At the Black Lives Matter rally this month in Bozeman’s Bogert Park, Shane Doyle stood on the stage before the large crowd, beat a hand-held rawhide drum and sang a Crow Indian honor song.
The moment felt hopeful to Doyle, 48, a member of the Apsaalooke or Crow Tribe.
Native Americans are Montana’s largest minority group, 7% of the state’s population, and many identify with Black Lives Matter as protesting a similar history of oppression, violence and discrimination.