Little Shell recognition bill passes House

Montana's congressional delegation has had a successful first step in achieving recognition for a Montana tribe.

A bill sponsored by Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., to federally recognize the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians passed the House Tuesday 403-21.

"Today marks an important day for the Little Shell Tribe as they are one step closer to federal recognition," Gianforte said in a release. "I appreciate the dedication and determination of (Little Shell) Chairman (Gerald) Gray and the Little Shell people throughout this process. We look forward to seeing this bill pass through the Senate to President Trump."

The Little Shell Tribe has sought federal recognition for nearly four decades, and has been recognized by the State of Montana since 2000.

A bill recognizing the Little Shell was set to pass the Senate in the closing days of the 115th Congress, until Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, blocked the bill from receiving a Senate vote.

The bill sponsored last session by Gianforte to recognize the tribe already had passed the House, the first time such a bill had passed in that body.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont. - whose first bill after being elected was a Little Recognition bill - praised the House passage.

"The Little Shell have fought too long to secure what is rightfully theirs, and today's passage of the Little Shell Recognition Act in the House is a step in the right direction," he said. "I'm going to keep fighting until we get this important bill through the Senate and make sure we do right by the Little Shell."

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., also said he would push to get the recognition through the Senate.

"I'm glad to see the Little Shell Tribe today get one step closer to receiving federal recognition with bill passage in the House under Congressman Gianforte's great leadership," Daines said. "Little Shell is an important part of our state's heritage, and I will keep fighting in the U.S. Senate to ensure they finally receive this long overdue recognition."

Tester and Daines this session reintroduced their Senate bill to recognize the tribe.

Native American Tribes must be recognized as sovereign nations by the federal government to exercise full self-governance. Under this nation-to-nation relationship, Tribes can access federal resources for economic development, health care and education resources, and regulate affairs on tribal lands on terms socially and culturally appropriate.

Federal recognition can be granted via Congressional legislation, a U.S. Court decision, or an administrative process through the U.S. Interior Department.  

Tester first introduced legislation to federally recognize the Little Shell Tribe in 2007, the first bill he introduced as a U.S. senator.

The Little Shell, a tribe with 4,500 or more members concentrated in the Great Falls area but spread throughout central and northern Montana and across the nation, have been formally trying to gain federal recognition since at least the 1930s.

Montana's members of Congress have repeatedly sponsored bills to have Congress recognize the tribe.

The tribe has been without a recognized homeland since the late 1800s, when Chief Little Shell and his followers in North Dakota broke off treaty negotiations with the U.S. government. Tribe members later settled in Montana and southern Canada.

Tribal historians trace the tribe's other attempts to gain recognition back to the 1860s, when the Pembina Band of Chippewa signed a treaty with the U.S. government.

In 1978, the Little Shell petitioned the Bureau of Indian Affairs for recognition through the Bureau's Federal Acknowledgement Process. Despite a favorable report by the Department of the Interior in 2000 and recognition of the tribe by the Montana government that same year, the Bureau of Indian Affairs denied the tribe recognition in 2009 and again in 2013.