwillingness to engage. To be clear, this was an unforced error on the part of Billings’ officials. I, too, would like to know more about what the Chamber sees as its missteps and how they will make sure the voices of people in the region will be part of the decision making process. BTW, my family has lived in the Yellowstone Valley since 1909.
Alexis, I’m grateful that there are people like you advocating for the people who are native to this land. My wife and I have visited several places of historic significance to Montana’s Indigenous People. We are always deeply touched and left wondering what we could do. I’m inspired that you saw something with your eyes and then saw it with your heart and actually did something about it. Good on ya, and thanks for getting your voice out there.
Notwithstanding the racism and cultural ignorance of the ad campaign, the fact that the tagline “Today is ours for the taking – tomorrow too” is used by an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce doesn’t surprise me. Manifest destiny perfectly explains the USCOC’s view of our planet.
https://billingsgazette.com/news/local/scrubbed-billings-tourism-campaign-illustrates-larger-problem-of-not-including/article_dc2ff4f8-b97c-5247-89c7-483fdff48391.html
I’m offended by so MANY people who are always offended about something.
“Victimhood is the highest form of social currency in our culture. “
The removal of natives from western lands took place in the nineteenth century, some 150 years ago. I’m sympathetic to their plight, but its long, dated history. Essentially, most Americans possess a pained, onerous history. Every American came here from somewhere else, forced to migrate via wars, famines or bleak economic circumstances. Once here, those immigrants also suffered overt, discrimination and ethnic slurs. However, they endured, climbed the ladder and assimilated into the American culture. Truthfully, local indigenous tribes are no different. The Crow originally migrated here from Ohio and the Cheyenne from Illinois. They were eighteenth century pioneers. They migrated west and conquered the other native tribes already here and seized their lands. Frankly, Americans need to get over the poor me, I’m a victim, mentality. We’ve all been victims.