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Fort Peck chairman urges lawmakers to respect treaties, support water settlement and tribal infrastructure
Summary
Chairman Justin Greyhawk Sr. told the joint session the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux and Montana tribes are resilient, asked for continued state support for water settlements, Medicaid expansion, and infrastructure projects, and warned against bills that would infringe treaty rights.
Chairman Justin Greyhawk Sr. of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux tribes delivered the state of the tribal nations address to a joint session of the Montana Legislature, urging lawmakers to honor treaty obligations, support tribal economic development and infrastructure, and preserve Indian education and cultural programs.
"On behalf of the Fort Peck, Assiniboine, and Sioux tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation and the tribal nations across the state of Montana, I am honored to present the state of the tribal nations address," Justin Greyhawk Sr. said. He reported the Fort Peck Reservation covers more than 2,000,000 acres and serves about 11,000 tribal members.
Greyhawk cited recent collaborative efforts — including state support for the Fort Belknap water settlement and a marijuana tax‑sharing agreement with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes — as examples of constructive government‑to‑government work. He said expanded Medicaid has been "the lifeline to Indian country and all of Montanans." He also called for continued assistance on law‑enforcement funding, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) responses, and honoring Native languages and education mandates in the state constitution.
The chairman warned against proposals he described as infringing on treaty rights and said tribes oppose legislation that would impose a single religious standard in schools. He highlighted tribal efforts to restore buffalo herds and called for state cooperation to return bison to native grasslands. "We cannot allow racist bills that cause racist division in our communities," Greyhawk said.
Greyhawk concluded by asking legislators to consider tribal impacts when crafting laws and recalling U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black's comment that "great nations like great men should keep their word."
