View source for Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana

{{Short description|Federally recognized tribe in Montana, US}}
{{refimprove|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana
| native_name      = 
| native_name_lang = 
| image            = Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana logo.png
| image_caption    = 
| image_alt        = 
| flag             = 
| flag_caption     = 
| population       = 7,000+ enrolled members
| popplace         = 
| langs            = [[Ojibwe language|Ojibwe]], [[Michif]], [[Cree language|Cree]], [[English language|English]]<ref name="language">{{cite web |title=Language Resources |url=http://www.lstribe.org/resources.php |publisher=Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana |access-date=24 January 2023}}</ref>
| religions        = 
| related          = other [[Anishinaabeg]] ([[Ojibwe]], and [[Cree]] peoples), and [[Métis]]
}}
'''Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana''' ([[Ojibwe language]]: '''Esensininiwag''') is a [[List of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States|federally recognized tribe]] of [[Ojibwe]], [[Métis]], and [[Cree]] people in [[Montana]].<ref name=language/><ref name="wapo">{{cite news |last1=McLaughlin |first1=Kathleen |title=A big moment finally comes for the Little Shell: Federal recognition of their tribe |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/a-big-moment-finally-comes-for-the-little-shell-federal-recognition-of-their-tribe/2019/12/20/72f5ee86-204d-11ea-bed5-880264cc91a9_story.html |accessdate=21 December 2019 |date=21 Dec 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Culture |url=http://www.montanalittleshelltribe.org/culture.html |website=Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana |access-date=26 June 2023}}</ref> The name of the tribe is often shortened to Little Shell. In 2023, the population of enrolled tribal members is approximately 6,900.<ref name="pops">{{cite web |title=2023 Annual Report |url=https://www.montanalittleshelltribe.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LS-2023-Annual-Report.pdf |access-date=20 December 2023 |website=Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana |page=5}}</ref> The Tribe's headquarters is in Great Falls,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mabie |first=Nora |date=October 7, 2021 |title=Little Shell Tribal Health Clinic, opening in Great Falls in fall, to serve ‘anybody and everybody’ |url=https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/tribal-news/little-shell-tribe/2021/10/07/little-shell-tribal-health-clinic-open-november-great-falls/6037684001/ |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=Great Falls Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> in a 35,000-sq. foot office complex.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

The Little Shell Tribe is named after its 19th-century leader, [[Chief Esens|''Esens'']], known as "Little Shell."{{Citation needed|date=November 2024|reason=need support for info on Esens}} The Tribe was also referred to as the '''Little Shell Band of "Landless" Chippewa Indians of Montana''' because it did not have an [[Indian reservation]], resulting from conflicts with federal authorities dating back to the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 25, 2008 |title=Testimony of the Hon. John Sinclair, President of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana Before Senate Committee on Indian Affairs |url=https://www.indian.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/upload/files/JohnSinclairtestimony.pdf |website=Indian.Senate.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=McLaughlin |first=Kathleen |date=December 21, 2019 |title=A big moment finally comes for the Little Shell: Federal recognition of their tribe |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/a-big-moment-finally-comes-for-the-little-shell-federal-recognition-of-their-tribe/2019/12/20/72f5ee86-204d-11ea-bed5-880264cc91a9_story.html |work=The Washington Post}}</ref> Although considered "landless", the tribe gained [[state recognized|state recognition]] from Montana in 2000.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Drake |first=Phil |last2=Mabie |first2=Nora |date=December 20, 2019 |title=FINALLY! At long last, Little Shell get federal recognition |url=https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2019/12/20/montana-little-shell-tribe-chippewa-indians-federal-recognition/2439763001/ |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=Great Falls Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> On December 20, 2019, the [[National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020|National Defense Authorization Act]] was signed into law, finally granting the Tribe federal recognition.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mabie |first=Nora |date=December 20, 2020 |title=Little Shell Tribe navigates new territory 1 year after gaining federal recognition status |url=https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2020/12/20/one-year-anniversary-little-shell-tribe-montana-gain-federal-recognition/3957177001/ |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=Great Falls Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> The Tribe owns over 800 acres of land in and around [[Great Falls, Montana]], and manages the [[Hell Creek Recreation Area]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Montana Cadastral |url=http://svc.mt.gov/msl/mtcadastral/ |website=Montana Cadastral |publisher=Montana State Library |access-date=24 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Little Shell Tribe gains lease to take over Montana state park |url=https://cm.greatfallstribune.com/offers-reg/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.greatfallstribune.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Ftribal-news%2F2021%2F12%2F10%2Flittle-shell-tribe-gains-lease-to-take-over-montana-hell-creek-state-park-campsites-restaurant%2F32533788007%2F |access-date=1 February 2023 |publisher=Great Falls Tribune |date=10 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=French |first=Brett |date=2022-03-29 |title=Tribe officially takes over at Hell Creek on Fort Peck Reservoir |url=https://billingsgazette.com/outdoors/tribe-officially-takes-over-at-hell-creek-on-fort-peck-reservoir/article_10ee7924-54b0-50cd-83bc-2232122e673c.html |access-date=2024-11-10 |website=Billings Gazette |language=en}}</ref>

