Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana

Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana, also known as the Little Shell Band of Landless Chippewa Indians of Montana, is an Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) tribe recognized by the State of Montana. The state-recognized tribe is seeking federal recognition from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The tribe is named after its nineteenth-century leader, Esens, known as "Little Shell".

The Little Shell Chippewa Tribe is without a reservation or land base and members live in various parts of Montana. There are population concentrations in Great Falls, Havre, Lewistown, Helena, Butte, Chinook, Hays, Wolf Point, Hamilton, and Billings, as well as numerous other small communities in the state. Because the tribe has been without a land base for over 100 years, many members and their descendants live outside of Montana. Many changes are expected during the next decade as federal recognition is implemented.

Background

From probably both northern Ontario and northern Minnesota, during the early part of the 18th century, the ancestors of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana migrated from the Great Lakes area into the Plains of Canada and the United States. They allied with the Assiniboine and Cree in a confederacy and drove out the Dakota and probably other tribes native to what is now Alberta, Manitoba, Minnesota, Montana, and Ontario.

History

The Little Shell Band of Chippewa Indians are part of the historical Pembina Band of Chippewa Indians, first recorded by European settlers in documents from the Hudson's Bay Company, Fort Garry (Winnipeg) in the early 18th century. These logs and diaries show the Ojibwa held approximately 63 million acres (250,000 km²) of land throughout what is now South Dakota, North Dakota and Canada. By the early 19th century, many French Canadian, mostly fur trappers, had married into the Ojibwa.

The Pembina Band entered into a treaty with the United States in the 1863 Treaty of Old Crossing, together with the Red Lake Band of Chippewa. In the 1892 McCumber Agreement between the Turtle Mountain Indians and the Commission, the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation was established, but the Little Shell Band of Chippewa Indians refused settlement there. Some of the Little Shell Band members did eventually settle on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation, while others migrated north and west into Saskatchewan and Alberta, and then making their way back south into Montana.

May 2014 saw the grand opening of the Little Shell tribe’s new cultural center, located outside Great Falls.

Esens/Little Shell

In 1864, the tribal leader, Esens, also known as Little Shell, walked out of further negotiations and refused to amend the original treaty. In 1892 he sent word to Washington D.C. that he would exchange 52 million acres (210,000 km²) of land and the treaty rights of 1863 for a large reservation, to include the entire Turtle Mountain area, at the price of $1.00 per acre of land.

Senator McCumber was sent to meet with the Pembina Band of Chippewa Indians and during the first meeting, when he was not present, his agent Waugh offered $0.10 per acre. The Pembina walked out of the meeting in disgust, knowing that the US had paid $1.00 per acre for less valuable land near Fort Berthold. Agent Waugh brought in 32 Ojibwe from Canada and had them sign the treaty, known as The McCumber Agreement or the Ten Cent Treaty. After hearing of the fraud, John Burke, state attorney for Rolette County, North Dakota, agreed to represent Little Shell before the US Senate. Senator McCumber agreed with John Burke that the treaty was a fraud. The US Senate waited until after his death in 1905 to ratify the fraudulent treaty. The Little Shell people were told to either sign the treaty or be starved to death. Members of the tribe became nomadic, and several moved to France.

Additional information

The name of the tribe is “The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana,” and it is often shortened to “Little Shell.” The name “Métis” (pronounced may-tee) is often used, meaning “middle people” or “mixed blood.” The term Métis, or, more correctly, Métifs, was first used during the 18th and 19th centuries, but at that time it identified a specific Northwest society with its own culture and economic traditions, living in the areas of the Red River, the Saskatchewan River, and Turtle Mountain, and the areas of present-day Winnipeg and Pembina, North Dakota.

The current population of enrolled tribal members is approximately 6,500. The Métis number in the thousands in the United States and south central Canada, and there are many unenrolled Little Shell people in Montana. Exact population numbers are not available.

In the mid-1800s the tribe was numbered at several thousand in the Red River-Pembina region. At that time there was no formal enrollment procedure, no reservation and thus no documented population figure.

The tribe bought a 35,000 sq. foot office complex and maintains its offices there.

