Fort Belknap Indian Reservation
Encyclopedia
The Fort Belknap Indian Reservation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering 1,014.064 sq mi (2,626.415 km²), and is located in north central Montana. This includes the main portion of their homeland, as well as off-reservation trust land. It is shared by two Native American
tribes, the A'aninin (Gros Ventre) and the Nakota
(Assiniboine). Its largest city is Fort Belknap Agency
, at the reservation's north end. This is just south of the city of Harlem
across the Milk River
.
and Nakoda Nations. The A'aninin, as members of the Blackfoot Confederacy, and the Nakoda
Nation signed the Fort Laramie treaties of 1851 and 1855 with the United States Government establishing their respective territories within the continental United States. The Fort Belknap Reservation is part of what remains of these two nations ancestral territory that included all of central and eastern Montana and portions of western North Dakota. The Blackfeet
, and Fort Peck Indian Reservations are also part of this territorial boundaries.
The 12-bed hospital has been replaced with a 6-bed infirmary, which was occupied May 18, 1998. As part of the treaties and agreement between the U.S. Government and the Native American tribes, health services are to be provided to Native American people. This was in exchange for the many lands given up by the Native American people for things such as the railroad, homesteading, roads, reservoirs, and etc. The establishment of IHS did not occur until 1955, the concepts of dependency-to-self determination and tribal sovereignty have been a long-standing tradition.
The A'aninin, (meaning the White Clay People) believe that they were made from the White Clay that is found along the river bottoms in A'aninin Country. Early French fur trappers and traders named this tribe "Gros Ventre
" because other tribes in the area referred to them as “The Water Falls People.” The sign for water fall is the passing of the hands over the stomach and the French though the Indians were saying big belly so they called them "Gros Ventre
" – meaning “big belly” in the French language.
The Nakoda
(meaning the Generous Ones) split with the Yanktonai Sioux in the seventeenth century and migrated westward onto the northern plains with their allies, the Plains Cree. The Chippewa called the Nakoda
"Assiniboine", which is a Chippewa word meaning “One who cooks with stones”. The Nakoda
are located on both the Fort Belknap and Fort Peck Indian Reservations in Montanan and on several reserves in Saskatchewan and Alberta.
The A'aninin and Nakoda
were nomadic hunters and warriors. They followed the buffalo which provided them with all the necessities of life. Their food, clothing and teepees all came from the buffalo. The buffalo was the Indian staff of life and the Nakoda
and A'aninin and other plains tribes lived a good life with the buffalo. The last herd of buffalo in the continental United States in the nineteenth century existed between the Bear Paw Mountains and the Little Rocky Mountains in the lush Milk River valley.
Today, the two tribes are united as one government called the Fort Belknap Indian Community. Together, the tribes have formed and maintained a community that has deep respect for it’s land, it’s culture, and it’s heritage. Fort Belknap derives its name from the original military post that was established on the Milk River, one mile southwest of the present town of Chinook, Montana. The Fort, named for William W. Belknap, who was the Secretary of War at that time, was a military fort combined with a Trading Post. It became a Government agency for the A'aninin and Nakoda
Tribes living in the area.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
tribes, the A'aninin (Gros Ventre) and the Nakota
Nakota
The term Nakota is the endonym used by the native peoples of North America who usually go by the name of Assiniboine , in the United States, and of Stoney, in Canada....
(Assiniboine). Its largest city is Fort Belknap Agency
Fort Belknap Agency, Montana
Fort Belknap Agency is a census-designated place in Blaine County, Montana, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 1,262.-Geography:Fort Belknap Agency is located at ....
, at the reservation's north end. This is just south of the city of Harlem
Harlem, Montana
Harlem is a city in Blaine County, Montana, United States. The population was 848 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Harlem is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
across the Milk River
Milk River (Montana-Alberta)
The Milk River is a tributary of the Missouri River, long, in the United States state of Montana and the Canadian province of Alberta. Rising in the Rocky Mountains, the river drains a sparsely populated, semi-arid watershed of , ending just east of Fort Peck, Montana.-Geography:It is formed in...
.
History
Established in 1888, the reservation is what remains of the vast ancestral territory of the BlackfeetBlackfeet
The Piegan Blackfeet are a tribe of Native Americans of the Algonquian language family based in Montana, having lived in this area since around 6,500 BC. Many members of the tribe live as part of the Blackfeet Nation in northwestern Montana, with population centered in Browning...
and Nakoda Nations. The A'aninin, as members of the Blackfoot Confederacy, and the Nakoda
Nakoda
Nakoda is a village in the Barmer District of Indian state of Rajasthan. The village name is Mewanagar in the Rajasthan state Government records....
