Facebook can help people watch government. It should not have to serve as the government archive.
Category: Northern Cheyenne Government & Accountability
By Steven Bullcoming Haworth
Truth in Focus
Northern Cheyenne citizens have spent more than a year watching an extraordinary government dispute unfold through council actions, removals, court proceedings, competing claims of authority and an election that was later declared void. On August 18, 2026, a tribal judge ruled in favor of reinstating eight council members and voided the special election that had replaced them. Traditional Chiefs subsequently sought an appeal, meaning the legal fight did not simply disappear.
Now the government is moving into another election process. A September 8 Tribal Council agenda provided to Truth in Focus lists four items: appointment of a secretary, the 2026 Tribal Election Schedule, Voter Committee appointments, and appointments of election judges and clerks. The agenda also states that no other agenda items would be allowed for that meeting.
Election work is important, and it is good that the public can see that process beginning. But elections are only one part of government. Tribal members also need to know when their government is meeting, where it is meeting, what decisions are being made, and where they can find the official record afterward.
FACEBOOK IS USEFUL. IT IS NOT A PUBLIC RECORDS SYSTEM.
Much of the current information surrounding Northern Cheyenne government appears through Facebook pages, Facebook Live broadcasts, individual posts and screenshots shared by community members. Facebook can be useful, especially for people who cannot physically attend a meeting. But not every tribal member has Facebook, reliable internet, a smartphone, enough data to stream a meeting, or the ability to search through weeks or months of social-media posts.
Northern Cheyenne already has an official government website. Its Public Information page links to Council Minutes, court information, the Tribal Constitution, an agenda-request form and other government documents. The official website therefore already provides a place where government records can be made permanently accessible to the public.
That makes another question difficult to ignore: Where are the current minutes?
The Tribe has historically posted detailed Council minutes online. Older minutes show roll calls, discussions, motions, votes, budgets and district updates, giving citizens a written record of what their elected government did. Publicly available records include detailed 2024 minutes covering budgets, tribal programs and assistance to the people.
Yet someone trying to reconstruct the major events of 2025 and 2026 cannot simply go to the same public archive and easily follow the record. During one of the most consequential governmental disputes in recent Northern Cheyenne history, people have instead had to rely heavily on Facebook, news reporting, court documents, screenshots and information passed from person to person.
That is not the same thing as having a clear and accessible official record.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PETITION?
There has also been public discussion of a petition, including reports of tribal members gathering signatures. Truth in Focus has not located a current official copy of that petition on the Tribe’s public website, an official count of verified signatures, a published status update, or a clear explanation of what legal process the petition is attempting to trigger.
That does not mean the petition does not exist. It means an ordinary person searching the official public information currently available cannot easily answer some basic questions: What exactly is the petition asking for? Under what section of tribal law is it operating? Where was it submitted? Has it been certified? How many valid signatures are required, and what happens next?
Those details matter because Northern Cheyenne law contains different procedures with different requirements. Removal of an elected official under Article VII involves a written complaint, an opportunity for the accused official to defend himself or herself, and a two-thirds vote of the Tribal Council. Referendum procedures use a different petition process and different voter thresholds. Those processes should not be mixed together.
If another ordinance or tribal law governs the petition currently being circulated, that law should be identified publicly so tribal members can understand the process for themselves.
WHERE ARE THE MEETINGS?
Another concern involves meeting locations and public access. During the government dispute, some council members met away from the Little Wolf Capitol Building while litigation over their status continued. A meeting occurring somewhere else does not automatically make it secret, improper or illegal, especially when security concerns may exist.
But moving a meeting creates another responsibility: people need to know where it is.
If meetings are relocated, tribal members should have an easy way to determine the location, date, time and method of access without having to stumble across the correct Facebook post. If in-person attendance is restricted for security or another reason, the public should be told what the restriction is, why it exists, and what other access is available.
Truth in Focus has not yet located a current tribal provision that conclusively answers whether every council meeting must be physically open to the public or held in one particular building. We are continuing to look for the applicable Council operating rules and any later amendments before making that legal claim.
That is the difference between asking a question and declaring an answer before the record supports it.
TRANSPARENCY HAS TO WORK FOR EVERYBODY.
This is not about telling Northern Cheyenne citizens whether they should support President Gene Small, oppose him, support particular council members or oppose them. Whatever disagreements exist among elected officials, Chiefs or community members, the standard for public information should remain the same.
If there is an agenda, preserve it somewhere people can find it. If a meeting occurs, publish the minutes. If the Council adopts a resolution or takes a vote, preserve the result. If a petition could change tribal government, explain the process and keep tribal members informed about where it stands.
Facebook can supplement all of that. It should not have to replace it.
Northern Cheyenne government has important work ahead involving elections, finances, programs, services and the general welfare of the people. Court records and public reporting from the continuing dispute have raised concerns about governmental uncertainty, funding, essential services and the 2026 election.
Arguing about the past will not by itself tell citizens what happens tomorrow. The way forward requires functioning government and an accessible record of what that government is doing.
Truth in Focus will continue looking at the Constitution, bylaws, election rules, court decisions, financial records and the two reports we are preparing to examine in detail. We also welcome documentation, corrections and information from people with direct knowledge, because accountability works best when claims can be checked against records.
The questions are simple: Where are the records? What does the law actually say? What decisions were made? What is the status of the petition? Where can people find current minutes? And how can a tribal member stay informed without depending on Facebook?
Those questions are not an attack on one person or one side. They are questions about transparency.
TRUTH IN FOCUS
Look at the record. Follow the facts. Ask the questions.
Sources: Northern Cheyenne Tribe official website and public-information records; Northern Cheyenne Constitution and governing documents; Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council records; Northern Cheyenne court reporting; Montana Free Press; Buffalo’s Fire.
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