Crow Spiritual Songs Collection

The Crow Hymns Recordings document a syncretic fusion of indigenous language and western Christian beliefs. While Christianity arrived among the Crows in force during the 1880s, individual community members had little control over its imposition. Over time, new denominations developed on the reservation and those already present granted greater freedom to merge indigenous cultural norms with the western Christian values.

The singing of Christian hymns in the Crow language reflects this fusion. The earliest hymns in the collection sung by Joe Medicine Crow in 1960 demonstrates the increased autonomy in regards to worship among the Crows. In the 1980s, the Crow Hymns Project set out to record a number of Christian hymns in the Crow language. The recordings illustrate the breadth of Christian hymns sung by members of the Crow community.