By Steven Bullcoming Haworth | October 20, 2026
LAME DEER, Mont. — An October 19 memorandum bearing the name of Northern Cheyenne Interim Tribal President Ernest Littlemouth Sr. says seven tribal boards and commissions have been removed or suspended, prompting questions about the authority for those actions and how essential board responsibilities will continue.
Addressed to program directors, the memorandum states, “All boards have been removed or suspended.” It lists the Appeals Board, Gaming Commission, Northern Cheyenne Utilities Commission and Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO) Board as affected effective October 6. It identifies October 14 as the effective date for changes to the Tribal Health Board, Land Authority and Grazing Board.
Public notices posted October 20 by an account identifying itself as the Tribal Council of the Northern Cheyenne Nation solicit letters of interest for five seats apiece on the Appeals Board, Gaming Commission, Utilities Commission, TERO Board and Board of Health. Each notice describes one position for each of the five districts — Ashland, Birney, Busby, Lame Deer and Muddy — and gives a deadline of 4 p.m. Friday, October 30, 2026. The notices direct interested tribal members residing on the reservation to submit letters to the interim president.
The materials reviewed by Truth in Focus do not identify the board members affected, specify which boards were suspended rather than removed, explain the reasons for the actions, or cite an authorizing Tribal Council resolution. Those omissions leave significant questions unanswered, but they do not establish that no resolutions or other supporting records exist.
Board membership and removal procedures may differ from one tribal entity to another. The governing ordinances, appointment terms, current policies and any required Council action must be examined before the legality of an individual removal can be determined. Historical appointment lists are available, but they should not be mistaken for an up-to-date roster of the people serving immediately before the October changes.
The Appeals Board raises a particular question about continuity. If eligible tribal employees have unresolved grievances or employment appeals, who will hear them during the transition, and will existing deadlines and procedural protections remain in effect? Similar questions arise about ongoing work in health, utility services, employment rights, land administration, grazing and gaming oversight.
The timing of the changes, amid a broader dispute over tribal leadership, also invites examination of whether disagreements with officials played any role. The documents available to Truth in Focus do not establish retaliation, financial misconduct or an unlawful removal. Determining why these decisions were made requires more than the dates on a memorandum; it requires the underlying records and responses from those who made and were affected by the decisions.
Truth in Focus is seeking the applicable ordinances, resolutions, certified votes, appointment and removal records, accurate membership rosters and any plans for transferring pending matters to newly appointed boards. The publication welcomes relevant records, corrections and on-the-record responses from the interim administration, Tribal Council and current or former board members.
Tribal sovereignty and public accountability are not competing principles. The central question is whether the changes were made under the Tribe’s governing laws, with the required approvals and a clear plan to protect the public services and rights entrusted to these boards.
Source materials: October 19, 2026 administrative memorandum and October 20, 2026 vacancy notices provided to Truth in Focus; Northern Cheyenne Tribe’s historical board and commission appointment page. Historical rosters are not presented as current 2026 membership.
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