OCR Text |
Show 26 REPORT OF THE COMMIBBIONER OF W I A K AFFAIRS. follow the disaffection which appears to exist with the Piegans and others, but no geueral outbreak, it is believed, will occur. General Sheridan is of the opinion that the winter will pass without auy serious difficulties. Tbe tribes inMontana are the Blackfeet, Piegan, Blood, Gros Ventre, Flatbead, Crow, Pend d'Oreille, Hootenay, Bannock and Shoshone, and Sheep Eater, estimated to number about twenty thou-sand. Plathem2 reservatioll, upon which are located some of the Flatheads, also the Pend dlOreillcs and Kootenays, under the treaty with them of 1855, contains 5,950 square miles. These Indians, numbering 1,450, under the influence of missionariesl hare made some advance in civilisa-tion, and a.re disposed to engage in agriculture for their support, some of them cultivating small fields, but the majority pursue the chase. Most af the Flatheads live in the Bitter Root Valley, a h e agricul-tural district, rapidly filling with white settlers, much to the detriment of the Indians. This matter ~houldb e settledasheretofore recommend-ed, by placing the Flatheads 11pon the general reservation, or by enter-ing ~ u t oan other arrangement for sec~~r inthge m a portion of the valley they inhabit. With this in view acom~nissionerw as instructed to visit them last spring, but he failed to reach their country, and being subse-quently removed from theIndian service, the matter was placed in the hands of Brevet Major General A. Sully, United States Army,,superin-tendent of Indian aftgirs in Montana, who concluded a treaty mlth them on the 7th of October last, but with which he is not fully satisfied, andin regard to which he suggests that action be withheld until he sees the Indians upon general reservation with reference to the practicability of iuduoing those in the Bitter Root Valley to join them. Orom Iudiaow are divided into two bands. Those called the &ountain band nnmber 1,953. A treaty was made with them by the peace com-missioners on the 7th of May, 1868, which has beenratified. Thereby they relinquish all title orrights to any portion of thecountry claimed by them, a,nd have reserved a part thereof for a permanent home. The work of erecting buildings for the agency has been commenced, and the provisions of the treaty for their benefit will be carried into effect with as much dispateh as practicable. The river bmd, numbering about two thousand, are at the agency located by Special Agent Cullen, on the land reserved for the Blackfeet nation and other tribes, this band included, under treaties negotiated last summer by him as commissioner on the part of tlie United States, and which are pending. Their treaty stipulates for a home on that reserve in connection with theGrosVenhes tribe, as both tribes speak the same langua,ge, and the intention being to place them under the sameagent. Should the treaty be not ratified, they can doubtless be induced to settle upon the reservation provided for the other band. Gros Ventrss of the Prairie number about two thonsand, on the Mi& River reservation, provided in their unratifted treaty, made July 15, 1868; were well pleased ~ 3 , hth eir location and what had been done at the a,gency in building houses and opening a farm, hut not having received the annuities ex~ectedbtvh em in fultillment of the treaty, they atr losiug coufideuc@in <he go.or6r~~nie;nlut,l l tl~reawnto join the iiostiic i n . A large ~~ululoeorf Asninuboi~~ws,h o properly helon~to the Dakota a~~prri~~re~~~Ieurbye,e1h1a wvict1 1 tllid tribe S ~ I I C Cl a81 tjll. Tl~cy are u ~ l~iketd , l~owerer,l)yth e row^, and if pt'nuittr:d tn remain, it may become ~~e (~di itao r1y1 a\.e a *eparare rrnct f i~rth e Crow*, or elnc to rr-move them to the reservation of the mountain band. Blackfeet nation, now composed of the Blackfeet, Blood, and Piegan |