{"id":5246,"date":"2026-05-16T02:44:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T02:44:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nativenews.jour.umt.edu\/projects\/?page_id=5246"},"modified":"2026-05-24T19:03:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T19:03:35","slug":"2026-littleshell","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nativenews.jour.umt.edu\/projects\/2026-littleshell\/","title":{"rendered":"Culture, Connection and Care"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div><\/span>
\n

Culture, connection and care<\/strong><\/mark><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How the Little Shell Tribe\u2019s cultural program is working for the future

<\/strong><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Story by Bee Reiswig | Photos by Casandra Evans<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The building doesn\u2019t look homey, at first. Its corrugated metal is sky blue, and there isn\u2019t much natural light. It sits on the edge of Great Falls and looks more like a storage building than anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even upon first entrance, the cold, smooth concrete floor takes a second to get used to. But there is laughter and chatter as people happily eat their macaroni soup. The space is filled with warmth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The meal has been cooked by Kathy Fenner, the coordinator for the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians elder\u2019s lunch program for about two years. She took over after the previous coordinator had been struggling with the program for about a year or so. At the time, when Fenner stepped in, about five or six people would come in per luncheon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

In March, there were around 10 times that many, a now common turnout for the weekly event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love it,\u201d Fenner said. \u201cIt makes me feel good to see them out there, so happy. If you\u2019ve got someone out there who doesn\u2019t know anyone, it\u2019s not long before someone makes them feel at home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder\u2019s lunches are one of many projects run through the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe Cultural Center. Though it\u2019s been around for about five years, within the last year-and-a-half it\u2019s worked to hold more events under the leadership of Jesse Eagle Speaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s one of the ways the Little Shell Tribe is working to build community, which can be difficult for a tribe with no reservation. Its goal remains the same: Bring the diasporic tribe together and keep its culture alive for future citizens to come, even if lack of federal support for the recently federally recognized tribe makes it difficult to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Little Shell Tribe was federally recognized in 2019 after centuries of struggle against the U.S. government. Though it was acknowledged as a tribal nation by the state of Montana in the 2000s, federal recognition allowed the tribe to access more funding and grants. However, up to that point, the Little Shell had evolved for decades with no land base, no reservation where its citizens lived, shared and maintained culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Many Little Shell citizens reside in Great Falls, but numerous have spread across Montana and the nation. This can make it difficult to maintain cultural connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat has caused us to almost lose our language and culture and traditions,\u201d Little Shell Chairman Gerald Gray said. \u201cSo that\u2019s why we\u2019re trying to work to bring those back. And that\u2019s hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cultural Night, a bimonthly event thrown by the cultural program, is one of the ways in which the Little Shell Tribe is working to share its culture with its citizens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the attendees of Cultural Night was shy but excited 10-year-old Mikenzie Azure. She arrived with her mom, Callie Parr. The two were mini-celebrities of the event: They\u2019d driven two hours and 19 minutes from their hometown, Butte, in order to be there. And they drove back right after the event. But to Parr, it\u2019s worth it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou really can\u2019t explain it,\u201d Parr said. \u201cThe sense of belonging is pretty incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parr said she felt very disconnected from the Little Shell Tribe while growing up. She\u2019d been meaning to attend a Cultural Night for a while, after seeing the tribe post online about the events. That night, she finally made it a priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now seven years into recovery, Parr \u201cfully credits getting sober to finding [her] culture.\u201d Midway through her first Cultural Night, she started sobbing, overwhelmed by emotion. She\u2019s especially excited to share the culture with her daughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is where it\u2019s at. This is our future,\u201d Parr said. \u201cI grew up disconnected, and I want to do everything I can to make sure she doesn\u2019t experience that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two were eager to attend again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

