Condolences are being offered to the Blackfeet nation, which is mourning the death of Chief Earl Old Person, remembered for his lifetime of service to the tribe.
Old Person died Oct. 13 at the age of 92 after a battle with cancer, USA Today reported. He was the longest-serving elected tribal official in the United States. According to a news release from the Blackfeet tribe, he joined the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council in 1952, and served as chairman for more than five decades. He served on the council for more than 60 years.
“The Blackfeet People have suffered a huge loss today with the passing of Chief Old Person,” the tribe said in the news release. “A chapter in our history has come to a close. The Blackfeet Tribe offers prayers and support to the family of Earl at this time.”
Old Person, who in 1978 received the hereditary chieftainship from the family of the late Jim White Calf, died at the Blackfeet Community Hospital.
According to USA Today, he had met every president from Harry Truman to Barack Obama. The Great Falls Tribune reported Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, honored the chief on the Senate floor.
“He was a keeper of Tribal history, a tireless advocate, and for many, he was a national voice for the challenges in Indian Country,” Tester said. “There are too many honors and awards for me to name, but Chief Old Person’s impact goes far beyond his accolades… He will sorely be missed by the Blackfeet Nation, by the state of Montana, by Indian Country across this country. The world is a better place because of Chief Old Person and the work that he did. He will never be replaced.”
Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary, memorialized the chief on Twitter.
“My heart is with the Blackfeet Nation and Chief Earl Old Person’s family as he is honored this week,” Haaland said in a tweet. “He was a true visionary leader for Indian Country who advocated for tribal reserved water rights, trust accounting, and the return of tribal homelands.”
According to the Great Falls Tribune, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte ordered flags in the state to fly at half-staff from through Friday, Oct. 22 in honor of Old Person.
The Blackfeet tribe, in its release, also remembered the chief as a great public speaker and a leader for the tribe, its people, the Blackfoot Confederacy as well as Indian people across North America.
