ICT Staff
Harold Monteau, a key figure in the development of the National Indian Gaming Commission, died last week at age 72.
“Harold dedicated his life to Indian Country,” the Chippewa Cree Tribe said in a statement. “And his leadership, especially as Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission, leaves a legacy that will endure for generations.”
Monteau died Dec. 27 at his home on the Rocky Boy Reservation in Montana, where he lived with his wife and their children.
Also known as “Brings the Sweetgrass,” (Kah-pe-taht wi-Kah-se), Monteau, a citizen of the Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy, held numerous prestigious positions during his lifetime.
In 1994, Monteau was appointed chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission by President Bill Clinton.
As chairman, Monteau provided key leadership to tribal gaming in its early days, helping to structure the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and paving the way for tribal gaming compacts across the United States.
“His work helped establish standards that continue to support the integrity and success of tribal gaming,” the National Indian Gaming Commission said in a statement. “Chairman Monteau’s leadership ensured regulatory oversight was grounded in respect for tribal authority and the unique needs of each nation.
Monteau led the National Indian Gaming Commission during its formative years, a time when there was no blueprint for the diversity and extent of the Indian gaming industry, as it developed into the robust and vigorous economic engine it eventually has become, said Phil Hogen, also a former National Indian Gaming Commission chairman.
“Under Harold’s leadership the initial administrative and regulatory framework of the NIGC was written, and the passage of time and the spectacular development of the industry and its tremendous support of Indian communities has proved the wisdom and foresight of that structure,” said Hogen, Oglala Sioux, who was appointed by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit in 1995 to serve with Monteau on the three-member commission, which the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act created.
“Harold was a guardian of Tribal Sovereignty, and he left us too soon,” he said.
Monteau also led a long career in the justice system, serving as the Chief Justice for the Mescalero Apache Tribe, as a professor of Indian law at the University of Mexico and Rocky Boy’s Stone Child College, and as an in-house attorney for the Chippewa Cree Tribe and Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes. Monteau also served as legal counsel to the Department of the Interior BIA Task Force and BIA Reorganization, aiding the department in facilitating tribal self-determination and governance.
At the time of his death Monteau was serving as Chief Justice for the Chippewa Cree Tribe.
“We were deeply honored that he returned home to serve our people as Chief Judge, guiding our court with dignity, wisdom and quiet strength,” the tribe said.
Tribal leaders said The Rocky Boy Behavioral Health Center is open to anyone struggling with Monteau’s sudden death.