{"id":273129,"date":"2025-10-27T12:28:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T17:28:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=273129"},"modified":"2025-10-28T18:04:43","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T23:04:43","slug":"montana-free-press-northern-cheyenne-tribe-in-leadership-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/10\/27\/montana-free-press-northern-cheyenne-tribe-in-leadership-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Montana Free Press: Northern Cheyenne Tribe in leadership crisis"},"content":{"rendered":" \"Northern<\/a>
The Northern Cheyenne Tribal building in Lame Deer, Montana, is seen on November 19, 2024. Photo: Nora Mabie \/ Montana Free Press<\/figcaption>\r\n
Arrests, frozen bank accounts and a controversial election: Leadership crisis grips Northern Cheyenne Tribe<\/div>\r\n
Both the president and council members spoke with MTFP in recent interviews to clarify their perspectives in a dispute that centers around who is in charge.<\/div>\r\n
Monday, October 27, 2025<\/div>\r\n
By Nora Mabie<\/div>\r\n
Montana Free Press<\/DIV>\r\n
montanafreepress.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nA months-long dispute<\/a> gripping the Northern Cheyenne Tribe centers around who is in charge and a controversial election that excludes women candidates scheduled for October 30 is only causing more confusion.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe volatile situation sparked last spring when Northern Cheyenne Tribal President Gene Small, a rancher who campaigned in 2024 on transparency<\/a>, initiated an audit<\/a> into the council\u2019s use of federal COVID-19 relief funds. Some council members balked, but the examination moved forward on a 6-5 vote<\/a>, and the fallout since the audit got underway has burned through the tribal government.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nHeadquartered in southeast Montana, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe has around 12,403 enrolled members, 4,618 of whom live on the reservation, according to the tribe\u2019s enrollment office.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nEvents have been rapid-fire: The tribal council on September 11 voted to remove Small<\/a>, citing alleged constitutional violations<\/a>. They maintain that the removal vote did not come in response to the audit. Two council members \u2014 Torrey Davie and Theresa Small \u2014 notably did not attend the removal hearing and have since sided with the president. On the same day, a group of traditional leaders, called chiefs, issued a declaration<\/a> calling for the removal of the eight council members who voted to oust the president. The chiefs then selected eight new temporary council members<\/a> to serve, and Small held a swearing-in ceremony<\/a> for them. Meanwhile, the eight original council members continued to meet and issued a public statement<\/a> saying they were the official governing body of the tribe.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nConflicting statements about who\u2019s in charge have swirled around the community for weeks, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs said it won\u2019t get involved<\/a>, meaning there\u2019s not an outside arbiter to weigh in.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThings reached a fever pitch in recent weeks when several council members were arrested, tribal accounts were frozen, and the interim council approved a controversial special election that bans women from running.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nWhile the president and original council members disagree on who should be in charge, there\u2019s agreement across the board that the conflict has sown confusion and division in the tight-knit tribal community.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cI don\u2019t know if people are actually going to go vote or not,\u201d council member Nizhoni Friesz said of the special election. \u201cA lot of them perceive that it\u2019s not real. \u2026 It\u2019s just causing so much confusion that people don\u2019t really know what\u2019s real and what\u2019s not.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nBut Small told MTFP he thinks the special election provides a path forward.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cI believe that it is legal,\u201d he said. \u201cI believe that the traditional law is the law of the land here.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

CONTROVERSIAL ELECTION<\/div>\r\nIn a September 29 meeting<\/a>, the interim council and Small approved a one-time special election on October 30 to fill eight council seats they say have been vacated.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe eight original council members who voted to remove Small, however, say the election is invalid. They argue that Small is no longer president and that the traditional leaders, called chiefs, have no official governing authority. They say they hold the eight council seats and argue the seats are not vacant.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nBut the new election rules have added a new layer of controversy. The concept of the election was developed by the chiefs, Small said, with a goal of stabilizing the government \u201cin accordance with traditional law and custom,\u201d according to the election rules<\/a>.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThose rules prohibit women from running, in addition to raising the minimum candidate age from 21 to 30. The eight original council members are also barred from running and there is no primary election or absentee voting. Small said the rules only apply to this vote, and people who are elected to the council will finish out the terms of the person they replaced, serving either one year or three years. On October 22, Small released what he said was an official list of 14 candidates<\/a>.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nBut the plan has drawn criticism.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s a civil rights violation,\u201d council member Melissa Lonebear told MTFP of the exclusion of women and absentee voters, given that less than 40% of enrolled members live on the reservation.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe tribe notably elected five women council members<\/a> and a woman president and vice president in 2020. And five of the eight council members feuding with Small are women.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201c[There\u2019s] a lot of talk about just males being able to run in the special election,\u201d Small said in a video he shared on Facebook<\/a> on October 6. \u201cThat is true. That is what [the chiefs] came up with. That is what they want, and I ask that we respect that.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nCouncil member Theresa Small, who has sided with the president throughout the dispute, would notably continue to hold her post. If the election occurs and new members are elected, she would be the only woman serving on council.\r\n

