"Tribal flags billowed next to the Stars and Stripes, the smell of burning sweetgrass hung in the air, and the drumbeat from a half-dozen tom-toms was a tad insistent. Scores of Native American tribal members dressed in full war bonnets and chest-length braids intoned powwow tunes while modern-day cowboys and cowgirls, decked out in rented tuxedos and full-length gowns, bounced like pogo sticks in a traditional Native American victory dance.

A loopy "re-enactment" of the past by some society of weird history buffs? Plausible, but incorrect. It was, in fact, freshman governor Brian Schweitzer's inaugural ball, on Feb. 12. Even while Democrats across the country were licking their wounds from November's crushing presidential defeat, there was celebration in Montana."

Get the Story:
Thomas Goltz: Tony Montana (The Wall Street Journal 4/7)

Related Stories:
Editorial: Montana governor on right track with tribes (03/16)
Woman defines role as Indian affairs coordinator (3/15)
Montana Natives take center stage at inaugural ball (02/14)
Montana governor appoints two tribal members (02/14)
Montana governor announces Indian affairs liaison (01/21)
Family of Indian women are key political players (01/13)
Three Indian women to help new Montana governor (11/24)
Indian lawmakers in Montana set priorities (11/17)