Montana’s Indians: Relationships with the Land

Course Listing:

Native American Studies xxx (currently listed as 395): Montana’s Indians: Relationships with The Land (3 semester credits). This course is one unit of the four unit (12 credit) fall semester program: “Montana Afoot and Afloat: Human/Land Relations.” This unit is developed during sixty contact hours, out of a total of 240 contact hours for the fall semester program.

Course Location:

The course will take place in Montana and includes the Lincoln-Scapegoat Wilderness, Missouri River, Fort Belknap Reservation, Big Snowy Mountains, Yellowstone River, Northern Cheyenne Reservation, Crow Reservation and Coalstrip/Rosebud area of southeast Montana.

Course Description:

This is an undergraduate level course for three (3) semester credits from the University of Montana. The course is designed to give students a greater understanding of Indian peoples’ traditional relationships with the land in Montana, and an understanding how and why those relationships may have changed. Readings and discussions will be supplemented with extensive time spent on the Fort Belknap, Northern Cheyenne and Crow Reservations where the class will meet with tribal leaders to learn first-hand about the history and current issues facing the tribes with an emphasis on environmental and tribal/land relationships.

Academic Objectives:

  1. An understanding of the history of the tribes on the Fort Belknap, Northern Cheyenne and Crow Reservations.
  2. An understanding of these tribes’ traditional relationships with the land.
  3. An understanding of the cultural, social and economic changes that have been imposed on these tribes as a result of white settlement and forced relocation to the reservations.
  4. An understanding of how the necessity of adapting to the invading western European culture has affected the tribes and individuals relationship with the land.

Course Requirements and Evaluation:

All students will be given a letter grade for the course, which will be based upon their participation and performance on the following assignments and activities.

  1. A written 5-7 page critical analysis of Killing Custer by James Welch. These papers will also be presented orally to the class.
  2. A 2-3 page summary and response to the presentation of one or more guest speakers from the Fort Belknap, Northern Cheyenne and Crow Reservations.
  3. Midterm exam questions that focus on the “Indian New Deal,” the Dawes Act, tribal sovereignty, Indian water rights, resource development, and current issues.
  4. A final synthetic essay of 12-15 pages based on the readings, discussions, presentations and experiences during the semester in which they will articulate their understanding of a truly adequate land ethic. This essay will specifically includes a discussion of what they have learned about Indian land relationships in Montana and how that relates to life outside the reservations in contemporary America.

Readings:

Ambler, Marjane. 1990. Breaking The Iron Bonds: Indian Control of Energy Development. (University of Kansas Press, Lawrence). 368 pp. Selections

Campbell, Gregory. 1987. “Northern Cheyenne Ethnicity, Religion and Coal Energy Development,” in Plains Anthropologist Vol.32, No. 118.

Deloria, Vine and Sandra Cadwalader and Vine Deloria, 1984 “Preface,” in The Agressions of Civilization: Federal Indian Policy Since The 1880’s. (Temple University Press, Philadelphia). Pp. ix-xvi.

DeLoria, Vine. 1994. “The Problem of Creation,” in God Is Red. (Fulcrum, Golden). Pp.78-97.

Indian Law Resource Center. 2002. Spirit Mountain and The Zortman Mine.”

LaDuke, Winona. 1999. “Northern Cheyenne: A Fire in the Coal Fields,” in All Our Relations. (South End Press. Cambridge). pp. 75-96.

LaDuke, Winona. 1999. “Buffalo Nations, Buffalo Peoples,” in All Our Relations. (South End Press, Cambridge). pp. 135-166.

Linderman, Frank. 2002. Plenty Coups: Chief of The Crows. (University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln). 194 pp.

Long, James (First Boy). 2004. Land of Nakoda: The Story of The Assiniboine Indians. (Riverbend, Helena ). 229 pp.

Montana Office of Public Instruction. 2009. Montana Indians: Their History and Location. Ed/Resources/MT Indian History Location.pdf.

Scott, Tristan. 2011. “Oil, Gas Dilemma: Revenue vs. Nature,” in The Missoulian, August 7, 2011.

Welch, James. 2007. Killing Custer: The Battle of Little Big Horn and The Fate of The Plains Indians. (W.W. Norton, New York). 320pp.

Wildcat, Daniel. 2009. Red Alert! Saving The Planet with Indigenous Knowledge. (Fulcrum, Golden). 143 pp.

. Interviews with Assiniboine, Gros Ventres, Crow and Northern Cheyenne Leaders.

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