Political oppression of the Blackfeet Indians by Glacier County and Others
By Bob Juneau-August, 2010
Indian authors and educators agree in the main that Indians are the most lied about and lied to group in America. Why is that true? In all cases the truth told in Indian history will lead the reader to the truth of dispossession of Indian land by whites. There it is, the whole truth, nothing but the truth; a truth covered up by the public school curriculum across the United States to keep the Indians ignorant of their political history with the state of Montana.
“Old Myths Never Die-They Just Become Embedded In Textbooks”- title by Thomas Bailey. Why is that true? This is called “blaming the victims” to justify the invasion of Indian treaty lands by whites for the purpose of dispossessing the Indians of their land and cattle industry. The attempted genocide of the Black-Feet Indians by Montana Militia and Governor Meagher in Montana Territory is documented by Agent Wright’s Report to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in September, 1867. What was their justification? Governor Meagher was an Irish immigrant to the United States, who wished to “exterminate” the Black-Feet Indians in order to “settle” Irish immigrants on Black-Foot Confederacy lands held by treaty with the United States. The Montana border-whites brought massacre, starvation, small pox, whiskey trade, removal, and finally assimilation to the Black-Feet Indians. The Board of Indian Commissioners appointed by President Grant called the Montana border-whites murderers, robbers, and thieves of the Indian people lives and land. President Grant noted the Montana Territory capital was located in the center of Blackfoot Confederacy lands still held by treaty with the United States. The gold miners at Fort Benton killed Black-Foot Indians on sight and scalped the murdered Indian victims and brought the scalps into the town. The miners were digging gold mines in the Sweet Grass Hills twenty years before the Blackfeet were starved into ceding the land to avoid starvation in 1887.
The reservation was reduced by the curse of the Montana border-whites invasion of Blackfeet treaty lands, and their calls for extermination of the Indians. The priests recorded the white man’s killing and robbing of the Blackfeet Indians, “approaching the reservation daily, pushing the Indians, even up to the mountains.” This is the truth about the early history of Blackfoot Confederacy-Montana Territory political history.
Montana border-white’s invasion of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation
The failure of the Montana border-whites to “exterminate” the Black-Foot Indians and bring Irish immigrants to “settle” Blackfoot Confederacy lands held by treaty ignores the existing treaty rights of the Blackfeet Indians to a separate reservation, free of white rule [state jurisdiction and tax free lands] and led to the BIA-white land grafters conspiracy to break up the common lands of the Indians into individual parcels. The allotment of the Blackfeet reservation caused by a 1907 Blackfeet allotment bill introduced in Congress by Senator Walsh of Montana made it easier to rob the Indians one by one absent the protection of the tribe. The forced fee patents took away the Blackfoot common grazing lands held by treaty and allotments of land in severalty were issued on the reservation by Interior Department instructions and was the final step in the political oppression planned by the state of Montana for the Indians demise. The Indians were now dependent on the BIA for protection.
The white stockmen target the Blackfeet grazing lands for land frauds
To understand the political oppression of the Blackfeet Indians, the reader must look at it from a business standpoint, and the object of allotment of the breaking up of the common grazing lands of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation held by the 1896 Agreement/Article Five. The grazing management plan for the Blackfeet cattle ranchers must now include the problem of the unified administration of a block of land divided by ownership of 3,600 separate Indian parcels of land known as allotments in severalty. The self-supporting tribal cattle ranching industry supported by the common grazing tracts reserved for the cattle ranchers and recognized in the agreement is now destroyed by Senator Walsh’s Blackfeet allotment bill in 1907. This is called the manipulation of the plenary powers [absolute] of Congress over the Blackfeet trust property and economic lives of the Blackfeet Indians by Montana politicians for the benefit of their constituents [Glacier County white stockmen]. There is no Blackfeet cattle ranchers “grazing management plan” without the existence of the large tract of reserved grazing lands held by treaty on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
Blackfeet reservation base prior to Glacier County invasion in 1919
1929 reports showed the reservation with a gross area of 1,492,042.44 acres, containing 1,440,000 acres of allotted land, approximately 20% of which has been alienated through the process of issuing Patents in Fee to the allottees [Enrolled Blackfeet Tribal members] and through the sale of heirship allotments [Secretarial transfers-pre-1966 Indian Money Damage claims].
The situation is further complicated by the fact that the 285,000 acres of alienated lands [Blackfeet allotments stolen by white stockmen and farmers], to an extent far out of proportion to the acreage involved, control the watering places for stock. This control of water is the most important factor in the stock business in relation to the utilization of the range. In the livestock wars of the early west, the control of watering holes was the principle point at issue and this control of water today is just as important and as essential to the efficient utilization of range lands.
