Glacier Reporter Letter to the Editor
5-23-12
My name is Robert C. Juneau and I am a enrolled Blackfeet descendant.
My parents are Bob Juneau and my mother is Linda Matt Juneau.
My Paternal Grandpartents are Edmond"Snackery"Juneau and
Marjorie Bird Juneau and Maternal Grandparents are Emil Matt and
Pearl Matt. Mary Blackhorn, Mattie Medicine Wolf Woman, and
Nellie Prairie Chicken Shoe are my Great-Great Blackfeet Grandmothers.
Mary was the sister of Maggie Bullplume Josephine and Fish Wolf Robe.
She married a Calf Boss Ribs when she came back to the Blackfeet
Reservation from Canada. I was born in California and came back to
Browning when I was 5 years old and lived there until 1996. I live in
Missoula, Montana now. My parents are enrolled Blackfeet. Their
parents were enrolled Blackfeet and all of my Aunts and Uncles on
both sides of my family are enrolled Blackfeet. For many years while
attending school at the University of Montana I worked on the Blackfeet
Forced Land Patents issue with my father Bob Juneau trying to help our
people get land back that was stolen from them by Glacier County but
the Enrollment issue has always bothered me. So together we decided
to start a website on Facebook to help the Blackfeet descendants get
enrolled. My two brothers and I are not enrolled and I have always had
a feeling that that is wrong. We grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation
and all of our family is from the Blackfeet Reservation and some day
we will inherit land from our parents on the reservation. I believe this
gives us and every Blackfeet Descendant the right to become a fully
enrolled Blackfeet members. But I believe the issue is larger than who
has the right to be enrolled and who does not. I believe through the
research I have done that the very survival of the tribe may be at stake.
The first thing I found out is Blood Quantum can not be proven to
scientifically exist. So why base the Blackfeet enrollment criteria on
something that does not exist? The other is the Blackfeet descendants
are going inherit land from their Enrolled parents. When that happens
the land will eventually be converted from Trust to Fee Status putting half
of the Blackfeet Landbase in jeopardy. If the descendants get enrolled
not only will the landbase be saved but more money will be paid
to the Blackfeet Tribe by the State of Montana because the Tobacco,
Alcohol, and Gas Tax agreements are based on number of Enrolled
Members. The Tribe will also receive more money in Treaty Obligation
Funds for each descendant that gets enrolled which is based on the
number of enrolled Members. If the descendants are enrolled it will be
raised by 25% to over $200,000,000. This is a increase of $50,000,000 in
Treaty Obligation Funds. Treaty Obligation Funds go to services for the
Blackfeet in the Blackfeet Tribe, BIA, IHS, School districts, Housing
Authority, Blackfeet Community College, tribal social services, food
stamps, job training funds, etc. So as you can see the benefits of
enrolling the descendants are many and the negatives few if any at all.
enrolling the descendants is not only the just and right thing to do it
will expand and strengthen the tribe for many years into the future.
My parents are Bob Juneau and my mother is Linda Matt Juneau.
My Paternal Grandpartents are Edmond"Snackery"Juneau and
Marjorie Bird Juneau and Maternal Grandparents are Emil Matt and
Pearl Matt. Mary Blackhorn, Mattie Medicine Wolf Woman, and
Nellie Prairie Chicken Shoe are my Great-Great Blackfeet Grandmothers.
Mary was the sister of Maggie Bullplume Josephine and Fish Wolf Robe.
She married a Calf Boss Ribs when she came back to the Blackfeet
Reservation from Canada. I was born in California and came back to
Browning when I was 5 years old and lived there until 1996. I live in
Missoula, Montana now. My parents are enrolled Blackfeet. Their
parents were enrolled Blackfeet and all of my Aunts and Uncles on
both sides of my family are enrolled Blackfeet. For many years while
attending school at the University of Montana I worked on the Blackfeet
Forced Land Patents issue with my father Bob Juneau trying to help our
people get land back that was stolen from them by Glacier County but
the Enrollment issue has always bothered me. So together we decided
to start a website on Facebook to help the Blackfeet descendants get
enrolled. My two brothers and I are not enrolled and I have always had
a feeling that that is wrong. We grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation
and all of our family is from the Blackfeet Reservation and some day
we will inherit land from our parents on the reservation. I believe this
gives us and every Blackfeet Descendant the right to become a fully
enrolled Blackfeet members. But I believe the issue is larger than who
has the right to be enrolled and who does not. I believe through the
research I have done that the very survival of the tribe may be at stake.
The first thing I found out is Blood Quantum can not be proven to
scientifically exist. So why base the Blackfeet enrollment criteria on
something that does not exist? The other is the Blackfeet descendants
are going inherit land from their Enrolled parents. When that happens
the land will eventually be converted from Trust to Fee Status putting half
of the Blackfeet Landbase in jeopardy. If the descendants get enrolled
not only will the landbase be saved but more money will be paid
to the Blackfeet Tribe by the State of Montana because the Tobacco,
Alcohol, and Gas Tax agreements are based on number of Enrolled
Members. The Tribe will also receive more money in Treaty Obligation
Funds for each descendant that gets enrolled which is based on the
number of enrolled Members. If the descendants are enrolled it will be
raised by 25% to over $200,000,000. This is a increase of $50,000,000 in
Treaty Obligation Funds. Treaty Obligation Funds go to services for the
Blackfeet in the Blackfeet Tribe, BIA, IHS, School districts, Housing
Authority, Blackfeet Community College, tribal social services, food
stamps, job training funds, etc. So as you can see the benefits of
enrolling the descendants are many and the negatives few if any at all.
enrolling the descendants is not only the just and right thing to do it
will expand and strengthen the tribe for many years into the future.
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