According to Gray, the Little Shell Tribe has struggled with nitpicking cultural learning. In its language program, Gray said citizens are concerned about whether they are learning proper Ojibwe dialects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou get a lot of people that are like, \u2018I\u2019m more Indian than you are\u2019 kind of attitude,\u201d Gray said. \u201cNo, it doesn\u2019t work like that. People are sick and tired of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tribe is currently working to put out a language learning app, which will hopefully launch in July. Though the program started with in-person classes, turnout for adults and high school students was low and the tribe needed to pivot to another form of education. The work is funded through the Montana Indian Language Preservation Program, which provided $187,500 to each Montana tribe in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Shawn Loewen, a professor of Second Language Studies at Michigan State University, while apps can be effective for learning vocabulary and phrases, it’s often not as effective for spoken ability. Communicative proficiency is often better built from person-to-person dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the Little Shell Tribe\u2019s funding comes from state grants, such as for the language program, as well as economic enterprises. The tribe has had to re-budget due to federal money shrinking, luckily avoiding any programs being completely cut. It is allotted $480,000 per year from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, less than $70 per tribal citizen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have a lot of federal grants that would be taken away,\u201d Gray said. \u201cA lot of the other tribes, they\u2019ve really affected them, and mostly in education.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Donald Trump\u2019s current budget for 2027 proposes billions of dollars in cuts to housing, business and infrastructure grants that support Indigenous people. Similar cuts were proposed in 2026, according to Tribal Business News, but Congress rejected it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Barbara Middle Rider, who enjoys many projects run through the cultural program, said she\u2019d like to see more programs aimed toward Little Shell adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey seem to have more for children, which by all rights that\u2019s a great thing,\u201d Middle Rider said. \u201cBut because the Little Shell has gotten recognition so late in its lifetime, you\u2019ve got a lot of adults that have no idea about some of their culture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Middle Rider makes an effort to attend many of the programs put on by the tribal government, such as the elder\u2019s lunches and a new women\u2019s group hosted by the Little Shell Health Clinic. Recently retired, she has a little more time to fit the events into her schedule. Her late husband and his family were traditional Blackfeet citizens, so Middle Rider learned a great deal about Blackfeet culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been harder for her to learn about the Little Shell Tribe\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur people, the Little Shell, were kind of lost in our way, they called us \u2018garbage-can Indians,\u2019 \u2018landless Indians,\u2019\u201d Middle Rider said about white people in Great Falls. \u201cWe lost a lot of our culture. We assimilated because we were taught that we would be looked down on. We lost the best of both worlds. I\u2019ve been looked down on by non-Indians and Indians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians Restoration Act, signed officially by President Trump in December 2019, provided more resources for the Little Shell Tribe. Funding by the federal government, assistance from the Indian Health Services and a food distribution program are just a few benefits that came with long-due recognition. The act was slipped into the National Defense Authorization Act, which mostly focused on military spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though the Little Shell Tribe has more connections with President Trump than most tribes, many still have concerns with his administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cI, truly, in my heart of hearts, believe that [President Trump] truly did not know that he gave federal recognition,\u201d Middle Rider said. \u201cIt\u2019s not my place to say he\u2019s right or wrong, I just don\u2019t like the way he comes across.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This administration hasn\u2019t only affected tribes monetarily. Middle Rider has noticed a change in treatment from the Great Falls community. Though she\u2019s always been cautious, not stopping in small towns for gas, she said she noticed a shift with the new presidency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see a lot more \u2018Go back to the reservation. You live off the government,\u2019\u201d Middle Rider said. \u201cIt seems to me to be more prevalent now because of the administration\u2019s support of \u2018If you don\u2019t get what you\u2019re entitled to, other people shouldn\u2019t get what you think they are not entitled to.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, Middle Rider said, she does her best to not let run-ins ruin her day. She doesn\u2019t travel much and tries to take advantage of as many of the Little Shell\u2019s programs as she can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To support its government, the Little Shell Tribe has found many other ventures from which to make money. It owns two of three national travertine quarries. Travertine is a type of sedimentary limestone often used as flooring, especially near pools. It doesn\u2019t turn slippery when wet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Gilbert, a former Little Shell chairman and frequenter of elder\u2019s lunches, has a friendly, deep voice and firm handshake. He\u2019s eager to see the Little Shell continue expanding economically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery governor I\u2019ve seen, I said, \u2018Someday, Little Shell is going to be an economic powerhouse in this state,\u2019\u201d Gilbert said. \u201cAnd we will be. We\u2019re just getting started.