State senator in Montana calls on Congress to eliminate reservations

A draft joint resolution from Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, ((406) 756-6141  Email ) aims to push Congress to investigate “alternatives” to American Indian reservations, arguing they have “failed to positively enhance the lives and well-being of most of the Indians or the other citizens of the State of Montana.”

“Is there a better way of supplying for these Indians than through the reservation system we have set up now?” Regier said in an interview Wednesday.

Sen. Shane Morigeau, D-Missoula, who is Salish and Kootenai, said in an interview the resolution was “riddled with fallacies and misinformation” and that he felt it was aimed at continuing a legacy of “atrocious policies” from the government, which he said has not held true to the treaties that were agreed upon before Montana became a state.

“If the U.S. did a better job of upholding their end of the agreements, some of these statistics would be lower,” he said. “It’s the fact that we have broken promises, where the government has never upheld its end of the bargain.”

By: Blair Miller