The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1923-07-19
BLACKFEET CHIEFS
WANT ~$75O,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 by the head men of the Blackfee
nation with the government for largl
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 upol
the assumption that the government
had violated their treaty rights to tn,
lands.
From time to time in recent year.
these claims have been rejuvenatet
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
Deen 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 orr
ginally been allotted to them, had
subsequently been ceded to the gov
ernment through agreements entered
into with the Indians.
Claim for 5O,OOO,O0O
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 it's claim
for S750,000,00 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.
The first general treaty entered in
to between the government and the
various nations and tribes of Indians
Montana was concluded
October IT, 1855, and in the division
of territory between the several ma
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
md concluded September IT, 1851,
1t Fort Laramie in the Indian ter
'itory, between commissioners of the
United States and chiefs, headmen
braves of the Sioux or Dahco-
abs, Cheyennes, ArapahOes, Crows,
Assinniboines, eros Ventres, Man
lans and Arickaras nations residing
iouth of the Missouri river, east of
he Rocky mountains. Article 5 of
his treaty divided up that immense
of territory as follows:
Article 5-The aforesaid Indian
lations do hereby recognize and ac-
knowledge the following tracts of
country as their respective territor-
es, viz:
The territory of the Sioux or Dab
'otah nation, commencing at the
mouth of the White Earth river, on
he Missouri river; thence in a south
westerly direction to the forks of the
Platte river; thence up the north
ork of the Platte river to a point
.nown as the Red Butte, or where
he road leaves the river; thence
long the range of mountains known
s the Black Hills to the headwaters
f Heart river; thence down Heart
liver to its mouth; and thence down
he Missouri river to the place of its
eginning.
The territory of the eros Ventres,
1andans, and Arickaras nations,
commencing at the mouth of Heart
liver; thence up the Missouri river
the mouth of the Yellowstone
liver; thence up the Yellowstone
iver to the mouth of the Powder
lver 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
commencing at the mouth of
ellowstone river; thence up the +;
[issouri river to the mouth of the ,
-uscle-Shel1 river; thence from the
louth Of the Muscle-Shell river in a
,utheasterly direction till it strikes :
le headwaters of Big Dry creek;
renee down that creek to where it I
into the Yellowstone river,
early opposite the mouth of Pow :
or river, and thence down the yell :
'wstone river to the place of begin '
BIackfeet Territory
The territory of the Blackfeet ma :
on, commencing at the mouth of
uscle-Shell river; thence up the :
issouri river to it's source; thence b