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Letter: Treaty history and Wyoming tribes
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Filed Under: Opinion

"I would like to comment on the news stories that were reported in the Riverton Ranger as it pertains to the Shoshone and Arapaho tribes and the controversy that it has caused within our communities. At some point in time the Shoshone tribal chairman Ivan Posey became upset about being excluded in some of these discussions of the meetings with the Riverton city officials which were intended to improve government-to-government relationships.

One particular comment that I'm tired of hearing, as well as with many other people, was made to the press stating that "we are the original treaty holders" to this reservation, which is true to some extent. This comment seemed to have caused ill feelings and negative comments against the individuals who are intermarried within both tribes and caused resentment within the reservation communities.

This reservation was originally established by the Medicine Horse Treaty of 1851 for the Crow Indians and was relinquished by the government because the Crow had congregated themselves in the Pryor, Little Big Horn and Big Horn areas of Wyoming and Montana.

When this happened, Washakie requested this portion of land in the Second Treaty of Fort Bridger. During this same time the Arapaho, Cheyenne and Sioux were also residents of the Wind River Basin as far as Yellowstone, while the Shoshone also ventured into the Wind River Basin on hunting excursions according to our oral tribal histories."

Get the Story:
Eugene J. Ridgely Jr: Treaty forces nations to cohabitate (The Casper Star-Tribune 11/11)

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