Northern Cheyenne Memo Raises Questions About Authorized Signatures, Supervision and Employee Appeals

NEWS EXPLAINER | By Steven Bullcoming Haworth | Truth in Focus | October 27, 2026

LAME DEER, Montana — A memorandum dated October 26 and attributed to Northern Cheyenne Interim Tribal President Ernest Littlemouth Sr. directs tribal program directors to recognize his authority over presidential approvals and employee supervision. The document raises a practical question for workers during the ongoing leadership dispute: How can an employee verify who is authorized to issue, sign, and approve an official government instruction?

What the October 26 memorandum says

A readable copy of the one-page memorandum reviewed by Truth in Focus bears Northern Cheyenne Tribe Administration letterhead and a short signature-like mark near Littlemouth’s typed name. It states that the Tribal Council removed Gene Small as president on September 30, 2026, and directs employees to route matters requiring presidential authority through Littlemouth. It also instructs program directors not to accept supervision from Small or his political appointees.

Those statements reflect the position presented in the memorandum, not an independent legal determination by this publication. The council voted to remove Small and recognize Littlemouth as acting president on September 30; Small has continued to dispute the removal. The dispute over authority remains relevant when employees receive conflicting directions.

The October 26 memorandum does not attach the removal resolution, a delegation of signature authority, or detailed instructions for confirming the authenticity of future directives. The absence of attachments does not, by itself, prove the document is invalid or unauthorized.

A question about who signs official directives

Copies of earlier council resolutions and an October 7 memorandum attributed to Littlemouth show longer, more flowing signature marks than the compact mark on the October 26 document. This is a visible difference, but a visual comparison of scanned documents cannot establish who made a mark, whether it is a genuine signature, or whether the named official approved the document.

An account circulated online and supplied for review raises an unverified question about whether a staff member may have signed a directive on Littlemouth’s behalf. Truth in Focus is not reproducing the account or its identifying circumstances. We have not independently confirmed who applied the October 26 mark or what authorization, if any, was given.

Government offices commonly use staff to prepare correspondence. Preparing a document, approving its contents, and signing it on behalf of an official are separate acts. Whether an assistant or designee may sign a particular directive depends on the office’s applicable authorization rules. Nothing reviewed here establishes forgery or misconduct.

What the Tribe’s published employee policies provide

The Northern Cheyenne Tribe’s publicly posted Personnel Manual, adopted under a 2017 resolution, states in Section 1 that references to the president include the president or a designee for purposes of administering the manual. It ordinarily assigns personnel-policy administration to the Human Resources Director unless the president directs otherwise. The manual also calls for employee job descriptions to identify supervisors.

The manual requires documentation of discipline and written notice for involuntary termination. Section 13 sets out a grievance process for qualifying employees who have passed the initial probationary period. Under the publicly posted text, a written grievance generally must reach a Tribal Appeals Board member within seven working days after the adverse action was communicated in writing. Initial probationary employees are expressly excluded from that process, and the manual prohibits retaliation in response to a grievance.

These are provisions in the published manual, not a finding that any particular employee’s rights were violated. The publication has not verified whether amendments, emergency orders, or other policies have changed the procedures since the version posted online.

Who handles an appeal during board changes?

A separate October 19 memorandum and subsequent vacancy notices prompted Truth in Focus to report on changes affecting multiple tribal boards, including the Appeals Board. That leaves a specific administrative question: If board membership or appointments are changing, where should an eligible employee file a time-sensitive grievance, and how will the Tribe protect the applicable deadline?

Changes to board membership do not, by themselves, show that grievance rights have ended. A current board roster, governing resolutions, and any interim filing instructions would help employees avoid uncertainty.

Four questions officials can answer

Who prepared, reviewed, approved, and physically signed the October 26 memorandum? Was any signature delegation documented?
How are program directors being notified in writing of their current supervisors and authorized approvers?
Where should eligible employees submit grievances while the Appeals Board’s membership or status is changing, and how are filing deadlines being protected?
Which communication channels are authorized for official directives and sensitive employee records, including messages sent through nontribal email accounts?

These questions concern the reliability of government procedures and the ability of employees to continue serving the public. They do not resolve the competing claims to tribal leadership. Truth in Focus welcomes official records, corrections, and responses from the Tribal Council, interim administration, Human Resources, and other people with direct knowledge. This report will be updated as verifiable information becomes available.

Source material: October 26, 2026 memorandum supplied for review (issuance and signature authorization not independently authenticated); September 11 and September 30 council resolutions and October 7 memorandum reviewed from document copies; Northern Cheyenne Tribe Personnel Manual; Truth in Focus reporting on changes to tribal boards; prior Truth in Focus explainer on employee supervision; and NonStop Local reporting on the leadership dispute.