The tribe continues to struggle for federal recognition.

Government

The Little Shell Tribe is governed by a constitutionally defined elected tribal council, which has maintained its integrity throughout the 20th century. The constitution has been revised, most recently in 1977, and the central office location has moved a few times but the government, social structure and culture have been maintained. Four council seats are up for election every other year, in a largely mail-in balloting process. The tribal council meets regularly in Great Falls, at least monthly, and quarterly meetings are held in other communities in Montana where enclaves of Little Shell people live, in efforts to keep tribal members involved and informed.

George Sinclair was elected president to succeed Joe Dussome, and served until 1976. Debbie Swanson of Havre was former Tribal Chairman during the 1980s when Gov. Stan Stephens granted State Recognition to the tribe. State Recognition process formally incorporated the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana.

The Council and office staff are unpaid except for donations from individuals and organizations. As a group, which is not federally-recognized, the Little Shell do not qualify for any federally funded educational or government support services such as housing and medical facilities, which are typically provided tribes recognized by the United States government. The Little Shell Tribe have obtained such services only through public services available in urban centers.

Events of interest

• Joseph Dussome Day—An annual gathering of the tribe for cultural renaissance, social activities, election results, announcements and committee meetings, usually in September or October.
• Back to Batoche Celebration—An annual gathering of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa and sister Tribes of Metis in Canada, commemorating the Riel Rebellion, and including cultural activities, dancing, art and socializing, at Batoche, Saskatchewan.

References

The Great Falls Tribune, along with other area newspapers, has carried literally hundreds of stories, both current events and containing significant historical coverage during the period from 1930 to the present. The Tribune has often advocated federal recognition for the Little Shell Chippewa people

A Brief Historical Overview Of The Little Shell Tribe of Pembina Chippewa, by Deward E. Walker, Jr., July 1990—This historical digest may be obtained from the Little Shell Tribal Offices in Great Falls.

The Free People—Otipemisiwak, by Diane Paulette Payment—This volume contains a detailed and articulate history of the Metifs and includes cultural issues, early photographs, political action descriptions and other historical data-from a Canadian perspective. May be available on inter-library loan from Canadian affiliates.

Waiting For A Day That Never Comes, by Verne Dusenberry—Published in “Montana Magazine of Western History.” This article highlights the efforts of Joseph Dussome and features easy reading cultural and historical information. May be available through the Montana Historical Society.

Buffalo Voices, compiled and published by Nicholas Churchin Peterson Vrooman — Stories told by Metis and Little Shell Elders, part of Turtle Island 1492-1992, North Dakota Quarterly Vol 59 No. 4, Fall 1991, Univ. of No. Dakota, Grand Forks. Vrooman also produced a recording (cassette tape) for Smithsonian/Folkways Recordings, entitled Plains/Chippewa/Metis Music from Turtle Mountain. The recording includes drumming, Chansons, and 1992 era Rock & Roll by Tribal Musicians. It is distributed by Koch Int’l for the Smithsonian, and can be ordered from music stores.

Strange Empire, by Joseph Kinsey Howard—The definitive but cumbersome history of the Métis, Canadian Métis, Little Shell Tribe, Turtle Mountain and Pembina and related groups, reprinted in 1994 by Minnesota Historical Society Press with a new introduction by Nicholas Vrooman.

Medicine Fiddle—by Michael Loukinen, produced by Northern Michigan University, 1992. This film (videotape) features Metis and Chippewa music dancing and spirituality, and contains interviews with musicians from several tribes and bands in the Western Great Lakes Red River area. Available through Up North Films, Northern Michigan University, 331 Thomas, Fine Arts Bldg, Marquette MI 49855, telephone (906) 227-2041.

External links

• Official Little Shell Tribe Website
• Verne Dusenberry, "Waiting for a Day That Never Comes", Little Shell Tribe History, Little Shell Tribe Newsletter, hosted by Robert Dean Rudeseals

The Little Shell Tribe of Montana

The Whole Country was....One Robe: The Little Shell Tribe's America [Paperback] A definitive detailed history. Nicholas C. P. Vrooman (Author)