Landowners Association hoping to form at Northern Cheyenne

LAME DEER, MT. – On March 20, 2024, a small group of landowners from the Northern Cheyenne Reservation convened. Their purpose – to revitalize the tribal landowner’s association. That formerly was a group of allottees, organized to voice the concerns of such individual landowners. However, it became defunct many years ago.

Johnny Three Fingers, an heir to allotted lands has decided to bring that association back to life as a means of allowing allottees to express concerns about the leasing of their lands, which is managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, that income then distributed to the landowners.

“I submitted three requests to the Tribal Council to have our concerns heard,” he reported. “But have been denied because of not being formally organized.”

Thus, Three Fingers sought assistance from Western Native Voice, a non-profit located in Billings. That organization receives funds to empower Native people, with an emphasis on voting.

Ronnie Joe Horse, Director, was on hand to advise the group on how to organize: develop a constitution; by laws, a mission statement, rules of conduct, election of officers and so forth.

The remainder of the meeting, covered by this reporter at request, allowed allottees to express their concerns which centered around wanting more money for leasing their land and allegations against the farmers and ranchers who lease their lands. The issues raised included: ingress/egress; fencing; water; what they believe to be illegal structures on leased lands (corrals, barns, telephone, and electric lines etc.), access to lands for berry or timber (firewood) harvesting were aired as well as reports of conflict between landowners and lessors.

On the other hand, lessors have complaints as well: gates left open; fences cut and sometimes livestock shot by unknown culprits. The average rate paid by ranchers (operators) for each cow/calf pair for leased lands on the reservation is $26.00 per month, much higher than other Reservations in the Great Plains area.

Issues related to land ownership on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation are complicated.  Ninety-eight percent of the 448,000 acres of the Reservation remains in Indian ownership, the Tribe with the lion’s share, particularly after the recent Land Buy-Back Program where allottees had the opportunity to sell their shares to the Tribe, financed by the federal government.  According to the Tribal Land Authority, the prices under the Buy Back Program were higher than the private market. Because heirs are continually selling their lands back to the Tribe, it is difficult to precisely say how much land is owned by the Tribe and how much is owned by individual allottees.

The landowners now face a task to become organized in order to be recognized by the Tribal Council. 

(Contact Clara Caufield at 2ndcheyennevoice@gmail.com)

The post Landowners Association hoping to form at Northern Cheyenne first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

Visit Original Source