Intertribal Treaty Meeting October 25 in Wyoming
Intertribal Treaty Meeting graphic.
By LORI ANN EDMO
Sho-Ban News
FORT HALL — Fort Hall Business Council members said an Intertribal Treaty meeting and what was deemed a “Historical Treaty Signing” is still happening Friday, October 25 in Jackson, Wyoming.
The notice of the event was posted on the Eastern Shoshone Facebook page September 26 but was later taken down. The post said it involves a closed tribal meeting among the Crow Tribe, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and the Eastern Shoshone Tribe from 9 a.m. to noon that day and to RSVP to Randy’L Teton. The Treaty signing is at 2 p.m.
FHBC treasurer Tino Batt said it was premature for the post to be made on the event and said it was more like a Memorandum of Understanding between the tribes at the Ross Fork District meeting September 26.
FHBC member Nathan Small said the MOU is directed at Article 4 the hunting portion of the Fort Bridger Treaty and that’s all that was. Under Article 4 of the Fort Bridger Treaty it guarantees that resident enrolled Shoshone-Bannock tribal members “shall have the right to hunt on unoccupied lands of the United States so long as game may be found thereon.”
He said during the tribal council’s discussion with the Crow Tribe and elected officials, they’re the ones who suggested the word treaty. He said, “We could use the word treaty but we need to see what the Eastern Shoshones say about it. Where the word treaty came from it’s basically a treaty among the three tribes to make sure that nobody is going to go out there and put us in jeopardy again that’s all that is.”
Small said the word treaty may have a lot more significance to it but they are calling it “historical.” The language about the alleged treaty is all about Article 4 and “We’re telling them this is what we do to protect Article 4. Eastern Shoshone never ever did exercise Article 4. So now they are wanting to exercise Article 4. We are trying to get the Crows to not be going out there and doing all these rogue things anymore. We are going to do the best to protect Article 4.”
The Crow Tribe is under the Fort Laramie Treaty but the language is similar concerning off reservation Treaty rights.
Vice Chairman Kevin Callahan said the treaty signing is open but they are trying to find a location to have it because the previous location listed on the event flyer was too small to accommodate the other tribes.
