The recent Tall Tales thread reminded me of many mostly unrelated tidbits about life in this section of rural Montana. The County I live in was the last in the US to get electricity. The local Assiboine and Gros
Ventres reservation straddles two counties and shapes local life quite a bit. "The Res."
When the Reservation was formed the Assiniboine were asked who they wanted to share it with. The River Crow had been their friends historically but relations had cooled during that time and the Gros Ventres were selected. The two did not get along for many years. There is still some animosity but not as much. The 'breed town', for instance, of Hays, was a notorious 'bad' place 30 years ago. But times changed. 'Breed' ceases to have meaning when most have mixed blood of some type. Still, being half white and half ndn is probably the worst- you get torment and rejection from both groups.
These Assiniboine are actually Nakota of the Sioux, and have a belief there were individuals from that group at the Little Big Horn. I tend to believe this, regardless if it is a official part of mainstream history. On the other hand, I see today a concrete belief that the oral tradition of the ndn is more accurate than 'white man's' book reality, and I find no evidence for this. Frankly, men make up history, and it doesn't matter who they are. I think reality would be a conglomerate from many sources, an approach given today's political and social isolation not likely to occur.
There are still local Ranchers who refer to the ndn as 'prarrie n---ers'. An appalling bigotry. This would be like judging all Black Americans from the examples found in slums. Make no mistake about it, today's reservations are mostly slums, subsidized human misery. But some of the local ranchers are as bad off or worse, having their own home grown brand of bigotry and ignorance.
Almost all of the motivated people born on the Res move out, thus the Reservation loses good role models. Drinking, drugs, murder, molestation, incest, rape; welcome to reality. At least some of the molestation, now handed down from several generations, was initially started by Catholic priests on the local mission. That's probably a statement I can't prove but believe none the less. Let's give it the caveat of being only a opinion. On a nearby reservation the molestation is so prevalent that it has been said there is no male over the age of 18 who has not been assaulted as a child. The young women fare little better; it being open sport for the men of 20 or so to get the 13 year olds drunk and sleep with them.
A hundred years ago a bite was taken out of the Reservation for gold; sold to rich developers. I doubt very much if the majority of the tribal membership saw much of the money. There is a strong element of corruption. 50 years later a religious geological feature, Snake Butte, was quarried to build Fort Peck Dam. I doubt the general populace saw much of this money either. This is reality; individual families war and take political power from one another. Who ever is on the Council wins, and places its favorite sons and daughters in employment. You can't run any organization by letting go experienced workers and starting all over every 4 years or so.
Today the ndn uses the Court system to attack and gain advantage over the larger society. This is like any other special interest group- be that social, environmental, or what have you. Ever watched with frustration as anti hunting groups sue Fish and Game over herd numbers; bringing an inordinate cost to the buracracy and restricting hunting? Same principle. The Council helped close the Gold Mine- even though over half the employees were ndn. Gotta give them credit for one thing, though; there is enough gold on Reservation land to warrant making their own industry, but they refuse to do this because of environmental concerns. (they would not have to obey all federal or state regs should they ever mine, either, and there is enormous profit to gain) The Fort Belknap Reservation is the poorest in the State, but was the first to initiate game regs and that advanced thinking brought back the antelope herds. The lands are generally clean and well kept too- unlike many contemporary places like the Wind River Res in Wyoming.
We were drawn here- we prayed to come here.
The local mountains have been called the "Ghost Mountains' among other names. Lights used to be reported in the interior. And this poor section of the West saw it's share of UFO sightings, cattle mutilations, and strange occurances. A friend of mine believes in the Little People. He says he's found their campsites....
He was hunting one day and a aircraft flew right over his head. I think the Air Force Base near Great Falls has notoriously shown contempt for the air space of this section of Montana and the Reserations. We've had the ceiling panels shaken loose by overflying jets.
In Winter, when temperatures can hit 40 below zero, I've noted what the serious drinkers do- they build large fires and sleep around them. As you drink until you pass out, this would be a fine line between freezing to death and getting high.