Members elect a government consisting of a Chairman, First Vice-Chairman, Second Vice-Chairman, Secretary-Treasurer, and Tribal Council following their constitution.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mabie |first=Nora |date=November 10, 2020 |title=Little Shell Tribe reelects incumbents; council looks to expand opportunities |url=https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2020/11/10/little-shell-return-incumbents-office-tribal-council-election/6236275002/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202125417/https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2020/11/10/little-shell-return-incumbents-office-tribal-council-election/6236275002/ |archive-date=December 2, 2020 |access-date=2024-11-10 |website=Great Falls Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> While headquartered in Great Falls, tribal members live throughout Montana, particularly in [[Havre, Montana|Havre]], [[Lewistown, Montana|Lewistown]], [[Helena, Montana|Helena]], [[Butte, Montana|Butte]], [[Chinook, Montana|Chinook]], [[Hays, Montana|Hays]], [[Wolf Point, Montana|Wolf Point]], [[Hamilton, Montana|Hamilton]], and [[Billings, Montana|Billings]].<ref name=":0" />

==History==
In the early 18th century,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Craig |first=John |date=November 18, 1996 |title=Ignored Tribe A Step Closer To Recognition Long-Scattered Little Shell Chippewa Indians Pushing For Federal Tribal Status |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/nov/18/ignored-tribe-a-step-closer-to-recognition-long/ |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=www.spokesman.com}}</ref> the ancestors of the Little Shell migrated from the Great Lakes area, likely northern Ontario and northern Minnesota, into the Plains of Canada and the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Griffen |date=2023-05-19 |title=Breaking old ground - Native News |url=https://nativenews.jour.umt.edu/projects/breaking-old-ground/ |access-date=2024-11-14 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hilleary |first=Cecily |date=2020-01-03 |title=The Little Shell Chippewa Tribe of Montana is Homeless No More |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/usa_little-shell-chippewa-tribe-montana-homeless-no-more/6182055.html |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=Voice of America |language=en}}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=November 2024|reason=need a source to support phrase "likely northern Ontario and northern Minnesota"}} They allied with the [[Assiniboine people|Assiniboine]] and [[Cree]] in a confederacy,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015 |title=Study Guide and Timeline for "The Whole Country Was... One Robe": The Little Shell Tribe's America |url=https://opi.mt.gov/Portals/182/Page%20Files/Indian%20Education/Social%20Studies/K-12%20Resources/Little%20Shell%20Study%20Guide.pdf |access-date=November 14, 2024 |website=State of Montana Office of Public Instruction}}</ref> driving out the [[Dakota people|Dakota]] and probably other tribes native to the areas now known as Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario in Canada, and Minnesota and Montana in the United States.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

The Little Shell are part of the historical [[Pembina Band of Chippewa Indians]], first recorded by European settlers in documents of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] at Fort Garry (Winnipeg) in the early 18th century. These logs and diaries show the [[Ojibwa people]] lived across approximately 63 million acres (250,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of land throughout what is now [[South Dakota]], [[North Dakota]] and Canada. By the early 19th century, many French Canadian men, mostly [[fur trappers]], had married into Ojibwe families.

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 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&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) 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.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

Senator [[Porter J. McCumber]] of North Dakota was sent to meet with the Pembina Band. During the first meeting, when the senator 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, which became 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.<ref>CHIPPEWA INDIANS of Yesterday and Today. Author: Levi, Sister M. Carolissa Book in english language. (1956). 385 pages. Publisher: Pageant Press, NY</ref> Nonetheless, the US Senate ratified the treaty after McCumber died in 1905. The federal officials told the Little Shell people to sign the treaty or risk starving to death.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

In 1892, the McCumber Agreement between the Turtle Mountain Indians and the Commission, the [[Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation]] was established, but many of the [[Little Shell Band of Chippewa Indians]] refused settlement there. Some Little Shell members did eventually settle on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. Others migrated north and west into Saskatchewan and Alberta, and then later made their way back south into Montana.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

In the mid-19th century, 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.{{cn|date=February 2023}}
===20th and 21st centuries===
Beginning in the late 20th century, the people of the tribe reorganized and first obtained [[state recognition]] In Montana in the late 1980s when Governor [[Stan Stephens]] signed authorizing legislation. The state recognition process formally incorporated the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana. They gained [[federal recognition]] in December 2019.<ref name=wapo/> Along the way, the Little Shell tribe opened a new event center in May 2014, located outside [[Great Falls, Montana]].<ref>{{Cite news
| title = Little Shell will dedicate center, discuss language
| work = Great Falls Tribune
| accessdate = 2014-05-05
| date = 2014-05-01
| url = http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20140501/NEWS01/305010047/Little-Shell-will-dedicate-center-discuss-language?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1
}}</ref>

