The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-05-09
THE STORY of the appearance of
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ryHE STORY of the appearance o.
the Rocky Boy tribe in Montana
= and their many years of wander
ing until finally rescued and placed
upon the Rocky Boy reservation is
one of the little mentioned phrases
of Montana history.
Rocky Boy, the late chieftain OF
this rowing band of Canadian Cree
Indians, who infested the dumps and
garbage cans of our large cities for
80 years or more, was, according to
his story and local tradition, Chip
pewa Indian from one of the North
ern Minnesota tribes. Many years
ago, while he was young man, he
left his native village, accompanied
by his sister and a few of his fellow
braves and followers. They immi-
grated to Canada. Residing in that
country for period of years, his
sister married an Indian chief of one
of the Cree tribes named Big Bear.
firing of life in Canada he later
moved back into Montana and sell
ected, for his camping and hunting
grounds, the vicinity of Fort ASSN
niboine.
Insurrection of 1886
In 1886 the Canadian half-breeds
under the leadership of Louis Riel,
undertook to redress what the many
breeds in the Canadian northwest
considered their wrongs and staged
an armed rebellion against the Cana
dian government, the avowed purpose
of which was to drive the white men
out of that country and establish a
government and Independent country
for the half breed or Metis nation
as they styled themselves. This was
one of the early efforts at what is
now called self-determination of peo-
pies.
In a frenzied effort to defeat the
Canadian forces the breeds enlisted
the support of certain of the Indian
tribes. Among them being band
of young braves led by chieftain
called Little Bear, a son of Big Bear |
who had married the sister of Rocky |
Boy. These young warriors, carried |
away by the pleasing prospect of kill |
ing white people and the greed for |
loot, committed many depredations |
among the white settlers and their
families. They also attacked some
of the missions and it is alleged they |
killed one or more of the sisters and |
priests in charge.
RieI Hanged at Regina
The rebellion was put down by the
Canadian troops. The final victory
was at the battle of Batoche, where
the half breeds and their Indian al
lies were thoroughly defeated and
routed by the Canadian militia, but
not without severe loss of life among
the flower of Canadian youth. The
90th Battalion of Winnipeg infantry Il
suffered most severely by reason of
their taking the bit between their
teeth and charging the, rifle pits of
the rebels without orders from the
officer.
Following the defeat of the rebels !
and the suppression of the revolt,
Louis RieI, the leader, was tried and
condemned. He was later hanged
at Regina, the seat of government of [
the then Northwest Territories.
Little Bear and his followers, hav- I
ing committed many crimes against !
the settlers families, were afraid to
lake advantage of the pardon to all I
offered by the Canadian t
government. Not that they feared /
he officers of the law, but many men t
whose homes had been destroyed and
wives and children outraged and tor |
.ured, had sworn vengeance against I
Little Bear and his warriors. b
Such being the status of their af- e
airs, we find that these Indians, 2
lfraid to return to their reservations
n Canada, turned to the only succor Il
hey knew and came across the line t.
INTO Montana as fast as they could "
neak away. I am told that they did r
lot come in body, but by twos and g
hrees. What was more natural then o
han that Little Bear would seek out Il
lis Uncle Rocky Boy and join his c.
amp? c.
Later, as opportunity presented, t.
he wives and families of these refu- c
ees came across to join their hus-I
ands. BY the year 1888 there was a.
camp of nearly 100 lodges of these u
indians in the vicinity of Fort AS g
inniboine and these people managed f
0 make living by hunting, fishing