Little Shell Band of the Chippewa Tribe

Little Shell tribe is a recognized by the state of Montana

Tribal Headquarters
Little Shell Tribe

P.O. Box 543

Black Eagle, Mt 59414

History
Chippewas have lived in Montana for a very long time. Centuries before the whites invaded the America's. In Montana, the Algonquians are known as the Arapaho (that includes the Gros Ventre), Blackfeet, Cheyenne, Chippewa, and Cree. The Flathead (they include the Kailspel, Pend d'Oreille, and Spokane) are a mixture of Algonquin and non Algonquin Indians. Their language is in fact a part of the Algonquian language family.

What brought the Chippewas west into the Montana region was prophecy. They were alarmed about the Seven Fires Prophecy and reacted with intense acceptance. Survival was put first. They commenced to migrate west into the Montana region about 1,000 to 1,500 years ago. Thus, the reason for why the Flathead People including the Kalispel, Pend d'Oreille, and Spokane speak the same language. Ojibway authors from the 19th century, wrote about the Chippewas forcing their way west into Montana and fighting the Flatheads. This ancient war happened long ago.

In Montana, the Chippewas are also known as the Arapaho (that includes the Gros Ventre), Blackfeet, Cheyenne, and Cree. The Cree are the northern Chippewas. And the Blackfeet are Cree according to those who have researched their history and linguistics. They are also known as the Ma-ski-go-walk. It means Swamp or Swampy People. Cheyenne means south in Chippewa. Of course, the Chippewa word for south is Shawan. Most think it is pronounced as Sha-wan but it is really pronounced as Shaw-an. Both the Arapaho (that includes the Gros Ventre) and Cheyenne, are the same people.

The Nez Perce
They are also Chippewa. In the Lake Nipissing region of Ontario, the Amikwa Chippewas live. Actually they live between the north shores of Lake Huron and Lake Nipissing. Amikwa in Chippewa means Beavers. The Amikwa are also known as the Nez Perce. The Amikwa Chippewas were forced to retreat from the Lake Nipissing region before 1661, by the white invaders and their Indian allies. By 1661, they were living along the northern shores of Lake Superior. They continued to follow prophecy and migrated west into the Alberta and Montana region. After reaching the Montana region, they commenced to wage war against the Flatheads. They eventually migrated west into Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. They also migrated down into northern California. Other Amikwa Chippewas migrated north into northern Alberta and northern British Columbia. They are the Beaver Tribe including the Sekani, of that region.

The 1876-1877 War
In 1876, the United States launched a military campaign against the Montana Chippewas. It lasted for nearly 3 years. The Nez Perce did not commence an exodus east, they commenced an exodus west, as told to do in the Seven Fires Prophecy. A few years earlier, the United States created a large Reservation for the Montana Chippewas.

Judith Basin Indian Reservation
On August 16, 1873, the United States created the Judith Basin Indian Reservation for the Montana Chippewas. The causes of the 1876-1877 War, was the United States not honoring the treaty which created the vast Judith Basin Indian Reservation. Click this link memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/S to read the August 16, 1873 Treaty. The Crow had no part in the October 17, 1855 Treaty which created the original Blackfeet Reservation. It means the treaty is corrupt or invalid because it's hiding important information. The real Judith Basin Indian Reservation is a Chippewa Reservation. It covers the land areas in Montana with the numbers 398, 399, and 574. About a month earlier, the United States had also created another Chippewa Reservation. That happened on July 5, 1873. Click this link memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/S to read the July 5, 1873 Treaty. On the bottom of the page is a link. Click the Montana 1 link. The page has a map of the Chippewa Reservation. It has the numbers 565 and 574.

However, the real Judith Basin Indian Reservation has the numbers 398, 399, and 574. As mentioned, the United States is hiding important information. The Crow had no part in the October 17, 1855 Treaty which created the original Blackfeet Reservation. Click this link memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/S to read the October 17, 1855 Treaty which created the original Blackfeet Reservation. On the bottom of the page are the Montana 1 link and Wyoming 1 link. Click the Montana 1 link. The original Blackfeet Reservation has the numbers 398, 399, 574, and 565. Part of the 398 land area is located in northwestern Wyoming. You will also notice that the treaty was signed by the Blackfoot, Flathead, and Nez Perce. That means the Nez Perce live in Montana.

Land Claim Lawsuit
In 1950, Joseph Dussome, Elizabeth Swan, leaders from Rocky Boy's Reservation, and other Chippewa leaders, hired a lawyer then filed a land claim lawsuit in 1951. Instead of including the entire land area of the original Blackfeet Reservation which was created on October 17, 1855, they confined their land claim to the land area of the original Blackfeet Reservation with the number 565. On April 5, 1974, the United States again refused to honor treaty. They rejected the land claim lawsuit.

Those Little Shell Chippewas who continue to side with what Joseph Dussome and those other Chippewa leaders who filed the land claim lawsuit, must relocate their Little Shell Tribe office to the area with the number 565. They don't belong in Great Falls. Great Falls is within the Judith Basin Indian Reservation. Dussome and those other Little Shell Chippewa leaders made themselves clear. They confined their land claim lawsuit to the area with the number 565.

Brief Timeline
A.D. 1000

First Chippewa's possibly invaded the Montana region. However, it may have happened centuries earlier or possibly later.

A.D. 1492

A planned expedition to the west was led by an Italian. They sailed towards the west for several months before landing on one of the islands of what is now the Bahamas.

