Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-08-19
CLUBS
TO AID INDIANS
GREAT FALLS ORGANIZATION MEETS
EIGHT BLACKFEET CHIEFS TO
ESTABLISH CONTACT

EtGffI Btithf Ell 1HtiLES ~
ESTABLISH CONTACT
Red Mans Buffalo Is Now the Earth and
the Pillow Is His Arrow, Bird Rather
Tribes Head Man Tells Whites In Con-
ference Under shadow of Big Stack
Eight Blaekfeet indian chiefs AN
back on their reservations after hav-
ing attended a meeting at Great Falls
at which they pledged their good faith
and best efforts towards aiding the
Kiwanis clubs of the Montana district
in bringing about a better economic
status for the tribe and advancing the
citizenship Of its members.
The Indians were invited TO Great
Falls as the initial step upon the part
of the Kiwanians towards forming a
friendly contact with the Blackfeet peo-
pie with the idea of eventually working
out q program among the Kiwanis clubs
of the state whereby they nay be of as
sistance in aiding the Blackfeet to carry
On q constructive program.
The Great Falls Kiwanis club is the
second one in Montana to move towards
helping the Indians gain a foothold in
the agricultural and industrial ways OF
the white man. Several years ago work
of that kind was begun by the Billings
CluD among the SrONS.
As a result the Kiwanians of Montana
now number on their rolls two of the
most powerful Indian chieftians of their
day. Plenty oos of the Crows having
been made an honorary member OF the
Billings clubs several years ago, and Chief
Bird Rather upon the occasion of his re-
cent visit to Great Falls, having had hon.
orary membership in the Great Falls XII
wants club conferred upon him..
Smell Now big Thunder
Not to be outdone in the matter of
friendly advances. George Smell of Bill
lings. internationally prominent N XII
wants affairs n a member Of the in
ternational board of trustees of Kiwanis,
was adopted into the Grow tribe by Chief
Plenty Coos and given the significant
name of Big Thunder, the selection of
the name being an attest to he per-
spicacity of the old chief. Likewise. the
Blackfeet returned the courtesy Of one
of their tsibesmen being taken into the
Kiwar3s club, by adopting President
George Dabler of the Kiwanis club into
their rib The ceremony was perform
ed by Chief Bird Rather and the name
of Spotted Horse given to the new re-
cruit.
One feature OF the Great Falls meeting
with the Blackfeet was the presence Of
Representative Scott Leavitt, a member
OF the house Indian affairs committee,
who addressed the meeting upon THE
Indian From the Viewpoint of Congress"
Each OF the chiefs was given a present
Of q blanket by the Kiwanis club, and
were also given opportunity to place their
hands on the big stack at the smelter of
the Anaconda Copper Mining company.
They had often seen 1t at a distance,
they explained in expressing their de-
sire, but had never had a chance to
touch the huge
Indians In Council
The Blackfeet chieftians who attended
the conference, were Bird Rather, White
CULVER, Eagle Chief, Black Weazel, Old
Man. Bear Child. Little Plume and Crow
Feather. all Of them full bloods and men
of much influence n standing on the
reservation. Crow Feather is a graduate
Of the old Carlisle Indian school and
played upon one of that colleges most
famous teams. He acted as interpreter.
Eagle Chief is the most famous of all
the present Blackfeet head men. he hav-
ing been a scout with General Howard In
his campaign against the Flatheads and
the Nee Perces in the early territorial
days. They were accompanied TO Great
Falls by F.. c.. Campbell OF Browning, dis
trict superintendent of Indian relations.
I'VE are glad to be here" Chief Bird
Rather said, through the interpreter, be-
~D>0 A@ w ktlS A(cCl 4 IVA
forefathers once owned all Of the land
where Great Falls now stands and I am
glad to see 1t again. When the Black
feet owned this country there was moth
ing here but buffalo and there was much
other game. 1t was a beautiful country.
Now we come here again through the
invitation OF Spotted Horse president
Dabler OF the Kiwanis club) and meet
you in this big lodge Hotel Rainbow
We see many wonderful things. The In
dams also invite the stranger to their
lodge and we ask them to come through
the white chief here. We have smoked
in your big lodge and you now are broth
ers OF the Blackfeet.
No More Buffalo
The Blackfeet always were friendly
with the whites. Never was there war
between the Blackfeet and the pale
faces. I am one OF the poor Indians,
but / have much property in trust. Now
times have changed. 1t is different than
when we hunted here. We still aunt
buffalo, but not like we used to. The
earth now Is the buffalo and the pillow
Is my arrow
"A short time ago I represented my peo-
pie at Washington to what can be done
for the tribe. The big white chief there
said there were no tribal funds, but the
government would help us to help our
selves. 1t was then l saw the earth was
the buffalo and the pillow was my arrow.
l can't do 1t very we'll, but ! am starting.
| am poor and helpless. / cannot chase
the buffalo as / used to, but at my back
Is a man superintendent Campbell) who
is trying to show me the new way. 1t
makes me feel glad to my heart that
near lis Is a man who knows how. Be-
fore him we had other white chiefs at
the reservation, but now we are succeed
ing.
If the Blackfeet get the money that
is due them under the treaty of 1885 we
can use 1t well. 1t will build big lodges
on the reservation-we must have some
thing to build with. II / had what is
due me I can build as / would like,
What the white people have built here
on the Blackfeet's old buffalo ground
speaks for itself; we would like to build