Your God Did Not Help Me.

Charlot was a principle chief of the Kalispel band of Flathead Indians. They traditionally lived in Idaho, northwest Montana, and northeast Washington. Charlot's father was chief before he was. He signed a federal government treaty giving a large portion of their land. This was done on the condition that the Bitterroot Valley would be the site of the Flathead reservation. Of course, the government did not assign the Flatheads the Bitterroot Valley. Most of the tribe dispersed to different reservation locations. Charlot and several others, feeling strongly, did not budge. The government started pressuring them to leave, so some of them did. Charlot stayed until the government sent troops to force them out. He went to the Jocko reservation where he died a decade later.


In 1876 the government wanted reservation Indians to pay taxes. Charlot spoke about this issue and the white people's greed. He says, basically, that no matter what white men do, they are not ashamed. He gave the example of bad breath and false teeth after the loss of real ones. He goes further saying that, “... his course is destruction; he spoils what the Spirit who gave us this country made beautiful and clean. But this is not enough; he wants us to pay him...”

Charlot had a point. The white man came in, took their land, sent them away, ruined most of the land they took, and they expect the Native Americans to pay them for doing this. How does that make sense? You can't (in a perfect world) just go into another people's country, run them off their land, steal their horses and food, rape their women, and murders thousands; then turn around and expect them not to fight back and to pay you for their trouble. He also said that, “To take and to lie should be burnt on his forehead.”

Charlot had been made promises of things to be had that were never given and actions upon which no one ever intended to act. When will the white man be satisfied? After all the lies and all he has taken, and without friendship, he still wants more. He wants to be paid by those whose lives he has made miserable.

He talks about a story told to him, “He says one of his virgins had a son nailed to death on two cross sticks to save him. Were all of them dead then when that young man died, we would be all safe now and our country our own.” This, of course, is the story of Christianity. It is true; if all white men died when Christ was crucified, the Native Americans would not have been put through so much turmoil at their hands. “We owe him nothing; he owes us more than he will pay, yet says there is a God.”

I will leave you with one last quote, and it happens to be the last line in the speech. “You know he comes as long as he lives, and takes more and more, and dirties what he leaves.”