There has been much political effort to address the issues of the long sought federal recognition of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Posted on the Little Shell website was Rep. Daines estimation, that while the bill has cleared the U.S. Senate, Daines states the bill has a realistic chance for passage in the U.S. House. It will also be to Daine's own party whether the U.S. House passes the bill, and pushes Daines over the top in Montana, or whether the game of hot potato endures yet another election season.
To be sure, my run for the U.S. House awakened a sleeping giant that in reality dwarfs the political hunger games that is Little Shell recognition. At 4,500 members, the Little Shell story of the abuse, denial and neglect of the Chippewa peoples is just one story. After my historic run in the U.S. House Democratic primary; the issue of unenrolled and disenrolled peoples of Chippewa descent began as a small spark within the Blackfeet tribe as the BEAR referendum effort to address the failure of the tribe's blood quantum law.
On closer look; the Chippewa movement that has had a Little Shell face is now an exploding issue on Montana's political landscape. It will shape the face of the United States Senate in 2014. I support Little Shell recognition, to be sure, as I support the restoration of the full treaty rights of the BEAR descendants who are struggling to retain a sense of tribal identity in the future, and I support the reform of the Rocky Boy roll which I descend from.
Smart politics for Obama would be to direct the Interior Agency to begin reform and restoration of all Chippewa descendants, here in Montana--a battleground state, that number tops 30,000 people, and may spiral up to 40,000. Obama must seize the moment, and address the fate of the Pembina Chippewa descendants in the state:
1. The illegally disenrolled Chippewa off the Rocky Boy 1908 Roll must be restored to self government, and there must be an admission by Interior that the Chippewa Cree Tribe is not a historic American tribe but was a created tribe pursuant to the 1935 IRA, and has no Chippewa guidance in the affairs of the tribe, that has led to gross mismanagement of the Pembina judgment funds.
2. The 5,000-30,000 or so Blackfeet/Chippewa descendants who spurred the BEAR movement that in turn has all but shutdown the effective functioning of the Blackfeet nation.
3. Federal recognition of the offshoot of the Rocky Boy--the Ahontoays Band, which I am the president of, and comprises the descendants of Robert Gopher only.
4. The Little Shell recognition.
An Executive Order should be authored to enforce the federal recognition of the Chippewa people who are the descendants of Chippewa treaty tribes. Obama;'s former deputy chief of staff and Montanan, Jim Messina scored a great deal of political successes for his boss and for former Sen. Baucus, using the wooden Indian Jonathan Windy Boy. Windy Boy is a Cree descendant from Canada, a descendant of the Little Bear Band of Cree. If the Democratic powers that be insist on this incorrect course of action, and continue toward their self destructive path as they have and which will be revealed here in tomorrow's post--we as Chippewa descendants believe the Democrats can restore an honor Chippewa sovereignty as it is required to by the treaties that are the law of the land.
The last time I checked, Jonathan Windy Boy was not a U.S. treaty descendant, yet despite tribal mismanagement, theft of Pembina judgment funds, alleged sexual assaults, and tax evasion, his Democrat stalwarts have stood by him. We intend to change this, and hear us loud and clear Democrats: We have passed on Walsh, at this late hour, it is time for the DNC to take a realistic look at Adams because we will not tolerate the Baucus buddy network--it has only served to heighten Windy Boy's embarrassment to the party. And if this cannot be done, we are comfortable with Daines. More on that tomorrow..............
