Teepee Capital of the World

A mini metropolis of teepees sprawls across the parched plains, and in the early hours of the morning the first to rise are the children.

They have an important job to do.

"We'd wake up in those tee-pees, and we were pretty happy to slip the bridles off the horses and ride bareback to the river," remembers Jim Real Bird, today a man of 58.

"We'd take the horses to the river to drink water -- that was our first job as young boys."

Each August, the rolling hills surrounding Little Big Horn River in Montana are transformed into the "Tee-Pee Capital of the World," with over a thousand tents and hundreds of horses converging for the Crow Fair and Rodeo.

Started over a century ago in 1904, the four-day festival is one of the largest gatherings of Native Americans in the country, with spectacular traditional costumes casting a luminous kaleidoscope of color beneath a brilliant blue sky.

It's also an important training ground for the next generation of rodeo stars.

"It's one of the largest Indian rodeos within the United States of America," explained Real Bird, who today teaches youngsters how to hold on for dear life in the arena.

Montana News>>>KBZK