Crow Agency, MT

Apsaalooke Tours officially open its doors for the 2008 summer season on May 25th. 

Little Big Horn College’s Extension Office operates this seasonal tourism business that trains and employs 12 Crow Tribal members annually.  This year a total of 17 Crow Tribal members participated in the two week training offered for credit by Little Big Horn College. Tour guides  are selected from the individuals who successfully complete the initial training or refresher course.

The college obtained a 5 year contract with the National Park Service at Little Big Horn Battlefield to exclusively provide interpretive tours on site. Tours are provided daily from 10 am to 4:00 pm.

Also, Apsaalooke Tours in conjuction with Little Big Horn College staff offers special programs presented by Crow Indian cultural consultants for tour groups visiting Crow Agency. Special tours or programs can include catered Native American cuisine upon request.  Ms. Jackie Yellowtail is the manager for Apsaalooke Tours.

The Crow Tribal Secretary’s Office in the Executive Branch of Crow Tribal government has been entrusted by law to implement the provisions of the act. The first five LLC’s were filed on July 1, 2007. Currently, twenty-nine LLC’s have been organized and registered through the Secretary’s office by Crow Tribal members. So far, one Tribally-controlled company has been organized.

To begin the filing process, applicants (Crow Tribal members or businesses organized under other government entities) can stop by the Crow Tribal Administration building on Bacheeitche Avenue in Crow Agency and obtain a LLC packet. The Crow Tribal Secretary’s Office and the Economic Developement Department are prepared to offer guidance to Crow Tribal members on the registration process and setting up their companies. Also, Little Big Horn College’s Extension Office has a business resource and reference library to assist individuals wishing to develop a business.

The Apsaalooke Limited Liability Company Act, bill number CLB07-06,  was passed by the Crow Tribal Legislature on March 19, 2007.

According to Apsaalooke Limited Liability Company Act, Part 1, General Provisions, Section 18-5-101. Short Title, Authority and Purposes. Suppart (c) states,” The purposes of this chapter are to provide for the economic development for the Crow Tribe and its members, to raise the standard of living and education for all Tribal members, and to obtain the highest value possible for the Tribe’s natural resources by: 1) provides the legal framework for organizing individually-owned business entities under Tribal law in order to expand the private business sector on the Crow reservation, and

(2) authorizing the formation of Tribally-owned business entities for managing the Tribe’s business activities separate from the affairs of Tribal government, with the ability to enter into legally-binding contracts and commerical relationships without the need for formal Tribal Government action”.

A Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a popular form of business entity combining the best features of corporations and partnerships.

The Apsaalooke LLC Act is patterned after the Revised Uniform LLC Act of 2006, and the Crow Tribe is the first jurisdiction in the world to adopt it.  

The Apsaalooke Nation (Crow Tribe) and the State of Montana entered into a historical compact on February 6, 2008. Leaders from the Crow Tribe , the state of Montana and the federal government gathered in the U.S. Capitol for the signing of the Universal Commerical Code System Compact. This agreement, the first of its kind in the United States between a tribal and state government, standardizes the means by which banks file liens.

Traditionally when a bank makes a loan, it requires collateral property secured by a lien. Because of the sovereign nature of American Indian reservations, transactions could not be secured by a lien resulting in a severe lack of acess to capitol and higher interest rates. 

This historic agreement between the two governments, allows Crow tribal members  to use personal property as collateral for loans, including bank loans for business startups, auto loan financing and revolving lines of credit. In accordance with the compact, a bank’s claim on collateral is filed as a lien with the Montana Secretary of State’s office which serves as the central filing office.

In the event of default, the Crow Tribal Court will handle all claims. The compact allows the bank’s lien on collateral to be in full force and affect on the Crow Reservation.

This agreement serves as a model for healthy government to government relations, while reinforcing the concept of self-determination in Indian country. Because of the compact, there is a greater opportunity for new jobs and new businesses to be created within the exterior boundaries of the Crow Reservation.

The Apsaalooke legislature adopted this Act during its  April 2007  legislative session. Shawn Real Bird, Director of the Crow Tribe’s Economic Development office sought assistance from the Uniform Law Commision and the Federal Reserve.  The act was drafted by the Uniform Law Commission whose membership is comprised of more than 350 lawyers, judges and law professors from across the United States. It took the Commission four years to develop the Model Tribal Secured Transaction Act. This model legislation provides the opportunity for Apsaalooke individuals and entreprenuers to obtain loans using personal property as collateral. This act provides the Apsaalooke people a legal framework to aid economic development on the Crow Indian Reservation.