Northern Cheyenne Tribe

‘Dirty and disgusting’: Northern Cheyenne leaders say they find damage, mess after entering headquarters with help of federal agents

Ousted president and supporters occupied Little Wolf Capitol Building for more than a month

Trust Mark
Federal agents break through a lock on the front door of the Little Wolf Capitol Building in Lame Deer, Montana. Council members say they discovered sleeping cots in the council room, Nov. 5, 2026. (Courtesy of Photo stills from videos by Ryhal Rowland)
Shaun Griswold

Shaun Griswold

November 6, 2026

On Thursday federal agents with the Bureau of Indian Affairs opened the doors to the Northern Cheyenne Tribe’s headquarters in Lame Deer, Montana, after the building had been occupied for weeks by a coalition supporting ousted president Gene Small.

The federal enforcement action came after the BIA issued a trespassing notice Wednesday night for anyone still inside the building after 8 a.m. Thursday morning.

After 9:30 a.m., video shared with Buffalo’s Fire showed federal agents breaking through a lock on the front entrance to the building. They then entered it and cleared it for safety before informing Northern Cheyenne’s tribal council that they were able to go inside. The council has constitutional authority to run the tribe’s government operations.

Ryhal Rowland, a spokesperson for the tribe, said she was unaware of any arrests.

When council members went inside the building they found sleeping cots and rotten food littered around the building, describing the scene as “dirty and disgusting.”

She noted the damage to the council conference room. “They destroyed the conference room, took down white boards and ruined the conference table,” Rowland said.

Small’s office was entirely empty, Rowland said.

The BIA said it will not comment to the media, and Small has not returned calls from Buffalo’s Fire since Sept. 30, when he was removed from office by the council and took over the Capitol building with his family and supporters.

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Shaun Griswold

Staff Reporter

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Shaun Griswold

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