‘Yellowstone’ Actor Mo Brings Plenty Advises On New Frontier Days Indian Village

CHEYENNE — The stories that have been and will continue to be told of the American West cannot be complete without the American Indian. 

The words were part of a powerful message from famous “Yellowstone” actor Moses J. Brings Plenty during the Tuesday night performance of traditional American Indian dances at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Indian Village.

But this is the last year that those stories will be told in the current home. 

Its audience has outgrown the space, and construction has already begun on a much larger American Indian village, one that will have room for a much larger audience. It’s also going to be a much better environment for vendors. And the stories it’s going to allow can be much bigger, bolder and much more engaging.

“There is a certain nostalgia to the existing Indian Village,” Brings Plenty said. “But we have to have room for growth, so we have to be open-minded to some change without losing our traditions.”

One of the things Brings Plenty did while he was in Wyoming was to review the plans for the village at the invitation of CFD officials overseeing the project. He told Cowboy State Daily he’s beyond impressed and excited about what he saw.

“This is going to be a win for all,” he said. “I saw togetherness, and a true representation of the three tribes that were here from the beginning, and the involvement, and how that relationship, that foundation, still exists today.”

Telling stories in this new facility will be very powerful, Brings Plenty said, and it will serve the traditional dances well.

“This is going to fit more audience, it will allow more space for people to come and partake and be educated and experience everything,” he said. “Because they have that round dance, which follows up their presentation. That’s a beautiful dance that involves all of the people. So, folks from the audience can come out. That’s going to be so wonderful.”

Showcase For Immersive, Living History

Construction of the multimillion-dollar Morning Star Indian Village, which will be next to Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum on the south end of Frontier Park, is set to finish in 2026. Construction is more than 10% of the way finished and it's on track for a grand opening next year. 

A donation from the Hughes Charitable Foundation helped make the dramatic expansion possible, along with fundraising by the Cheyenne Frontier Days Foundation. 

The experience will be one-of-a-kind. The plans call for an immersive, living-history experience to honor the tribes of the American Plains and give people a complete view of the American West.

Traditional American Indian dance has a long history with Cheyenne Frontier Days. While it wasn’t there for the very first year of the rodeo, which began as a kind of impromptu event in 1898, American Indian tribes were invited for the second rodeo in 1899, and have been coming since for 126 years.

The new dance hall at the Morning Star Indian Village will accommodate up to 1,000 people compared to the current 600, and there will be multiple stages and arbors to offer engaged, active learning from artisans, performers and storytellers.

Vendors also will have a better space to showcase their wares, and there will be a lot of other amenities as well, including more electrical outlets for lights and air-conditioning, as well as a state-of-the-art sound system. 

The facility is being designed with a circular theme, long a sacred symbol for many American Indian tribes.

Oglala Sioux holy man Black Elk, for example, talked about how the circle represents the cyclical nature of the natural world, and of human life.

“You have noticed how everything an Indian does is in a circle,” Black Elk has been quoted as saying. “That is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round.”

The sky, the earth, the stars, they are all round. Even birds make round nests. The seasons themselves are a great circle that returns back to the beginning with each passing year.

The Morning Star, meanwhile, has long been considered the star of hope. Choosing it as the name for the new American Indian Village signifies a new and hopeful beginning, officials have told Cowboy State Daily in previous interviews.

Bringing Cowboys And American Indians Together

John Contos, CFD’s general chairman, told Cowboy State Daily that Brings Plenty is one of several advisors who have been tapped for input on this ambitious project.

“Mo was invited as a grand marshal to our parade, but obviously he’s very interested in the village and in the construction and all that stuff,” Contos said. “So, we met with him to show him what’s coming and he was just absolutely thrilled. He made the comment that this is awesome and we’re doing it exactly right.”

Brings Plenty’s opinion does have weight in the Western world. Not only is he a well-respected member of the Lakota tribe, he’s been serving as an American Indian consultant for several Taylor Sheridan productions, as well as acting in them.

That includes the immensely popular television series “Yellowstone” and “1923.” He’s also served in similar roles for movies like “Revenant” and “Hell on Wheels.”

“He’s the real deal,” Contos said. “And we are just thrilled to have him, and thrilled to have his support, and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if he doesn’t join us next year.”

In fact, Brings Plenty told Cowboy State Daily he’s hoping to do just that and already making plans for next year.

Contos is excited about the stories that will be told in the new American Indian village.

“The sunken dance arbor, the number of people, and the respect we have for the American Indian and their culture, this is going to tell all of that story,” Contos said. “And the unification between us, the cowboy and the American Indian. That’s going to be a huge story.”

The facility won’t just be telling those stories for Cheyenne Frontier Days. It will have regular hours all year long and will be available as a community resource.

The Power Of Infinite Diversity

Brings Plenty was in stealth mode for the Tuesday night Cheyenne Frontier Days Indian Village performances. 

He took a quiet and unassuming seat as one of four regular guys serving as musicians for the dancers. There was nothing to tip people off to the fact that he was a famous, A-list actor. He even, at one point, took off the hat he’s usually seen wearing, further blending in.

He had no plans of speaking at all during the event. Until, that is, the announcer not only urged him to say a few words but insisted.

“I’m glad to see all of you here to witness and to see and experience what my relatives are doing here,” Brings Plenty told the audience in a quiet voice. “Because this has been done since Cheyenne Frontier Days began, and it’s still alive today.”

He urged everyone in the audience to look around them and see the power of diversity in action in America.

“I look at my life from a spiritual perspective,” he said. “And I know that the Almighty Creator of all creation, the one that we call God, or Jehovah, or whatever name we have for the creator of all creation, is one who loves diversity.”

If that were not so, Brings Plenty said, there would be just one species of tree, one species of flower, and one species of man.

“When you come here and you learn about who we are, then you’re elevating your education,” he said. “And you’re taking another step closer to God’s understanding and love for creation.”

That is important not just for day-to-day living, Brings Plenty added.

“If we cannot understand the culture of diversity here in this physical world, then who are we to believe we will be welcome there?” he asked, pointing to the skies overhead. “Because I’ll guarantee you there’s all kinds of color, all kinds of different people in heaven.

"So, we have to embrace it and embrace one another. Look around. We’re all related one way or another, and this is the planet that ties us all together.”

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.