The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1949-11-03
TO IL CzHhI
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.(NOTE: To insure getting into the
paper articles should be short and to
y the point. Ii a non-de-plume is used
the real name must tie
article for the editors information
Views expressed in this column are
those OF the writer who submitted
the article and do not necessarily
agree with the policy OF this paper.)
1t seems rather ironic that
the government Tor government
men and their constituents is
SO determined to "help" the
Crows with a costly project in
which they are. not interested
when for so many years they
have considered it impossible to
aid in plans suggested by the
Indians themselves. This alone
makes it clear that the pro-
posed dam is in no way meant
to be an aid to the Crows. No
person cognizant of former gov
eminent dealings with Indians
is fooled into believing this.
Those who profit from the ven
ture in the construction work
and those who for years have
made their living off the Indi-
ans can fool themselves into
thinking this.
Most of the land in this
country which Indians now own
was given" to them as it was
too barren and unproductive for
anyone else. Thus left without
their former resources for food
and clothing and with no other
means provided whereby they
could continue their independent
existance, they were called lazy
and shiftleSs. How many of you
know why the Crows weren't
forced off their land. Knowing
the fate of other tribes who had
been driven in death marches
from their lands to desert plac-
es, the Crows, after much dis
agreement among themselves as
to the wisdom of the course,
made an agreement with the
government that for the servic-
es to be rendered Fulfilled of
course) they would be allowed
to keep their land. This land
was known for years among
other tribes and early explorers
as the Crow Country and was
described by Washington Irving
in "Bonneville's Adventures" as
having Snowy mountains and
sunny plains; all kinds of eli
mates and good things for every
season. When the summer heats
scorch the prairies, you can
draw up under the mountains,
where the air is sweet and cool,
the grass fresh and the bright
streams come tumbling out of
the snow banks -. in the au-
tumn, when your horses are
fat and strong from the noun
tain pastures, you can go down
into the plains and hunt the
buffalo, or trap beaver in the
streams. And when winter
comes on, you can take shelter
in the woody bottoms along the
rivers, there you will find buff
falo meat for yourselves and
cotton wood bark or your horS-
es 90. The Crow Country is ex-
actly in the right place. Every
thing good is to be found there"
Naturally the whites thought
so too and naturally they want
ed it agreement or no agrre-
ment, isn't that the way it's
always been? It puts the Indi-
ans in a sad position to know
the word of most white men
thew have to deal with isn't
worth the paper it's written on.
When the whites began seep-
ing In, gradually the land was
lost, the boundaries which at
one time extended past Boze-
man, shrank back against the
mountains. ,
AS for the present scheme,
whatever else it might mean,
the mere fact that it will draw
in another influx of whites
with their ugly waste of land
and animal life, is threat
enough!
B w,