==Government==
The Tribe maintained its integrity throughout the 20th century, long before federal recognition. The constitution has been revised, most recently in 2016. The government, social structure and culture have been maintained. The Little Shell Tribe is governed by a constitutionally defined elected Tribal Council. The Tribal Chairman is also elected. Four council seats are up for election every 4 years and three council seats every two years, in a largely mail-in balloting process. The tribal council meets regularly in Great Falls at least monthly, and quarterly meetings are held every quarter, in efforts to keep tribal members involved and informed.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

The Council are unpaid. Now that the tribe is federally recognized, the Little Shell qualify for federally funded government support services such as housing and medical facilities, typically provided to tribes recognized by the United States government. Little Shell Tribal members can obtain some services available in urban centers as well as public benefits available to all Montana residents.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

==Events of interest==

* Back to Batoche Celebration: An annual gathering of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa and sister Tribes of Metis in Canada, commemorating the [[North-West Rebellion|Riel Rebellion]], and including cultural activities, dancing, art and socializing, at [[Batoche, Saskatchewan]].
* Little Shell Pow Wow: Annual tribal pow wow usually occurring the 3rd weekend in August in Great Falls, Montana.<ref>{{cite news |title=2022 Little Shell Pow Wow |url=https://www.cascadenewspaper.com/2022-little-shell-pow-wow/article_00020786-0c3e-11ed-a1d2-0ba35de12a68.html |access-date=24 January 2023 |publisher=The Cascade Courier |date=July 25, 2022 |archive-date=24 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124152401/https://www.cascadenewspaper.com/2022-little-shell-pow-wow/article_00020786-0c3e-11ed-a1d2-0ba35de12a68.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Notable tribal members==
* [[Thomas Little Shell]]
* [[Chris La Tray]]

==Further reading==
*''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 history of the Metifs, including cultural issues, early photographs, political action descriptions and other historical data, from a Canadian perspective.
*Verne Dusenberry, "Waiting For A Day That Never Comes," ''Montana The Magazine of Western History.'' This article highlights the efforts of [[Joseph Dussome]] in organizing the tribe.
*Nicholas Church Peterson Vrooman, compiler. "Buffalo Voices: Stories told by Metis and Little Shell Elders," ''Turtle Island 1492-1992,'' ''North Dakota Quarterly'' Vol 59 No. 4, Fall 1991
*Nicholas C. P. Vrooman, ''The Whole Country was....One Robe: The Little Shell Tribe's America''
*Nicholas C. P. Vrooman, ''Plains/Chippewa/Metis Music from Turtle Mountain,'' Smithsonian/Folkways Recordings
*Joseph Kinsey Howard, ''Strange Empire,'' Minnesota Historical Society, reprint 1994, with introduction by Nicholas Vrooman. History of the Métis, Canadian Métis, Little Shell Tribe, Turtle Mountain and Pembina and related groups.
*Michael Loukinen, ''Medicine Fiddle'' (1992), film produced by Northern Michigan University. It features Metis and Chippewa music, dancing and spirituality. Also has interviews with musicians from several tribes and bands in the Western Great Lakes Red River area.
*Levi, Sister M. Carolissa, CHIPPEWA INDIANS of Yesterday and Today(1956).
*[https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/a-big-moment-finally-comes-for-the-little-shell-federal-recognition-of-their-tribe/2019/12/20/72f5ee86-204d-11ea-bed5-880264cc91a9_story.html], an article in the ''Washington Post''
*[http://www.littleshelltribe.com/miscdocs/history/WaitingForADayThatNeverComes.shtml Verne Dusenberry, "Waiting for a Day That Never Comes"], Little Shell Tribe History, ''Little Shell Tribe Newsletter'', hosted by Robert Dean Rudeseals [http://www.montanatribes.org/links_&_resources/tribes/Little_Shell.pdf The Little Shell Tribe of Montana] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110223127/http://www.montanatribes.org/links_%26_resources/tribes/Little_Shell.pdf |date=2011-01-10 }}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.montanalittleshelltribe.org/}}

{{Indian reservations in Montana}}
{{Pembina Chippewa}}
{{Cascade County, Montana}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Little Shell Tribe Of Chippewa Indians Of Montana}}
[[Category:Federally recognized tribes in the United States]]
[[Category:Métis in the United States]]
[[Category:Native American tribes in Montana]]
[[Category:Ojibwe governments]]
[[Category:Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana| ]]