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the Little Shell\u2019s other economic endeavors, which supports the elder\u2019s lunches among other tribal needs, is a group of 10 office spaces that the tribe rents out in its programs building. That\u2019s where the cultural program is housed, it\u2019s funded through the state\u2019s Healing and Ending Addiction through Recovery and Treatment grant, which provided $62,500 to each of the Montana tribes in the 2024 fiscal year. According to the grant\u2019s initiative report, the money is to be used “to fill gaps\u201d for drug prevention and mental health promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Many tribes, including the Little Shell, used this money to build cultural and community programs, which \u201cresearch shows is protective against mental health and substance use disorders,\u201d according to the grant\u2019s initiative report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery program that\u2019s out there, what we\u2019re doing, is for the future generations,\u201d Gilbert said. \u201cWe want our younger tribal members to get involved and be proud of their heritage, and you never know who could be the next chairman that comes out of there in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lack of federal funding does make it difficult to maintain programs. Chairman Gray explained that with less than $70 per citizen from the federal government, it would be \u201cimpossible\u201d to maintain the amount of programming and services that the tribe provides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere I have on my wall, I have a picture of President Trump and our chairman,\u201d Gilbert said. \u201c[Trump] got all the publicity, but he hasn\u2019t put forth what we need for funding. And that\u2019s typical politics, that\u2019s what that is. It upsets me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gilbert is one of many who benefit from current programs like the elder\u2019s lunch, which is run by Kathy Fenner and her husband, Jeffrey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is my fun job,\u201d said Jeffrey Fenner, who also works once a week at Home Depot. \u201cThis is the best day of the week. Just to have them come in, enjoy the company, enjoy the food.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two run the weekly get-together with their daughter, Amanda Cavallin. She also works in the Enrollment Office for the Little Shell Tribe. The position came after she had been helping her mother with the cooking, and she is paid to help at the Elders Center on Wednesdays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of her responsibilities is to prepare the bread, it\u2019s almost always homemade. Those coming to enjoy the food will sometimes complain if it\u2019s store-bought. It\u2019s a multigenerational skill, one that Cavallin and her four sisters learned from her mother, and that Fenner learned from her aunt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bread is mixed by hand. Cavallin typically makes four quadruple batches, a process that takes several hours. It may take a variety of forms, for example, frybread or bannock. Bannock is a dense, sweet bread that could be compared to cornbread. The slight tang and buttery flavor put it a step above, however. It\u2019s traditional among many tribes, including the Little Shell, and it\u2019s one that brings elders in, according to Cavallin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the length of the process, it\u2019s one that the family is glad to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love them,\u201d Cavallin said of the elders. \u201cAnd I love that they love our food, so I\u2019m happy to do that for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The food is a hit, clearly. The tables set up in the middle of the Elders Center are mostly filled, folks slightly clumped up into large conversation groups. Even those who work slowly through their meal, enjoying the exchanges between community members, leave nothing but crumbs. And, if they\u2019re lucky, the last few are able to bring home leftovers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think a couple of them got clever,\u201d Fenner said with a smile. \u201cThey\u2019ll come later and stay and talk and talk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As desserts and frybread are packed to go and the last stragglers make their way out, the family behind the scenes wraps up their seven-hour shift, not counting their preparations the day prior. Whether making macaroni soup or cleaning up the last of the disposable bowls, Fenner does her work with focus and without complaint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven one meal helps [elders] know they\u2019re appreciated,\u201d Fenner said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though it would be great to have the event more than once per week, the budget won\u2019t allow it. That\u2019s part of the work of the tribe itself: Finding the funds that have to be available to create these opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The little blue building is one that serves many purposes for the Little Shell Tribe. The new Cultural Center will spread the weight of events more evenly, but as of March, last-minute flourishes on the building mean the Elders Center served 60 elders one moment, and around 30 community members a few hours later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every other Wednesday, the program hosts Cultural Night. On March 11, the focus was on braiding sweetgrass. The environment is equally as warm as the elder\u2019s lunch, but a little more subdued. Quiet, joyful chatter echoes in the space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a complete openness to every part of the event that allows everyone in attendance to feel welcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnyone that comes in and participates becomes part of us as our family,\u201d said Jesse Eagle Speaker, who runs the cultural program. \u201cEven if you don\u2019t come from us, the door\u2019s open, and we\u2019ll help you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even those who have lived in the area for most of their lives, like Dorothy Langan, are prepared to learn more about their culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Langan grew up on Hill 57 in a big family. She later married a man from Rocky Boy \u2014 her first marriage \u2014 and felt out of place not knowing a lot about the traditions or culture of the tribe. Her mother-in-law would later teach her how to bead, and Langan, in turn, taught her own mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we come to this stuff, because we are actually learning how to be in it,\u201d Langan said. \u201cWe are actually learning our own traditions, which we just never did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She, alongside the rest of the happy-go-lucky crew, begin braiding sweetgrass under the tutelage of Eagle Speaker after receiving their bundle of grass from Tricia Russette, who runs the Community Health program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRemember when you\u2019re braiding this sweetgrass, you think about your family,\u201d Eagle Speaker said. \u201cPray for them when you\u2019re doing this. That\u2019s extra strength for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He takes a moment, then jokes: \u201cTricia is going to do the first 24 braids.\u201d Russette plays along, forcing a quieter attendee into this imaginary work with her. The room feels playful, welcoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