A.D. 1600

Chippewa's from the Montana region were possibly sent to the east to support the Great Lakes Chippewa's in wars against the invading whites and their Indian allies. According to Chippewa author George Copway, the Chippewa's forced their way to the east from the west.

A.D. 1805

Lewis and Clark reached the Great Falls, Montana region on June 13. They discovered the village situated near where the current Hill 57 Chippewa settlement is.

A.D. 1816

Chief Ignace (Aeneas) Paul arrived to the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana. He was possibly the first Paul to live in Montana. If he was, the Montana Paul clan laid down their first roots in western Montana. Antoine Plante had reached Montana a few years before.

A.D. 1850

White settlers commenced to invade the Great Plains from the West and East. Chippewa soldiers were constantly at war against the invading whites and their Indian allies.

A.D. 1877

Last of the Chippewa Wars against the United States were fought in Montana. Many Chippewa's followed prophecy and migrated west into Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Canada.

A.D. 1886 or 1888

Joseph Paul is born near Fort McGinnis, Montana. His birth is strange because his mother may have been Elzear Paul's first wife. She was Rose LaPlante. She passed away in 1881. Click on the worldconnect.genealogy link below to learn about the mother and the mysterious birth of Joseph Paul.

A.D. 1896

Chippewa's are forced to relocate to Canada and the Flathead Reservation. Many, however, continue to refuse to relocate to Reservations.

A.D. 1904

Chippewa's are set aside a Reservation in the northwestern part of the Flathead Reservation.

A.D. 1906

Many Chippewa's are upset about the Land Act's. On November 2, 1906 a group of Chippewa's were stopped in southeastern Montana by United States soldiers. White historians claim the Indians were Utes but they were Chippewa's. They were relocated to the Cheyenne River Reservation of South Dakota.

A.D. 1908

Swan Valley Massacre leads to 4 Chippewa's and one white being killed. The massacre happened a few miles east of the Flathead Reservation. The Valley County Chippewa Reservation was possibly set aside.

A.D. 1909

Up to 200 Chippewa's are relocated to a new Chippewa Reservation on the northwestern part of the Blackfeet Reservation.

A.D. 1910

Chief Pennato leads 100s of Chippewa's off their new Reservation in the Blackfeet Reservation in late 1910. Many fled towards southwest Montana then into Idaho. By early 1911, they are in northern Nevada. A small group of perhaps 12, butchered four white ranchers and one Chinese man. On February 26, 1911 a white posse caught them in northwestern Nevada and killed eight of them. It is known as the Shoshone Mike Massacre.

A.D. 1916

Rocky Boy Reservation is established. Up to 500 Chippewa's were relocated to the new Reservation just west of the Fort Belknap Reservation.

A.D. 1918

Last exodus of the Montana Chippewa's leads to up to 200 Chippewa's being relocated to the Navajo Reservation. Many fled to Hill 57. Between 1900 and 1934, 1,000s of Montana Chippewa's were relocated to the Navajo Reservation. In the 1940s, many were relocated to the Colorado River Indian Reservation of Arizona and California.

A.D. 1921

Joseph Paul forms the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana. He claims the July 16, 1855 Hell Gate Treaty and October 17, 1855 Blackfeet Treaty, are not valid.

A.D. 1934

Indian Reorganization Act is passed. Several 1,000 Chippewa's are still living off Reservation in their own communities. Their communities or enclaves or ghettos, were usually located adjacent to or very near white settlements. Though the number of Chippewa off Reservation communities had dropped since 1900, there were still a few in the 1930s. During the 1930s, the United States relocated 1,000s of Montana Chippewa's to the Navajo Reservation. Land additions were added to the Navajo Reservation in 1930 and 1934, specifically for the landless Chippewa's of Montana and also California and Nevada. Several thousand Montana Chippewa's followed prophecy in the early 20th century and migrated towards California. Between 1906 and the 1930s, up to 50 Rancherias were set aside for the Chippewa's living in California. Many Chippewa Colonies were set aside in Nevada as well.

A.D. 1950

Joseph Paul passed away. To this day the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana are not recognized by the United States. Joseph Paul made certain it would stay that way. To learn about the land owned by the Chippewa's at Little Shell Mountain (Hill 57) which was auctioned off in 1950, click the digital.library.okstate.edu link below. Though the United States won't let the truth be known, the Chippewa's did own considerable land around Hill 57. The current Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana were in a dispute some time ago which was recently settled. They are after federal recognition.

What you don't know about this group of Chippewa's is the land Joseph Paul claimed. That is nearly all of Montana and parts of several other States. Joseph Dussome tried to settle the dispute. We will keep Joseph Paul's defiance alive!

Reservations
Blackfeet Indian Reservation (Montana)

Flathead Indian Reservation (Montana)

Fort Belknap Indian Reservation (Montana)

Rocky Boy Indian Reservation (Montana)

Crow-Northern Cheyenne Reservation.

Fort Peck Reservation.

Wind River Reservation.

Uintah-Ouray Reservation.

Fort Hall Reservation.

Nez Perce Reservation.

Coeur d'Alene Reservation.

Colville-Spokane Reservation.

Yakima Reservation.

Warm Springs Reservation.

Klamath Reservation.

Coastal Oregon Reservation.

Hoopa-Yurok Reservation.

Round Valley Reservation.

All California Indian Rancherias.

Important Web Sites

 * Constitution of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana
 * worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi
 * www.bia.gov/idc/groups/xofa/documents/text/idc-001419.pdf
 * digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler/Vol6/html_files/v6p0509b.html
 * www.anishinabe-history.com/navajo-reservation-land-additions-map.png