Nation signed the Fort Laramie treaties of 1851 and 1855 with the United States Government establishing their respective territories within the continental United States. The Fort Belknap Reservation is part of what remains of these two nations ancestral territory that included all of central and eastern Montana and portions of western North Dakota. The Blackfeet
Blackfeet
The Piegan Blackfeet are a tribe of Native Americans of the Algonquian language family based in Montana, having lived in this area since around 6,500 BC. Many members of the tribe live as part of the Blackfeet Nation in northwestern Montana, with population centered in Browning...
, and Fort Peck Indian Reservations are also part of this territorial boundaries.
The 12-bed hospital has been replaced with a 6-bed infirmary, which was occupied May 18, 1998. As part of the treaties and agreement between the U.S. Government and the Native American tribes, health services are to be provided to Native American people. This was in exchange for the many lands given up by the Native American people for things such as the railroad, homesteading, roads, reservoirs, and etc. The establishment of IHS did not occur until 1955, the concepts of dependency-to-self determination and tribal sovereignty have been a long-standing tradition.
The A'aninin, (meaning the White Clay People) believe that they were made from the White Clay that is found along the river bottoms in A'aninin Country. Early French fur trappers and traders named this tribe "Gros Ventre
Gros Ventres
The Gros Ventre people , also known as the A'ani, A'aninin, Haaninin, and Atsina, are a historically Algonquian-speaking Native American tribe located in north central Montana...
" because other tribes in the area referred to them as “The Water Falls People.” The sign for water fall is the passing of the hands over the stomach and the French though the Indians were saying big belly so they called them "Gros Ventre
Gros Ventres
The Gros Ventre people , also known as the A'ani, A'aninin, Haaninin, and Atsina, are a historically Algonquian-speaking Native American tribe located in north central Montana...
" – meaning “big belly” in the French language.
The Nakoda
Nakoda
Nakoda is a village in the Barmer District of Indian state of Rajasthan. The village name is Mewanagar in the Rajasthan state Government records....
(meaning the Generous Ones) split with the Yanktonai Sioux in the seventeenth century and migrated westward onto the northern plains with their allies, the Plains Cree. The Chippewa called the Nakoda
Nakoda
Nakoda is a village in the Barmer District of Indian state of Rajasthan. The village name is Mewanagar in the Rajasthan state Government records....
"Assiniboine", which is a Chippewa word meaning “One who cooks with stones”. The Nakoda
Nakoda
Nakoda is a village in the Barmer District of Indian state of Rajasthan. The village name is Mewanagar in the Rajasthan state Government records....
are located on both the Fort Belknap and Fort Peck Indian Reservations in Montanan and on several reserves in Saskatchewan and Alberta.
The A'aninin and Nakoda
Nakoda
Nakoda is a village in the Barmer District of Indian state of Rajasthan. The village name is Mewanagar in the Rajasthan state Government records....
were nomadic hunters and warriors. They followed the buffalo which provided them with all the necessities of life. Their food, clothing and teepees all came from the buffalo. The buffalo was the Indian staff of life and the Nakoda
Nakoda
Nakoda is a village in the Barmer District of Indian state of Rajasthan. The village name is Mewanagar in the Rajasthan state Government records....
and A'aninin and other plains tribes lived a good life with the buffalo. The last herd of buffalo in the continental United States in the nineteenth century existed between the Bear Paw Mountains and the Little Rocky Mountains in the lush Milk River valley.
Today, the two tribes are united as one government called the Fort Belknap Indian Community. Together, the tribes have formed and maintained a community that has deep respect for it’s land, it’s culture, and it’s heritage. Fort Belknap derives its name from the original military post that was established on the Milk River, one mile southwest of the present town of Chinook, Montana. The Fort, named for William W. Belknap, who was the Secretary of War at that time, was a military fort combined with a Trading Post. It became a Government agency for the A'aninin and Nakoda
Nakoda
Nakoda is a village in the Barmer District of Indian state of Rajasthan. The village name is Mewanagar in the Rajasthan state Government records....
Tribes living in the area.
Notable A'aninin
- James Welch (1940–August 4, 2003), was an award-winning A'aninin author and poet.
- Bein Es Kanach (Red Whip), was a famous A'aninin chief.
- Theresa LamebullTheresa LamebullTheresa Elizabeth White Weasel Walker Lamebull, was reputedly a supercentenarian believed to have been be the oldest living member of the Gros Ventre Tribe of Montana and possibly the oldest native American ever recorded...
(1896 – August 2007), was a SupercentenarianSupercentenarianA supercentenarian is someone who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in a thousand centenarians....
believed to have been be the oldest living member of the A'aninin Tribe of montana and possibly the oldest Native American ever recorded. - George Horse-CaptureGeorge Horse-CaptureGeorge Horse Capture is a Native American anthropologist and writer. He was born in Fort Belknap, which is located in north-central Montana, near Harlem, and is an enrolled member of the A'aninin tribe....
(born 1937) is an A'aninin anthropologist and author.