To begin, Langan separates a smaller section of the grass and wraps it around the end a few times, maybe an inch down from the top. The long end of that grass joins into one of the three sections that will become the braid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the sweet flavor of the grass in her mouth, texturally close to shredded celery, and water dripping from the end, Langan braids tightly. To make an even, pretty braid, it\u2019s crucial to make the three sections relatively even and to keep a consistent tension throughout the weaving. Langan is helped by the fact that she\u2019s a beautician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once reaching the end, Eagle Speaker says to twist the thin end enough that it becomes akin to a rope. By tying it in a knot, the braid concludes and is ready to dry, awaiting the day that its owner burns it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though it\u2019s certainly educational for all, there\u2019s an angle toward children for the event. Everything is explained kindly and in terms that citizens and non-citizens, elders and children can understand alike. When there\u2019s a hesitancy to get into the center of the room and dance, Russette suggests musical chairs. A few adults join in to help the younger in attendance get past that late-elementary-age awkwardness and participate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the last of the sweetgrass braided and musical chairs concluded, attendees trickle out, some with a free overflow carton of eggs from the tribe\u2019s food program. As they do so, they ball up the unruly wisps of sweetgrass that they plucked out of the braid. The clumps of grass catch the wind and bounce their way across the parking lot together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like that braid. There were three stands come together, made one,\u201d Eagle Speaker said to the crowd. \u201cThat\u2019s what we need. We don\u2019t need division. Let\u2019s create a safe room for our kids and our elders, so that they have somewhere to relax. They have somewhere to be proud.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s what the cultural program is striving to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

A SPECIAL PROJECT BY THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ADDITIONAL FUNDING SUPPORT FROM THE GREATER MONTANA FOUNDATION<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ MORE:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"A<\/span>
\n

Previous<\/mark><\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Facing the nuclear renaissance<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/span>
\n

Next<\/mark><\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

veins of the river<\/a><\/mark><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Story by Bee Reiswig | Photos by Casandra Evans The building doesn\u2019t look homey, at first. Its corrugated metal is sky blue, and there isn\u2019t much natural light. It sits on the edge of Great Falls and looks more like a storage building than anything else. Even upon first entrance, the cold, smooth concrete floor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bgseo_title":"","bgseo_description":"","bgseo_robots_index":"index","bgseo_robots_follow":"follow","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5246","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nativenews.jour.umt.edu\/projects\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nativenews.jour.umt.edu\/projects\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nativenews.jour.umt.edu\/projects\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nativenews.jour.umt.edu\/projects\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nativenews.jour.umt.edu\/projects\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5246"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/nativenews.jour.umt.edu\/projects\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5650,"href":"https:\/\/nativenews.jour.umt.edu\/projects\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5246\/revisions\/5650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nativenews.jour.umt.edu\/projects\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}