ABSTRACT
Rocky Boy's reservation was originally 55,040 acres carved out of Fort Assiniboine. Blame for the shortcomings of the Rocky Boy's government cannot be attributed to the IRA tribal constitution. Of all Montana tribes, the Chippewa and Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy's reservation have made least progress in the return journey from forced dependency to the practice of self-government. Rocky Boy's is a modern afterthought to the period of reservation making. It served as a collecting place for landless Indians who were viewed as nuisances to white communities and other tribes. The Rocky Boy's constitution protects individual rights in another important way besides providing for various modes of political participation. The headquarters of the Rocky Boy's government are located in unassuming frame structures scattered about a hilly part of the middle reservation. The Rocky Boy's reservation never was allotted and today is totally owned by the tribe.
