Fort Peck Tribes Passes Motion Establishing Marriage Equality

The Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board started their meeting with a traditional song. Both Chairman Floyd Azure and councilwoman Patt Runs Through expressed in the previous meeting that it was a sorely missed portion of the bi-weekly board meeting.

The board considered a motion to change the language about marriage in the code of criminal justice from “a man and a woman” to “persons.” The language in the motion declared that marriage is a fundamental right. The motion passed. The vote was unanimous.

The board then heard from Bureau of Indian Affairs Superintendent Anna Eder, who reported that Indian probate law judges will hold seven hearings June 1-3 and one hearing on June 8. The Bureau of Trust Fund Administration closed one estate so far this month.

The Wildlands Fire Program reports that since May 13 there have been seven fires in the area. A prevention team will be going to the schools to talk to students about fire safety. One member of the team is an investigator who will be looking into the recent fires.

In committee recommendations, the board started with two motions regarding tribal language preservation. They create a grant solicitation program and designate the language and culture department as the applicant for several grants.

Controversy arose over a motion by councilman Jestin Dupree and councilwoman Carolyn Brugh that would deny Bill Lee Prichard a tribal gaming license and would prohibit the Tribes from working with Prichard’s business. Prichard is part of a legal dispute the Tribes are embroiled in and he found himself in the middle of the chairman’s impeachment hearings last December.

The owners of TJ’s Quik Stop attended the meaning and had a few choice words for the board.

“We’ve been running the store since the ‘80s and now we’re dealing with health problems,” they said.

Vice chairman Charles Headdress commented on the motion: “The board is being childish.”

Headdress was concerned about the money the tribes would lose every year by denying the gaming license and future business deals citing a $600,000 drop in earnings.

Azure replied to the vice chair, saying, “The board has been childish and the problems with Prichard have been caused by themselves. But it’s their vote whether you think they’re being childish or not.”

Councilwoman Kaci Wallette said, “It’s not childish or personal. We contracted Prichard, who didn’t fulfill his end of the contract. They owe us a quarter of a million dollars and they want to use our machines to pay us back with our own money?”

Runs Through supported Wallette, saying that the board supported TJ’s owners in selling the business, but the gambling machines belong to the tribes. The motion passed with six for the motion and four opposed with one abstention.