Transfer of BIA jurisdiction to Glacier County rule of the range lands
The local BIA Agency transfer of title from trust to fee caused loss of control and use of the Blackfeet range units to Glacier County under tax deeds and void title to white stockmen. The highly decentralized ownership of the former commonly owned reserved grazing tracts guaranteed to the Blackfeet cattle ranchers in the 1896 Agreement/Article Five shattered the self-sufficient Blackfeet cattle ranching economy. At this point in tribal development the tribal land base was losing 6,000 acres per year to Patents in Fee, representing over 20% of the gross area of allotted land. This Patent in Fee land is scattered over the entire reservation, every township having two or more Patent in Fee allotments, containing the most valuable lands well watered along water courses, to pass into white ownership by forced fee patents. The Indians were assigned the drier lands, less desirable for livestock raising [camels, perhaps]. The white stock owner thusly indicated his desire to acquire title to the watering places to be used in connection with the leasing of adjoining Indian range lands for ten cents an acre. This gives the white stockmen and landowners the absolute control and the use of adjoining range lands of the Blackfeet allottees. The third-party agreements existent in BIA leasing regulations and under the table secret leasing agreements between the white stockmen and tribal members who ranch from the BIA Range office leave the Indian landowner with minimal return on his property. Fractionalization of the inherited lands and BIA leasing regulations prohibit active participation of landowners except to sign documents.
Back to the past to reach 1896 treaty goals and economic self-sufficiency
Contrary to the good judgment and broad understanding shown in the agreement cited, practically the entire reservation has been allotted in severalty to the individual Indians. The resultant decentralization of ownership is now and in all probability will continue to be a very serious obstacle to efficient land utilization and effective grazing management. The larger open plains is generally considered to be an ideal cattle country and the narrow strip along the western boundary is more suitable for sheep as the terrain is rough and the feed largely browse and weeds.
Detailed study of conditions regarding ownership of patent in fee lands
A cursory look at the conditions of the reservation land ownership of patent in fee lands within the boundaries of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation will indicate the need for securing a permanent income from the ownership of trust allotments. The recommendations made can only be carried out by the legislative process of extinguishing all void fee simple titles on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation to reach the goals of the 1896 Agreement with the United States to complete the sovereign bargain to the Blackfeet Indians.
The Blackfeet Chiefs are pointing the way to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee to restore the Blackfeet Indians out of political oppression of the Territory and State of Montana to Blackfeet political and economic Independence guaranteed by treaty.
The Blackfeet cattle rancher’s re-settlement and the title restoration and just compensation to the Blackfeet allottees will complete the sovereign bargain between the Blackfeet Tribe and the United States.
By Bob Juneau-August, 2010
Indian authors and educators agree in the main that Indians are the most lied about and lied to group in America. Why is that true? In all cases the truth told in Indian history will lead the reader to the truth of dispossession of Indian land by whites. There it is, the whole truth, nothing but the truth; a truth covered up by the public school curriculum across the United States to keep the Indians ignorant of their political history with the state of Montana.
“Old Myths Never Die-They Just Become Embedded In Textbooks”- title by Thomas Bailey. Why is that true? This is called “blaming the victims” to justify the invasion of Indian treaty lands by whites for the purpose of dispossessing the Indians of their land and cattle industry. The attempted genocide of the Black-Feet Indians by Montana Militia and Governor Meagher in Montana Territory is documented by Agent Wright’s Report to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in September, 1867. What was their justification? Governor Meagher was an Irish immigrant to the United States, who wished to “exterminate” the Black-Feet Indians in order to “settle” Irish immigrants on Black-Foot Confederacy lands held by treaty with the United States. The Montana border-whites brought massacre, starvation, small pox, whiskey trade, removal, and finally assimilation to the Black-Feet Indians. The Board of Indian Commissioners appointed by President Grant called the Montana border-whites murderers, robbers, and thieves of the Indian people lives and land. President Grant noted the Montana Territory capital was located in the center of Blackfoot Confederacy lands still held by treaty with the United States. The gold miners at Fort Benton killed Black-Foot Indians on sight and scalped the murdered Indian victims and brought the scalps into the town. The miners were digging gold mines in the Sweet Grass Hills twenty years before the Blackfeet were starved into ceding the land to avoid starvation in 1887.
The reservation was reduced by the curse of the Montana border-whites invasion of Blackfeet treaty lands, and their calls for extermination of the Indians. The priests recorded the white man’s killing and robbing of the Blackfeet Indians, “approaching the reservation daily, pushing the Indians, even up to the mountains.” This is the truth about the early history of Blackfoot Confederacy-Montana Territory political history.