Every once in awhile someone disapears. Some of that is murder, some of that is being lost and never found. There was an incident where the high school kids on the Res stoned nearly to death a peer and left him for dead under a old door in an abandoned house. A local last year went off the road and into a deep ravine by the shoulder. This is typical Montana- you go off the road in many places and you're gone. He managed to stay alive despite being pinned by his truck because a little stream was running through the Cab.
I was on a notorious lost highway on the Reservation once and stopped to pee. A car came by and offerred me help. (not with with the biological discharge, but thinking my vehicle was disabled!) I've always remembered that. I offer help and have given rides many times to stranded folks- there is much kindness amongst all the misery on the Res.
There are also more than a good share of folks who'd slit your throat. I have a 12" Sirupate in the truck at all times, and during a period when I'd cross the Res on a regular basis carry a handgun as well.
There are fences to retain livestock, but it is common to find horses and cattle on the road at night. You can't see them until you're right there. Every season someone hits one. The blood splash stays on the road for months.
I started this thread to talk about the events and superstitions, but ended up discussing life in general. I guess that is what was really on my mind. The Federal Bureacracy and the Indian governments are locked in a destructive and enabling relationship that I can not see ending in my own or in the next lifetime. It is very sad. In some ways the destructive patterns on a Reservation mirror the greater society; the culture has been decimated and not enough constructive avenues have filled the gaps. (who can forget the enforced removal of native religion and language some years ago?) But in truth, people are people. Our larger society suffers the same problems. Your sons and daughters are throwing their lives away in mass numbers, preferring to opt out rather than participate within society.
I've struggled with this my entire life. My skills are not great- I spent 15 years on the Great drug booze highway. I find I must reaffirm life daily. It does not stay fixed. Yesterday I cut through a log with my 18" Villager khuk- that was enough to give hope for one more day. I dreamed once I might address a large gathering of the local tribes. What would I tell them?
We are all of us, 'heads on a post'. We have two arms, two legs, and a nervous system. We can be white, Gros Ventres, or Italian, but we are human first and foremost. And the first responsiblity of being human is to provide for your own escape velocity from despair and hopelessness.
Do you know I am afraid thinking about that? I'm afraid because a politically correct belief system on the Reservation is that one is ndn first.
We hold on to these things which kill us, because we do not know anything else.
munk
Ventres reservation straddles two counties and shapes local life quite a bit. "The Res."
When the Reservation was formed the Assiniboine were asked who they wanted to share it with. The River Crow had been their friends historically but relations had cooled during that time and the Gros Ventres were selected. The two did not get along for many years. There is still some animosity but not as much. The 'breed town', for instance, of Hays, was a notorious 'bad' place 30 years ago. But times changed. 'Breed' ceases to have meaning when most have mixed blood of some type. Still, being half white and half ndn is probably the worst- you get torment and rejection from both groups.
These Assiniboine are actually Nakota of the Sioux, and have a belief there were individuals from that group at the Little Big Horn. I tend to believe this, regardless if it is a official part of mainstream history. On the other hand, I see today a concrete belief that the oral tradition of the ndn is more accurate than 'white man's' book reality, and I find no evidence for this. Frankly, men make up history, and it doesn't matter who they are. I think reality would be a conglomerate from many sources, an approach given today's political and social isolation not likely to occur.
There are still local Ranchers who refer to the ndn as 'prarrie n---ers'. An appalling bigotry. This would be like judging all Black Americans from the examples found in slums. Make no mistake about it, today's reservations are mostly slums, subsidized human misery. But some of the local ranchers are as bad off or worse, having their own home grown brand of bigotry and ignorance.
Almost all of the motivated people born on the Res move out, thus the Reservation loses good role models. Drinking, drugs, murder, molestation, incest, rape; welcome to reality. At least some of the molestation, now handed down from several generations, was initially started by Catholic priests on the local mission. That's probably a statement I can't prove but believe none the less. Let's give it the caveat of being only a opinion. On a nearby reservation the molestation is so prevalent that it has been said there is no male over the age of 18 who has not been assaulted as a child. The young women fare little better; it being open sport for the men of 20 or so to get the 13 year olds drunk and sleep with them.
