Teepees stand as remembrance to COVID-19 victims

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (2) – 12/21/20

Atop the Billings Rimrocks in Swords Park, seven teepees stand, lit by colorful lights at night, as a symbol of remembrance to those who have lost their lives, or a loved one, to COVID-19. The project, called “Lighting of the Teepees, Symbols of Hope,” is made possible by the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leadership Council and a group of 20 volunteers who set up the teepees last week. Each teepee stands at 18 feet tall and is constructed with 18-foot lodgepoles in the Crow and Blackfeet style. “We thought it was appropriate, I think, for the communities, for the state and then for the world,” William Snell, executive director of the Tribal Leadership Council, told KBZK. “Just our way as American Indian people of giving people a ray of hope, support and love during troubled times.”