Clara Caufield. Photo from Native News Project / University of Montana School of Journalism
Off-reservation tribal members need a voice
By Clara Caufield The Northern Cheyenne Tribe currently has about 11,000 enrolled tribal members with more waiting for enrollment to be processed. Only about 4,500 live on the reservation. A whooping majority (about 6,500) live elsewhere. Those members are often overlooked by the tribe, but it is high time to remember them. Over the past 40 years, I have also lived off the reservation many times for years at a stretch, always returning in sort of a love-hate relationship. My personal sojourns for education, employment and adventure spanned the nation, including California, several Montana places, Washington D.C., New Mexico, Wyoming and Alaska, so I know what I’m writing about. In each of those areas I found a community of other Native people, also living away from the reservation. They were kind enough to befriend me – providing a family away from home. Though back home for years, the thought of “going back to America” is sometimes tantalizing. For now, A Cheyenne Voice newspaper, and my 80 year old mother keep me on the reservation. My favorite cousin/brother, Dennis Limberhand and I recently visited about the off-reservation experience. He now lives in Worden, Montana along with his son and that family about a hundred miles from the reservation. Many other Cheyenne, an estimated thousand also live in the Billings area; close enough to maintain contact, yet far enough away to be forgotten, especially by our tribal officials who seldom speak for them. However, during election season, some candidates travel to Billings absentee voter forms in hand, hoping to capture that significant vote. My oldest surviving son, Lance Spotted Elk, an electrical engineer lives in Bozeman, Mont. and my only daughter, Jeri McMakin is raising a young family in Connecticut, initially lured there for education and now living there by choice. Gosh that is a long way from White River Cheyenne country, bridged by telephone and email. Off-reservation tribal members fall in the “out-of-sight-out-of-mind” mentality that we “Rezzers” sometimes have. That is one reason A Cheyenne Voice enjoys such a good subscription market – the off-reservation Cheyenne are hungry for news about “back home." Sometimes, it is easy to think we on the reservation are the “real” Cheyenne. Yet, as Dennis pointed out, our ancestors of old were fiercely independent; loathe accepting the reservation, viewed by many as a concentration camp. They did not accept the notion that anyone could tell them where or how to live. The Cheyenne had a huge territory ranging from South and North Dakota to Montana, Wyoming and Colorado, even south to Mexico. “All that country is our traditional homeland,” Iff-Suff (Cheyenne name) says “So, I’m still living in Cheyenne Country.” Close-knit people, bound by kinship, ceremonial ways and our world view (only a Cheyenne says that we will often say) keep us in close touch and contact, no matter where we live. Ideally, most Cheyenne people would like to live with their tribesmen. But, many are forced to live elsewhere for economic reasons. Our Reservation has 72 percent unemployment; limited housing with multi-generations crowded together; virtually no new housing, apartments to rent or even trailer courts. There is one grocery store; two convenience stores, one coffee shop and two places to eat on the entire reservation. Even buying a pair of tennis shoes requires a 200 hundred mile round trip. Poverty and its accompanying social ills abound. A shining light is Chief Dull Knife College offering two year degree programs. Long story short: for a job, nice house, and advanced education or to enjoy many amenities, we have to go to go somewhere else. Don’t get me wrong, the reservation offers wonderful things: tight family systems; cultural activities such as sweats, peyote meetings, ceremonial events and outdoor recreation particularly unregulated hunting and fishing for tribal members. You won’t find that in “America.” Dennis lived on the reservation for most of his life, dedicated to tribal service. He was on the Council for many years; served on Boards of Directors for the college, St. Labre and a local bank; a key tribal liaison for Montana Power and the Tongue River Dam projects, huge tribal undertakings; an original founder of the Fort Robinson Memorial Run, a participant in many ceremonies and raised his family here. Now, health reasons require him to be close to major medical providers in Billings and he wants to be close to his son and family, successful off-reservation contractors. He’s not the only one. Though some urban Cheyenne live “on the streets,” very visible to jaundiced non-Indians, the vast majority are gainfully employed or in school making their own way. Recently, even one of our most traditional young men, Eddie Whitedirt moved to Billings running out of meaningful options on the Reservation. He is mentored by Dennis and other Tribesmen who keep in close contact in the Billings area. While living the old independent spirit of our ancestors, these off reservation tribal members also demonstrate a deep commitment to fellow tribesmen. The same can be said for many other Tribes, such as our Oglala Sioux brethren, where many live in Rapid City for similar reasons and have a tight-knit community – a tribal community away from the reservation. That is why I make a simple suggestion. Our Tribal Council should include a seat representing off-reservation Cheyenne. Now, representatives are elected from each of five on-reservation districts based on population and off-reservation members can vote in those elections. Yet, this system ignores the largest Cheyenne population base, the off-reservation Cheyenne. And I don’t think the trend will change anytime soon. Prospects for creating a significant number of jobs, alleviating poverty and creating more opportunity on the reservation are very dim. Thus many will be forced to search for opportunity elsewhere. That’s why it’s high time to give off-reservation Cheyenne a voice in our tribal government. Same might be said for other tribes. (Clara Caufield can be reached at acheyennevoice@gmail.com) Copyright permission Native Sun News
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