A hundred years ago a bite was taken out of the Reservation for gold; sold to rich developers. I doubt very much if the majority of the tribal membership saw much of the money. There is a strong element of corruption. 50 years later a religious geological feature, Snake Butte, was quarried to build Fort Peck Dam. I doubt the general populace saw much of this money either. This is reality; individual families war and take political power from one another. Who ever is on the Council wins, and places its favorite sons and daughters in employment. You can't run any organization by letting go experienced workers and starting all over every 4 years or so.
Today the ndn uses the Court system to attack and gain advantage over the larger society. This is like any other special interest group- be that social, environmental, or what have you. Ever watched with frustration as anti hunting groups sue Fish and Game over herd numbers; bringing an inordinate cost to the buracracy and restricting hunting? Same principle. The Council helped close the Gold Mine- even though over half the employees were ndn. Gotta give them credit for one thing, though; there is enough gold on Reservation land to warrant making their own industry, but they refuse to do this because of environmental concerns. (they would not have to obey all federal or state regs should they ever mine, either, and there is enormous profit to gain) The Fort Belknap Reservation is the poorest in the State, but was the first to initiate game regs and that advanced thinking brought back the antelope herds. The lands are generally clean and well kept too- unlike many contemporary places like the Wind River Res in Wyoming.
We were drawn here- we prayed to come here.
The local mountains have been called the "Ghost Mountains' among other names. Lights used to be reported in the interior. And this poor section of the West saw it's share of UFO sightings, cattle mutilations, and strange occurances. A friend of mine believes in the Little People. He says he's found their campsites....
He was hunting one day and a aircraft flew right over his head. I think the Air Force Base near Great Falls has notoriously shown contempt for the air space of this section of Montana and the Reserations. We've had the ceiling panels shaken loose by overflying jets.
In Winter, when temperatures can hit 40 below zero, I've noted what the serious drinkers do- they build large fires and sleep around them. As you drink until you pass out, this would be a fine line between freezing to death and getting high.
Every once in awhile someone disapears. Some of that is murder, some of that is being lost and never found. There was an incident where the high school kids on the Res stoned nearly to death a peer and left him for dead under a old door in an abandoned house. A local last year went off the road and into a deep ravine by the shoulder. This is typical Montana- you go off the road in many places and you're gone. He managed to stay alive despite being pinned by his truck because a little stream was running through the Cab.
I was on a notorious lost highway on the Reservation once and stopped to pee. A car came by and offerred me help. (not with with the biological discharge, but thinking my vehicle was disabled!) I've always remembered that. I offer help and have given rides many times to stranded folks- there is much kindness amongst all the misery on the Res.
There are also more than a good share of folks who'd slit your throat. I have a 12" Sirupate in the truck at all times, and during a period when I'd cross the Res on a regular basis carry a handgun as well.
There are fences to retain livestock, but it is common to find horses and cattle on the road at night. You can't see them until you're right there. Every season someone hits one. The blood splash stays on the road for months.
I started this thread to talk about the events and superstitions, but ended up discussing life in general. I guess that is what was really on my mind. The Federal Bureacracy and the Indian governments are locked in a destructive and enabling relationship that I can not see ending in my own or in the next lifetime. It is very sad. In some ways the destructive patterns on a Reservation mirror the greater society; the culture has been decimated and not enough constructive avenues have filled the gaps. (who can forget the enforced removal of native religion and language some years ago?) But in truth, people are people. Our larger society suffers the same problems. Your sons and daughters are throwing their lives away in mass numbers, preferring to opt out rather than participate within society.
I've struggled with this my entire life. My skills are not great- I spent 15 years on the Great drug booze highway. I find I must reaffirm life daily. It does not stay fixed. Yesterday I cut through a log with my 18" Villager khuk- that was enough to give hope for one more day. I dreamed once I might address a large gathering of the local tribes. What would I tell them?
We are all of us, 'heads on a post'. We have two arms, two legs, and a nervous system. We can be white, Gros Ventres, or Italian, but we are human first and foremost. And the first responsiblity of being human is to provide for your own escape velocity from despair and hopelessness.
Do you know I am afraid thinking about that? I'm afraid because a politically correct belief system on the Reservation is that one is ndn first.
We hold on to these things which kill us, because we do not know anything else.
munk
