The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-07-20
CHIEFS
WANT S75O,OOO,OOO
SAY WHITE MAN DEPRIVED RED
OF IMMENSE LAND HOLDINGS
IN MONTANA
Assert that Federal Government Vio-
lated Old Treaties and Ask for
compensation; Some Old Treaties
Recalled.

Many years ago claims were lodg
ed Dy the head men of the Blackfee
nation with the government for Iarg
sums of money as recompense TO
their having been deprived of vas
TRACTS of land in Montana by the en-
croachment of the whites and upoI
the assumption that the government
had violated their treaty rights to th'
lands.
From time to time in recent year:
these claims have been rejuvenateC
and similar claims have been pres
ented by other tribes of nations
through firms of attorneys who were
employed upon a contingency basis
to recover for the Indians something
from the wreck of their former hunt
ing grounds out of which they had
been driven by the whites in the lat
ter half of the nineteenth century.
Nothing was ever gained by the
Indians through the medium of these
claims as it was always set forth by
the government that the various
tribes concerned had repeatedly vio-
lated their treaties by engaging in
warfare against the whites and other
tribes and from the fact that the
great bulk of the land which had ori-
g1nally been allotted to them, had
subsequently been coded to the gov
eminent through agreements entered
into with the Indians.
Claim for $3.50, O0O, 900
Recently, however, a court of
claims has been established in Wash
ington, through which claims against
the government may be presented
and established and through the
findings of which the congress might
be induced to make appropriation for
the relief of the claimant.
Through this medium the Sioux
tribe of Indians has filed its claim
for 100000 for lands which it
claims to have been deprived by the
government, and its lead has been
followed by the Nez Perces Indians
who claim title to practically all the
land south of the Missouri river be-
tween Missoula and Miles City, and
by the Cheyenne Indians who are
laying claim to the country east of
that claimed by the Nez Perces and
extending to the Black Hills in South
Dakota.
Not only are these and other
tribes of Indians basing their claims
upon their early treaty rights, but
they claim them by right of conquest
and possession from the days as far
back as Indian traditions or records
of the whites extend.
Tho fret oonoraI froofxv anfarad IN,
to between the government and the
various nations and tribes of Indians
occupying Montana was concluded |
October IT, 1855, and in the division |
of territory between the several ma
tons the commissioners used as a |
basis the recognition of tribal rights
as fixed in the so-called treaty of
Laramie although that treaty had |
never been ratified.
Division of Indian Territory
The treaty of Laramie was made
and concluded September IT,. 1851,
at Fort Laramie in the Indian ter
ritory, between commissioners of the
United States and chiefs, headmen
and braves of the Sioux or Dahco-
tabs, Cheyennes, Arapahoes, Crows,
Assinniboines, eros Ventres, Man
dams and Arickaras nations residing
south of the Missouri river, east of
the Rocky mountains. Article of
this treaty divided up that immense
stretch of territory as follows:
Article 5-The aforesaid Indian
nations do hereby recognize and ac-
knowledge the following tracts of
country as their respective territor-
les, viz:
The territory of the Sioux or Dab
cotah nation, commencing at the
mouth of the White Earth river, on
the Missouri river; thence in a south
westerly direction to the forks of the
Platte river; thence up the north
fork of the Platte river to point
known as the Red Butte, or where
he road leaves the river; thence
along the range of mountains known
Is the Black Hills to the headWaters
If Heart river; thence down Heart
liver to it's mouth; and thence down
he Missouri river to the place of it's
The territory of the eros Ventres,
Iandans, and Arickaras nations,
commencing at the mouth of Heart ]
liver; thence up the Missouri river
o the mouth of the Yellowstone
liver; thence up the Yellowstone
liver to the mouth of the Powder :
liver in a southeasterly direction, to :
he headwaters of the Little Mis-
ouri river; thence along the Black
ILLS to the head of Heart river, and
hence down the Heart river to the |
lace of beginning.
The territory of the Assinniboine
alton, commencing at the mouth of
'ellowstone river; thence up the
Iissouri river to the mouth of the :
river; thence from the T
louth of the Muscle-Shell river in a
direction till it strikes :
he headwaters of Big Dry creek;
renee down that creek to where it
mpties into the Yellowstone river,
early opposite the mouth of Pow
er river, and thence down the yell :
'wstone river to the place of begin
ing.
BIackfeet Territory
The territory of the Blackfeet ma :
on, commencing at the mouth of
uscle-Shell river; thence up the :
~ ~ - sfo fhanan II