Chippewa Cree Tribe

Chippewa Cree Tribe
Name	Chippewa Cree Tribe
Caption	Entrance sign to the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation
Population	~3,800 enrolled members
Popplace	Montana, United States
Languages	Ojibwe, Assiniboine, English
Religions	Traditional Ojibwe spirituality, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism
Related	Ojibwe, Saulteaux, Assiniboine, Métis

Chippewa Cree Tribe

The Chippewa Cree Tribe is a federally recognized Indigenous people based on the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation in north-central Montana, near Box Elder, Montana and Havre, Montana. The tribal population descends primarily from Ojibwe (also known as Chippewa) and Assiniboine ancestors and maintains cultural, political, and economic institutions that interact with federal entities such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs and courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

History

The people now organized as the Chippewa Cree Tribe trace ancestral ties to Ojibwe migrations from the eastern Great Lakes region and to Assiniboine people of the northern Plains, with historical intersections near waterways like the Missouri River, Milk River, and Browning corridors. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, leaders such as Chippewa Chief Rocky Boy (also referenced as Stone Child) petitioned the United States Congress and the Office of Indian Affairs for a land base, culminating in the establishment of the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation through congressional acts and executive orders influenced by legislators including Senator Mike Mansfield and attorneys who worked on allotment and reservation policy. The reservation’s legal status evolved through litigation in venues including the United States District Court for the District of Montana and disputes adjudicated before the United States Supreme Court on issues of enrollment, allotment, and trust land. Federal statutes such as the Indian Reorganization Act and the Indian Child Welfare Act have influenced tribal governance and family law on the reservation. The tribe’s history also intersects with national events like World War II, which saw members serve in the United States Armed Forces and veterans seek federal benefits under programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Culture and Language

Cultural life blends Ojibwe lifeways—including practices connected to the Anishinaabe languages, seasonal ceremonies like pow wows, and teachings from elders—with Assiniboine traditions such as horse culture and Plains flute music. Language revitalization programs draw on Ojibwe language lexicons, curriculum models from the Bureau of Indian Education, and resources patterned after programs at institutions like Haskell Indian Nations University and Salish Kootenai College. Community events incorporate regalia, drumming circles, and songs related to pan-tribal observances such as Native American Heritage Day and participation in regional gatherings at locations like Fort Peck Indian Reservation and Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Cultural preservation efforts interact with museums and archives including the Smithsonian Institution and the Montana Historical Society for documentation, repatriation processes under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and collaboration with ethnomusicologists and linguists from universities such as University of Montana and Montana State University.

Government and Political Organization

The tribe is governed by an elected tribal council that operates under a constitution ratified after debates influenced by models from other tribes, including the Crow Tribe and Northern Cheyenne Tribe. Tribal officials engage with federal agencies such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs and participate in intertribal bodies like the National Congress of American Indians and the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians. Legal representation and litigation have involved law firms and litigants appearing before courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Montana Supreme Court. Political issues have involved relationships with state authorities like the Montana Legislature and tribal-federal compacts akin to those negotiated by tribes such as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in areas of taxation and regulatory authority.

Reservation and Land

Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation, established in the early 20th century, lies in Hill County, Montana and Chouteau County, Montana and is proximate to communities such as Havre, Montana and Box Elder, Montana. Land base issues have included allotment histories driven by the Dawes Act, fee-to-trust acquisitions, and litigation over reservation boundaries similar to disputes involving the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and Tulalip Tribes. Natural resources on and near reservation lands intersect with federal statutes like the National Environmental Policy Act and agencies including the Bureau of Land Management and United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The reservation supports cultural sites and cemeteries subject to National Historic Preservation Act review and coordination with programs such as the Montana State Historic Preservation Office.

Economy and Infrastructure

Economic development initiatives have included enterprises in agriculture and ranching paralleling operations on other Northern Plains reservations, tribal fuel distribution, and retail ventures modeled after projects by the Pueblo of Acoma and Navajo Nation. The tribe has pursued gaming and hospitality enterprises consistent with the regulatory framework of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and compacts like those negotiated by the Tulalip Tribes; such efforts involve negotiation with the State of Montana. Infrastructure projects involve federal funding from programs administered by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Indian Health Service for water, housing, and roads, sometimes coordinated with the Federal Highway Administration on transportation corridors linking to Interstate 15 and state highways. Economic partnerships have included collaborations with regional entities such as the Hi-Line Economic Development Corporation and tribal enterprises modeled after the Choctaw Nation and Rosebud Sioux Tribe.

Education and Health Services

Educational services on the reservation include schools affiliated with the Bureau of Indian Education and collaborations with institutions such as the University of Montana — Havre and community colleges like Aaniiih Nakoda College. Health services are provided through the Indian Health Service and tribal clinics that coordinate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and programs for behavioral health modeled on initiatives used by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. Child welfare and family services are influenced by federal statutes such as the Indian Child Welfare Act and interactions with state systems in Montana. Public health challenges and responses have engaged agencies like the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and federal vaccination campaigns.

Notable Members and Contemporary Issues

Notable members and leaders have included tribal chairpersons and advocates who have interacted with national figures and institutions such as Senator Conrad Burns and policy programs of the Department of the Interior. Contemporary issues include enrollment disputes and membership criteria similar to controversies faced by the Cherokee Nation, natural resource management debates comparable to those involving the Nez Perce Tribe, and health and social challenges paralleling work by the White Buffalo Calf Woman Society and regional non-profits. The tribe engages in intertribal collaborations with groups such as the National Indian Health Board and participates in federal policy discussions involving the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency on matters of law enforcement and environmental protection.

Category:American Indian tribes in Montana Category:Assiniboine Category:Ojibwe