Montana border-white’s invasion of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation
The failure of the Montana border-whites to “exterminate” the Black-Foot Indians and bring Irish immigrants to “settle” Blackfoot Confederacy lands held by treaty ignores the existing treaty rights of the Blackfeet Indians to a separate reservation, free of white rule [state jurisdiction and tax free lands] and led to the BIA-white land grafters conspiracy to break up the common lands of the Indians into individual parcels. The allotment of the Blackfeet reservation caused by a 1907 Blackfeet allotment bill introduced in Congress by Senator Walsh of Montana made it easier to rob the Indians one by one absent the protection of the tribe. The forced fee patents took away the Blackfoot common grazing lands held by treaty and allotments of land in severalty were issued on the reservation by Interior Department instructions and was the final step in the political oppression planned by the state of Montana for the Indians demise. The Indians were now dependent on the BIA for protection.
The white stockmen target the Blackfeet grazing lands for land frauds
To understand the political oppression of the Blackfeet Indians, the reader must look at it from a business standpoint, and the object of allotment of the breaking up of the common grazing lands of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation held by the 1896 Agreement/Article Five. The grazing management plan for the Blackfeet cattle ranchers must now include the problem of the unified administration of a block of land divided by ownership of 3,600 separate Indian parcels of land known as allotments in severalty. The self-supporting tribal cattle ranching industry supported by the common grazing tracts reserved for the cattle ranchers and recognized in the agreement is now destroyed by Senator Walsh’s Blackfeet allotment bill in 1907. This is called the manipulation of the plenary powers [absolute] of Congress over the Blackfeet trust property and economic lives of the Blackfeet Indians by Montana politicians for the benefit of their constituents [Glacier County white stockmen]. There is no Blackfeet cattle ranchers “grazing management plan” without the existence of the large tract of reserved grazing lands held by treaty on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
Blackfeet reservation base prior to Glacier County invasion in 1919
1929 reports showed the reservation with a gross area of 1,492,042.44 acres, containing 1,440,000 acres of allotted land, approximately 20% of which has been alienated through the process of issuing Patents in Fee to the allottees [Enrolled Blackfeet Tribal members] and through the sale of heirship allotments [Secretarial transfers-pre-1966 Indian Money Damage claims].
The situation is further complicated by the fact that the 285,000 acres of alienated lands [Blackfeet allotments stolen by white stockmen and farmers], to an extent far out of proportion to the acreage involved, control the watering places for stock. This control of water is the most important factor in the stock business in relation to the utilization of the range. In the livestock wars of the early west, the control of watering holes was the principle point at issue and this control of water today is just as important and as essential to the efficient utilization of range lands.
Transfer of BIA jurisdiction to Glacier County rule of the range lands
The local BIA Agency transfer of title from trust to fee caused loss of control and use of the Blackfeet range units to Glacier County under tax deeds and void title to white stockmen. The highly decentralized ownership of the former commonly owned reserved grazing tracts guaranteed to the Blackfeet cattle ranchers in the 1896 Agreement/Article Five shattered the self-sufficient Blackfeet cattle ranching economy. At this point in tribal development the tribal land base was losing 6,000 acres per year to Patents in Fee, representing over 20% of the gross area of allotted land. This Patent in Fee land is scattered over the entire reservation, every township having two or more Patent in Fee allotments, containing the most valuable lands well watered along water courses, to pass into white ownership by forced fee patents. The Indians were assigned the drier lands, less desirable for livestock raising [camels, perhaps]. The white stock owner thusly indicated his desire to acquire title to the watering places to be used in connection with the leasing of adjoining Indian range lands for ten cents an acre. This gives the white stockmen and landowners the absolute control and the use of adjoining range lands of the Blackfeet allottees. The third-party agreements existent in BIA leasing regulations and under the table secret leasing agreements between the white stockmen and tribal members who ranch from the BIA Range office leave the Indian landowner with minimal return on his property. Fractionalization of the inherited lands and BIA leasing regulations prohibit active participation of landowners except to sign documents.
Back to the past to reach 1896 treaty goals and economic self-sufficiency
Contrary to the good judgment and broad understanding shown in the agreement cited, practically the entire reservation has been allotted in severalty to the individual Indians. The resultant decentralization of ownership is now and in all probability will continue to be a very serious obstacle to efficient land utilization and effective grazing management. The larger open plains is generally considered to be an ideal cattle country and the narrow strip along the western boundary is more suitable for sheep as the terrain is rough and the feed largely browse and weeds.
Detailed study of conditions regarding ownership of patent in fee lands
A cursory look at the conditions of the reservation land ownership of patent in fee lands within the boundaries of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation will indicate the need for securing a permanent income from the ownership of trust allotments. The recommendations made can only be carried out by the legislative process of extinguishing all void fee simple titles on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation to reach the goals of the 1896 Agreement with the United States to complete the sovereign bargain to the Blackfeet Indians.
The Blackfeet Chiefs are pointing the way to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee to restore the Blackfeet Indians out of political oppression of the Territory and State of Montana to Blackfeet political and economic Independence guaranteed by treaty.
The Blackfeet cattle rancher’s re-settlement and the title restoration and just compensation to the Blackfeet allottees will complete the sovereign bargain between the Blackfeet Tribe and the United States.
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