THE PEOPLE Rocky Boy's provides a home for about 2,500 members of the Chippewa-Cree tribe. The name "Rocky Boy" was derived from the name of a leader of a band of Chippewa Indians. It actually meant "Stone Child," but it was not translated correctly from Chippewa into English, and "Rocky Boy" evolved.
CULTURE AND HISTORY The ethnic origin of the residents of the Rocky Boy's Reservation has remained complex, with the reservation becoming home to a diverse group of Cree, Chippewa, Metis, and Assiniboine peoples. The Cree represent one of the largest Native American groups in North America. While primarily residing in Canada today, a group of Cree settled in northern Montana after the Riel Rebellion in 1885. Led by Little Bear, these Cree eventually, after some three decades, became associated with a band of landless Chippewa under the leadership of Stone Child or Rocky Boy.
In 1915, after a coalition of Montana citizens demanded a reservation for Montana's "homeless" Indians, the Cree and Chippewa were granted a reservation on the westernmost portion of the former Fort Assiniboine Military Reservation. Of course, the very designation of "homeless" when applied to Native Americans represents a complex history of ignorance and disruption of indigenous life-styles on the part of the U.S. government.
The Chippewa-Cree have faced serious economic hardships over the years, and while poverty and unemployment remain a challenge, the tribe can claim some successes in this arena. Cattle grazing, wheat and barley production, development of timber and mineral resources, and tourism all represent solid sources of tribal income and employment today.
Because of the Rocky Boy Reservation's ethnic diversity there remains a rich variety of cultural practices on the reservation. Cree, an Algonquian language, is still spoken, and some tribal members participate in the Sun Dance and sweat lodge ceremonies. Additionally, many members are active in the Native American Church.GOVERNMENT The tribe is organized under the 1934 IRA. Tribal members adopted a constitution in 1935, ratifying their charter the following year. The governing body comprises a nine-member Business Committee, elected by popular vote from the reservation's five districts.
