Starvation noted at Turtle Mountain

1/17/2018

Fort Peck Agent Deals with 200 Starving Metis from Turtle Mt.

The superintendent of the Fort Peck Agency reported on troubles he was having with half-breed Metis haunting his agency during the year of 1894. According to his report, there were many of these people coming from Canada and from Turtle Mountain, and he was increasingly overwhelmed by the sheer numbers requesting assistance after fleeing harsh conditions and starvation at Turtle Mountain .

Montana Metis

According to his letter to the Secretary of Indian Affairs, he stated that he was "...a great deal annoyed by Indians and half-breeds coming from the Turtle Mountain country, from the American and Canadian side of the line. Late in last fall nearly 200 poverty-stricken and diseased wretches of half-breeds, foisted themselves upon me, and stated that they had come from the subagency of Devils Lake, at Turtle Mountain, and that starvation compelled them to leave. They had to be taken care of. The Department acted very generously in their cases. To have returned them at that season of the year would have caused much suffering and loss of life to the children. I got rid of them as soon as I could".

Adapted from United States Congressional serial set, Issue 3306, Report to the House of Representatives (1895). Government Printing Office.

1 Comment

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Liz Hauge

1/19/2018 10:39:42 am

The article is self-explanatory with the culture of the time. Now days non-Indians think that Indians are wealthy, because of casino's. Most people, if you explain to them that few tribes have the advantage of these monies and we don't live off the government. I do explain the difficulties that most reservation I ndians have with lack of jobs housing,alcoholism, drugs and not being able to afford higher education. You can't expect to round up a whole ethnic group and put in a small area, take away their wandering ways, their language's, the way they ate and separate them from their children and expect them to succeed. Rehabilitation and education has to occur for a new way of life to succeed. Hasn't happened