St. Ann's centennial: 100 years of faith, Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation, Belcourt, North Dakota, 1885-1985

• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: North Dakota State Library
• Subjects: Devils Lake; Indian; assiniboine; Metis
• Online Access: http://cdm16921.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/ndsl-books/id/27593

Courtesy of ND State Historical Society Young Elk, Chippewa Warrior Courtesy of ND State Historical Society Metis Family, 1890s The Metis or mixed-blood element of the Turtle Mountain Band are basically an admixture of Plains Ojibwa with a large amount of French as well as other European ancestry. They are descendants of French Canadian trappers, voyageurs, men of British, Scottish and English stock who married Indian women. There is also some admixture of Cree, some Ottawa and some Assiniboine, Their physical features are from dark straight hair, dark skin and dark eyes, to blond hair and blue eyes. Culturally speaking, they are French because they have had 12 to 14 generations of French background. Many speak the French language, celebrate the French holidays and prepare many of the delicacies that the French prefer. They do not have the cultural characteristics of the old Chippewa Indian that we read about in history. Judith Wilkie Berger and Pierre Berger -They settled Lewistown, Montana. The Metis or half-breeds who resided around the early trading posts became known as the "Bun- gi." They were joined by a small group of Ottawa Indians. Some "Bungi" proudly claimed to be of Ottawa descent with some Cree admixture and French and other European blood. The name "Bungi" applied only to the Western Plains Ojibwa. That name apparently did not follow the Turtle Mountain Chippewa to their Turtle Mountain home. Few here are familiar with the term "Bunji." Other names by which this band is known as they traveled to various areas are Plains Ojibwa, Chippewa-Cree, Saulteaux and Metis. Attempts were made beginning in 1892 to enroll the Pembina Indian group known as the Turtle Mountain Chippewa who settled in the Turtle Mountain area. The U.S. government on October 4, 1882 opened land to white settlers and directed the General Land Office to restore to the Public Domain the lands claimed by the Turtle Mountain Chippewa in the Turtle Mountain area and as far south as Devils Lake, east to White Earth, Minnesota and as far west as the Missouri River. The Indians were occupying land wanted for white settlement. In 1892 the Government appointed the McCumber Commission to enroll the Turtle Mountain Band and to try to induce them to give up their claim to this land for a consideration and to consent to their removal to some other part of the country. 92 Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.