Peigan Council backs Lonefighters

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Peigan Nation Chief Leonard Bastien and most of his council members have had a crisis on their hands for more than a month as members of the band's Lonefighters Society attempted to divert the Oldman River.

They have time and again held emergency meetings to deal with the crisis facing the peigan people, mostly to no avail.

Bastien was caught in a dilemma as the band was warned by the provincial government to stop attempts to divert the river to its original creek bed.

Since the diversion work was started Aug. 2 by a group of Peigan Indians calling themselves the Lonefighters Society, Bastien was caught between supporting them and then not supporting them.

At the beginning of the crisis Lonefighter spokesman Glenn North Peigan said he estimated 75 per cent of the Peigan people were against the diversion.

"But now that's changing," North Peigan said just recently.

Some of Bastien's councillors including Leander Strikes-With-A-Gun, George Little Moustach and Nelbert Little Moustache sided with the Lonefighters society, but earlier most were against the diversion.

But when a confrontation took place between RCMP, who moved onto the reserve and surrounded the Lonefighters camp Sept. 7, Bastien and his councillors acted quickly.

Councillor Stikes-With-A-Gun said Bastien passed a band council resolution (BCR) stating the RCMP were trespassing on Peigan land.

The BCR was handed to RCMP officials by Bastien, but it was ignored. And on Sept. 10, Chief Bastien and council voted 9-1 to pass a BCR supporting the diversion.

In effect, he said it gives the Peigan Lonefighters' project the legal right and moral legitimacy.

North Peigan says he is ecstatic with the decision by Bastien and council.

"We're breathing a big sigh of relief. It' exactly what our elders, our band members and our lawyer Drew Gilbraith wanted.

"It really adds more umph to our punch and it's more legal and binding than ever before," North Peigan said.

North Peigan added he is proud of Basstien and the councillors.

"They literally threw away a promise of hundreds of thousands of dollars (from the government) to support the diversion," he said.