Rocky Boy
Bear Paw Ski Bowl ~ Visit Website at
http://www.skibearpaw.com/index.html
Chippewa Cree Business Council
Chippewa Cree Tribal Council
RR 1, Box 544
Box Elder, MT 59521
Phone:
(406) 395-4282
Fax: (406) 395-4497
Historic Preservation Department
Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy's Reservation
Joan Mitchell, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer
R R 1 #544
Box Elder, Montana 59521
Telephone: (406) 395-4147
Fax: (406) 395-4195
E-mail:
joan@cct.rockyboy.net
Tribal College
Stone Child College
RR1 #1082
Box Elder, MT 59521
ROCKY BOY’S RESERVATION PROFILE
LOCATION AND LAND STATUS
Located in north-central Montana, the Rocky Boy’s Reservation consists of
120,000 acres which range from rolling high-plains grasslands to the sub-alpine
environment of the Bear Paw Mountains. The reservation lies 50 miles south of
the Canadian border near the boundary separating the provinces of Alberta and
Saskatchewan. The nearest town is Havre, 26 miles to the north. The nearest
urban center is Great Falls, which has a population of 57,000 and is located 100
miles to the southwest of the reservation.
The reservation was established in April of 1916, when Congress set aside 56,035
acres for the Chippewa and Cree Bands of Chief Rocky Boy. In 1947 the
reservation was expanded by 45,523 acres, bringing it to nearly its current
size. None of the land has been allotted, though some individual assignments
have been made.
CLIMATE
The climate at Box Elder, a town on the western fringe of the reservation, is
similar to that of Havre. In January the average maximum temperature is
approximately 24 degrees. In July the average maximum temperature is around 85
degrees.
CULTURE AND HISTORY
The ethnic origin of the residents of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation has remained
complex, with the reservation becoming home to a diverse group of Cree,
Chippewa, Metis, and Assiniboine peoples. The Cree represent one of the largest
Native American groups in North America. While primarily residing in Canada
today, a group of Cree settled in northern Montana after the Riel Rebellion in
1885. Led by Little Bear, these Cree eventually, after some three decades,
became associated with a band of landless Chippewa under the leadership of Stone
Child or Rocky Boy.
In 1915, after a coalition of Montana citizens demanded a reservation for
Montana’s "homeless" Indians, the Cree and Chippewa were granted a reservation
on the westernmost portion of the former Fort Assiniboine Military Reservation.
Of course, the very designation of "homeless" when applied to Native Americans
represents a complex history of ignorance and disruption of indigenous
life-styles on the part of the U.S. government.
The Chippewa-Cree have faced serious economic hardships over the years, and
while poverty and unemployment remain a challenge, the tribe can claim some
successes in this arena. Cattle grazing, wheat and barley production,
development of timber and mineral resources, and tourism all represent solid
sources of tribal income and employment today.
Because of the Rocky Boy Reservation’s ethnic diversity there remains a rich
variety of cultural practices on the reservation. Cree, an Algonquian language,
is still spoken, and some tribal members participate in the Sun Dance and sweat
lodge ceremonies. Additionally, many members are active in the Native American
Church.
GOVERNMENT
The tribe is organized under the 1934 IRA. Tribal members adopted a constitution
in 1935, ratifying their charter the following year. The governing body
comprises a nine-member Business Committee, elected by popular vote from the
reservation’s five districts.
Tribal Profile --
Tribal Data Resources®
