Cherry River: Where the Rivers Mix

Cherry River: Where the Rivers Mix, conceived by Apsáalooke/Crow musician Shane Doyle and curated by me took place at the confluence of the Missouri where the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin Rivers meet in the region now called Montana. The project’s focus was returning the name of the East Gallatin River, named by Lewis and Clark in 1805, to the Crow name Cherry River-Baáchuuaashe. This inter-tribal project, researched over a 2-year period, involved retreats, community meetings, social gatherings, research in Indigenous and non-Indigenous archives, and conversations with a number of constituencies, such as Indigenous scholars, a geologist, and water lawyers. For this place-based public art project that took place at the headwaters of the Missouri River, Doyle located live musicians on 9 boats that floated down the 3 rivers that make up the confluence. The central scene, a name change ceremony performed by Jada and Grace King from the Blackfeet Nation, recognized the enduring nature of Indigenous history and knowledge on the Northern Plains. The name "Cherry River" honors and describes the numerous choke cherries that grow on the river’s banks. This river-side shrub was an essential staple for numerous groups of Native Peoples and continues to provide indispensable sustenance for bees, birds, small mammals and bears. The stories we tell and the words we use to describe our environment are reflections of our attitudes and beliefs. Like the travesty of confederate soldier statues in public spaces, Cherry River advocates to change the names of geological sites named by European invaders.