The Glacier reporter. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1953-current, 1954-04-16
TRIBAL COUNCIL VIEWPOINT HERE
STATED IN DETAILED EXPLANATION

The following statement,
explaining the Tribal Coun.
Gil viewpoint of the recent
oil developments, is a con.
tributed statement and will
be helpful in understanding
the current discussions:
There were several interesting
happenings last week affecting
the possibilities of large scale
reservation oil and gas develop
ment. Perhaps the most import.
ant was the action of the Black.
feet Tribal Council in urging the
delay in advertisement of all0tt.
cd lands on the Blackfeet rcscrv.
alton for oil and gas lease. and
also the defcrring of the request
of the Continental Oil company
for the advertisement of $4,000
acres Of trust land. resembling of
a previous action requesting Ger.
tain tribal lands be advertised
for oil and gas leases at the re.
quest of the Union Oil Company
of California. Also of interest. but
perhaps of less significance. was
the receipt by the council Of a
letter from the Commissioner of
Indian Affairs regarding the pro.
posal submitted by the Cullen in.
terests Of Houston. Texas. to the
Tribal Council for management
and development of the resources
Of the Blackfect reservation.
In January of this year. the
Union Oil company had request
ed the Tribal Council to adver.
tise some 10000 acres of tribal
lands for oil and gas leases. They
also requested the superintend.
ent to advertise some 10000 acres
of allotted lands. Both sales were
to be held on the same day. The
request for advertisement of tri.
bal lands was approved by the
council with the stipulation that
the council would have the right
to withdraw the tribal lands from
the advertisement at any time il
deemed il in the best interests
Of the Blackfcct tribe to do So"
The request for the allotted lands
was relaycd to the Secretary of
the Interior by the supcrintcnd.
cnt Of the Blackfcct Indian Agen.
cy for his approval. Since that
time. according to a member Of
the tribal council. the council
has acquired additional inform.
alton as to the lands involved and
have been urged by other oper.
ators to withhold the advertise.
mcnt Of these lands until seismic
surveys now being conducted on
the reservation can be completed.
In explaining their action. mem.
bcrs Of the council have stated
that they felt a delay in the ad.
vertisemcnt would serve to pro.
mote competition and they felt
that as no charge was or is made
for Scismograph permits on the
reservation and no prc.cmptory
right or preference is given hold.
crs Of the various gcophysical
permits. their action was justi.
fled
4 letter was received by the
Blackfrct Tribal Council this
week from the Commissioner Of
Indian Affairs dealing with the
plan submitted to the Tribal
Council by l.ucicn Cullen and
associates of Houston. Texas. Al.
though the letter was not rccciv.
cd by the council until April 8.
excerpts taken from the letter
were published in the Billings
Gazette on April 7 and in the
Great Falls Tribune with consid.
cradle comment on April o. 4
Tribal Council spokesman point.
cd out that according to inStruc.
tons from the Secretary Of the
Interiors office. the letter was
not to he released to the public
until il had been received by the
council. but Paul l.. Fickingcr.
area director. took II upon him
! self to release II to the press
before the council had received
il. and IN fact. before even the
, tribal attorney could be- furnish.
cd a copy Of II. The council has
voiced their objections to the
I method Of publicity employed by
the Area Office of the Bureau OF
Indian Affairs on several occa
sions. claiming that the releases
are not factual and only give per
sonal interpretations which arc