Alma Hogan Snell

Alma Hogan Snell
Crow: Bea Azeta, Biiaaziite'
("Well Known Woman")
American, Crow Tribe, Greasy Mouth Clan leader
Personal details
Born(1923-01-10)January 10, 1923
Crow Indian Reservation, Montana, U.S.
DiedMay 5, 2008(2008-05-05) (aged 85)
Billings, Montana, U.S.
RelationsPretty Shield (grandmother)
Goes Ahead (grandfather)
OccupationHerbalist, tribal historian, memoirist, cookbook author, lecturer

Alma Stuart Hogan Snell (January 10, 1923 – May 5, 2008), also known as Biiaaziite', was an American Crow tribal historian, educator, and herbalist. She wrote a cookbook, A Taste of Heritage, and a memoir, Grandmother's Grandchild: My Crow Indian Life.

Early life and education

Snell was born on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana,[1][2] the daughter of George W. Hogan and Helen Goes Ahead. She was raised by her maternal grandparents, Pretty Shield and Goes Ahead.[3] She learned Crow traditions, especially foodways and herbal remedies, from her grandmother.[4][5] "Even as a child," she recalled, "when I heard a bird call, I'd quit playing and I would listen and say 'Aho'. My girlfriends never did that."[6] She attended Flandreau Indian School in South Dakota.[7]

Career

Snell and her husband lived on a farm in the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, and she worked as a food service supervisor for the Indiah Health Service.[2] Her expertise was sought by ethologists and botanists.[8] She gave demonstrations throughout the United States, at schools, museums and national parks, on the healing properties and benefits of plants,[9] as well as on the subject of health and wellbeing.[7][2] She wrote a cookbook, A Taste of Heritage,[10] and a memoir, Grandmother's Grandchild: My Crow Indian Life.[7][11] "She is thoroughly bicultural, a third-generation Christian with formal training as a cook and experience on the national lecture circuit," wrote one reviewer in 2008.[12] The Snells advised on the creation of the National Museum of the American Indian, and founded the Pretty Shield Foundation, which "provides therapeutic foster-care services for Indian youths".[7][2] She received an honorary doctorate from Montana State University in April 2008.[7][13]

Personal life

Alma Hogan married a fellow Flandreau student, William F. Snell, in 1947. They had four children. She died in Billings, Montana, at age 85 in May 2008.[7][13] She was the granddaughter of Pretty Shield and Goes Ahead.[7][1]

Publications

  • A Taste of Heritage: Crow Indian Recipes and Herbal Medicines (2006)[10][14]
  • Grandmother's Grandchild: My Crow Indian Life (2000)[15][16]

References

  1. 1 2 Elpel, Thomas J. "Alma Hogan Snell: Crow tribal historian, educator, and herbalist". Wildflowers and Weeds. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Healy, Donna (April 12, 2000). "Blending Traditions". The Billings Gazette. p. 21. Retrieved May 26, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Hagengruber, James (June 21, 2001). "Scouts & descendants; Custer and Little Bighorn defined future of the Crow". The Billings Gazette. pp. 1A, 6A. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  4. ↑ Vaughn, Bill (May 26, 2015). Hawthorn: The Tree That Has Nourished, Healed, and Inspired Through the Ages. Yale University Press. pp. 84, 85. ISBN 978-0-300-21375-1.
  5. ↑ Mayor, Adrienne (April 11, 2023). Fossil Legends of the First Americans. Princeton University Press. pp. 275, 277, 391. ISBN 978-0-691-24561-4.
  6. ↑ Frey, Rodney (September 2001). "Grandmother's Grandchild: My Crow Indian Life (review)". American Anthropologist. 103 (3): 877–878. doi:10.1525/aa.2001.103.3.877. ISSN 0002-7294.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Alma Hogan Snell". Billings Gazette. May 6, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  8. ↑ Dunkel, Florence V. (August 29, 2017). Incorporating Cultures' Role in the Food and Agricultural Sciences. Academic Press. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-12-803982-3.
  9. ↑ Badhorse, Beverly (August 23, 1992). "Nature's Way; Crow woman reviving interest in plants as food, medicine". Great Falls Tribune. p. 33. Retrieved May 26, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 "Now We're Cookin'". The New York Times. December 3, 2006. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  11. ↑ Barbour, Sarah (2002). "Diverse Patterns of Relationalities: Expanding Theories of Women's Personal Narratives". NWSA Journal. 14 (2): 181–191. ISSN 1040-0656.
  12. ↑ Kramer-Rolls, Dana (2008). "Review of A Taste of Heritage: Crow Indian Recipes and Herbal Medicine". Western Folklore. 67 (2/3): 303–305. ISSN 0043-373X.
  13. 1 2 "Crow elder Alma Hogan Snell dies at 85". Great Falls Tribune. May 8, 2008. p. 9. Retrieved May 25, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Snell, Alma Hogan (January 1, 2006). A Taste of Heritage: Crow Indian Recipes and Herbal Medicines. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-5899-0.
  15. ↑ "Sagas of Western women, fact and fiction". Great Falls Tribune. May 14, 2000. p. 44. Retrieved May 25, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Snell, Alma Hogan (September 1, 2001). Grandmother's Grandchild: My Crow Indian Life. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-9291-8.
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