Throughout the treaty era, time and again the Indian people witnessed the inconsistent behavior of the United States government. Often given false hope, they were left with little or no land and consumed by poverty. Having been repeatedly challenged, the trust between the Indians and the government had dissipated. In 1868, the Grants Peace Commission was established by President Ulysses S. Grant. Within three years, Congress had revised its policy of treaty-making and continued to negotiate, calling the process agreements instead of treaties. Regardless of what you call it, the end result was often the same, less land for the Indians.

Meanwhile, the Turtle Mountain Band of Pembina Chippewa were governed by Chief Little Shell III along with a group of 24 men referred to as the Grand Council. Governance was based on a clan system that distributed leadership among various individuals. Little Shell’s integrity was paramount to his role as a successful leader. This came as no surprise as he followed in the footsteps of both his father and grandfather, Little Shell I and Little Shell II, both known for their solid and effective leadership. On the verge of the McCumber Agreement, things were about to change. The leadership role of Chief Shell III and the Grand Council was altered during the negotiations of what would become known as the ten-cent treaty. The story, once again, reeked of discrepancies and deceit at the hands of the federal government.

After years of defending the nearly 10 million acre homeland from the invasion of settlers, Chief Little Shell met with representatives of the federal government in a large warehouse in Belcourt. The negotiations did not go well for the Turtle Mountain Chippewa. After being offered ten-cents an acre for 10-million acres, Chief Little Shell refused, despite the desperate need to obtain resources for basic survival. Along with the refusal, he led a protest against the 1892 McCumber Agreement. Chief Little Shell’s rejection of the offer paved the way for political treachery by the federal officials. At the time, John Waugh, federal agent for Turtle Mountain, was in charge. He handpicked a new council, the Council of 32, of which Little Shell and his followers were purposefully and maliciously excluded from. This council agreed to accept the “Ten-Cent Treaty”. Little Shell’s group moved to Montana. The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa received $1,000,000 for the 9,000,000 acres ceded. The story of the McCumber Agreement continues further along this Talking Trail.