ARRESTS<\/div>\r\nTensions rose exponentially on October 8 when four original council members \u2014 Melissa Fisher, Lonebear, Gwen Spotted Horse and Howard Ontiveros \u2014 and their family members were arrested upon entering the tribal building. They were charged with offenses related to the protection of government officials, employees and law enforcement officers, according to the tribe\u2019s updated law and order code<\/a>.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nLonebear, who represents the Lame Deer district, told MTFP that she and other council members were held in the Hardin jail for 52 hours before they were released.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cThis whole thing has been so stressful and traumatic for us,\u201d she said.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nSpotted Horse said she and her husband were both arrested, which scared their kids.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cOur two little ones have been traumatized because they\u2019re always with us,\u201d she said. \u201cNow when they see us getting ready, they don\u2019t want to leave our side. They\u2019re scared.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

BANK ACCOUNTS FROZEN<\/div>\r\nTribes manage millions of federal dollars in the form of grants and appropriations to support programs and employees, and the dispute recently reached tribal bank accounts.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nIn a September 24 meeting<\/a>, the original eight council members passed a number of resolutions, including one revoking Small\u2019s check-signing authority related to tribal bank accounts. Days later, the council announced that the tribe\u2019s bank accounts with First Interstate Bank were frozen<\/a> amid growing confusion about leadership. First Interstate Bank declined to comment on the situation to protect the privacy of its client.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe newly appointed interim council met on October 7<\/a> to approve budgets. The group also passed resolutions allowing Small and other officials to act as signatories for tribal bank accounts.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nSeveral of the eight original council members told MTFP last week that they were unable to access tribal accounts and were not paid in the most recent pay period. Small, however, said the bank recognizes him as a signatory.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nCouncil member Friesz told MTFP on October 17 she feared the conflict could affect the tribe\u2019s federal funding. Federal funds support tribal government operations and the facilitation of health care and law enforcement services. Tribes also use federal dollars to operate programs \u2014 like transportation services, food assistance, and wildlife management \u2014 that meet the needs of its members.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cI don\u2019t know if our funding would be pulled or if the U.S. government would say, \u2018This is getting out of hand, and we\u2019re going to take over the reservation,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s so many possibilities that this instability is causing that it\u2019s very worrisome for us.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nLonebear echoed those sentiments, telling MTFP she\u2019s particularly concerned about internal instability when the Trump administration has proposed sweeping cuts<\/a> to federal programs amidst a federal government shutdown.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cI\u2019m afraid for our reservation,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m afraid for the future of our tribe.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nBut Small disagreed with those characterizations. He said the tribe has withdrawn the money it needs for the fiscal year.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201c[The government] told us to settle it, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing right now,\u201d he said of the dispute.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

WILL THE COURT HAVE AN ANSWER?<\/div>\r\nWith the Bureau of Indian Affairs bowing out of the conflict<\/a>, both the president and council have turned to the courts for a possible resolution.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nOn October 1, Small submitted a motion for declaratory judgment to the Northern Cheyenne Constitutional Court, which deals with violations of the tribal Constitution. In it, he asked the court to declare that he was not legally removed as president, according to a filing obtained by MTFP. Small told MTFP on October 21 he had not received a response from the court, though he expects one soon.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe council in early October filed a complaint in the same court against the chiefs, asking the court to declare the council \u2014not the chiefs \u2014 the governing body of the tribe.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cThe Chiefs of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe have absolutely no political or legal authority under the tribal Constitution,\u201d their complaint reads.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe court recently dismissed that complaint, saying it lacks jurisdiction in the case. Council members say they\u2019re not discouraged by the finding.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201c[The Constitutional Court] refers to us as the Tribal Council, so they acknowledge us as the right group,\u201d Friesz said, adding that they plan to show the ruling to the BIA and First Interstate Bank as proof of recognition.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nLonebear said the council will continue to pursue answers in Constitutional Court.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cThe bottom line is that we need to exhaust all remedies,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd this is a remedy within our own tribal procedures.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\n Note: This story originally appeared on Montana Free Press<\/a>. It is published under a Creative Commons license<\/a>.<\/strong>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Who is in charge of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe? A dispute has led to arrests of council members.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":273612,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13,1,14],"tags":[1712,117,5,56,6038,6869,6871,511,6870,4138,249,194,6866,268,6867,6868,106,44],"class_list":["post-273129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-law","category-national","category-politics","tag-banks","tag-bia","tag-coronavirus","tag-elections","tag-gene-small","tag-gwen-spotted-horse","tag-howard-ontiveros","tag-law-enforcement","tag-melissa-fisher","tag-melissa-lonebear","tag-montana","tag-montana-free-press","tag-nizhoni-friesz","tag-northern-cheyenne","tag-theresa-small","tag-torrey-davie","tag-tribal-courts","tag-women","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-193j","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28\/NorthernCheyenneTribe.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273129"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":273613,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273129\/revisions\/273613"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}