A. I. M. AND THE OLD AHPEETSIE

Oki, Nadackadamucksin (Hello, it’s good to see you.) Where is the real AIM, the people and the movement that began everything? I consider myself a lifelong member and always have. Let me relate a simple-story of my involvement to you:

About February, of 1972, I was naikopotto (sixteen). A friend and I were invited to an AIM meeting at another friend’s house, in Browning, MT on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.

We attended the meeting conducted by another local AIM member, “Buster” Bull Plume.

During the meeting, plans were made to “take over” the Glacier Park Lodge, here on the reservation.

The Lodge belonged to us, The Blackfeet, and still does, but was and continues to be leased by Glacier Park Inc.

Subsequent to the meeting, everyone piled into local AIM members’ vehicles, I don’t remember how many vehicles, it seems like maybe seven or eight, and we began the short trip to East Glacier, MT. East Glacier, is approximately thirteen miles West of Browning, on the reservation.

We made it to East Glacier, got to within approximately one hundred yards of our intended target, the Glacier Park Lodge, and suddenly found our vehicles surrounded by the tribal police. We were all arrested and taken to jail.

I still remember the tribal police officer who arrested me. His name is Joe Bird Rattler. I’ve always had respect for him and still do. In fact, I later worked under him for four years as a full-time jailor, part time officer and dispatcher.

We had several ahnaamahs (guns) with us. They were confiscated.

From what I’d heard, some attendees’ families had become aware of the plan, and to save their relatives from getting into trouble, they contacted the Blackfeet Tribal Police. To this day, I still haven’t heard who turned us in.

I’ve related this story to show that I’ve always been a member of AIM, THE ORIGINAL, before “fees” and wannabes became involved...

I’m lonesome, everything’s changed, nothing and no one’s real anymore; all have become synthetic and Hollywood. I’m like that old ahpeetsie (Wolf) howling at a full-moon on a cold-clear winter’s night, and nobody hears – AAWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH…