The tradition of oral history is central to Native American cultures. Crow Indian Episodes of the Old Frontier is a unique collection of stories shared with the author over many years. On one occasion he was taken to a site, which in 1820 saw an over-whelming force of combined Cheyenne and Sioux attack a Crow camp and 800 Crow women and children were taken captive. Stone axe-heads and arrow points still littered the ground at the time of the author's visit.
Crow Indian Episodes of the Old Frontier focusses mainly on the turbulent years of the nineteenth century as settlers occupied large areas of Native American land, often creating appalling hardship and also amplifying intertribal conflicts and deep-seated distrust between tribes who were struggling to maintain hunting grounds and water sources. In addition to the tales of intertribal battles, land disputes, and the complex relationships with white men, Brian Keefe's book conveys the Crow Nation's affinity and respect for the natural world.