Eugene Little Coyote facts for kids

Eugene Little Coyote was an important leader for the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. He served as the president of the tribe from 2004 to 2007.

Becoming President

Eugene Little Coyote was chosen as president in November 2004. He won the election against the person who was president before him, Geri Small. This meant he became the main leader for the Northern Cheyenne people.

Challenges as President

During his time as president, Eugene Little Coyote faced some challenges. In July 2007, a disagreement started between him and the tribe's vice president, Rick Wolfname. This disagreement grew bigger over time.

Because of this, the Northern Cheyenne tribal council decided to remove Little Coyote from his position as president. On December 28, 2007, he was removed from office.

Court Decisions and Outside Involvement

After he was removed, the Northern Cheyenne Constitutional Court looked at what happened. This court is like a special judge for the tribe's rules. The court decided that the tribal council's action to remove Little Coyote was against their rules and should not count. This means the court thought the removal was "unconstitutional."

However, officials from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) stepped in. The BIA is a part of the United States government that works with Native American tribes. Regional director Ed Parisian and later Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Carl J. Artman disagreed with the tribal court's decision. They said the court's ruling was not valid.

This was a very important event because it was one of the first times the BIA got directly involved in how a tribal government was run.

Later Elections and Legal Outcome

Even after these events, Eugene Little Coyote continued to be involved in tribal politics. He ran for president again in April 2008 as a write-in candidate. A write-in candidate is someone whose name is not printed on the ballot, but voters can write their name in if they want to vote for them. He also ran in the primary election on September 30, 2008.

Regarding the events of December 28, 2007, a jury later looked at the situation. On August 14, 2008, a jury found Eugene Little Coyote not responsible for the accusations related to that day. All the jury members agreed with this decision.