Little Shell Tribe Has Leader; Status Next Little Shells Seek Recognition; Landless Indians Since 1892

James Parker Shield has been elected chairman of the Little Shell Chippewa, an Indian tribe seeking federal recognition.

Shield, a former director of the Great Falls Native American Center, won election over John “Bud” Sinclair, a Helena retiree.

Results of the tribe’s second statewide election were announced Saturday after election judges spent much of the day counting 3,000-plus ballots.

Shield, 45, resides in Great Falls.

The election comes as the Little Shell people - no one is certain just how many members the tribe has - wait to hear whether a petition for official recognition has been approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. That acknowledgment can open the way for a variety of federal grants and entitlements, such as use of Indian Health Service clinics and housing benefits.

Shield said the fact that the Little Shells have successfully conducted two recent, statewide elections shows the tribe is legitimate.

“This is proof positive that we are a tribal entity,” he said.

Members of the tribe, most living in Montana, have been known as the Landless Indians since 1892. That is when Chief Little Shell rejected a treaty that removed 10 million acres from the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation of North Dakota, for about 10 cents an acre.

Most tribal members reside in north-central Montana, and volunteers maintain a tribal office in Great Falls. There are about 4,000 enrolled members, and about 350 pending applications for enrollment.

Shield said determining the status of the tribe’s recognition petition will be his first priority as chairman.