- 10.18.2021
Great Falls Tribune: 'He will never be replaced': Tester honors Blackfeet Chief Earl Old Person on Senate Floor
Sen. Jon Tester on Monday honored Blackfeet Chief Earl Old Person on the Senate Floor.
A keeper of traditional knowledge, Old Person died of cancer on Oct. 13 at 92 years old. With his passing, the Blackfeet Nation said they “have suffered a huge loss.”
“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 on the Senate Floor.
“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, and my wife Sharla and I, as well as countless others that knew him. The world is a better place because of Chief Old Person and the work that he did. He will never be replaced.”
Republican Sen. Steve Daines last week called Old Person “a great Montanan and a great American.”
“It was an honor to know him,” he said.
Gov. Greg Gianforte ordered all flags in Montana to fly at half-staff from Wednesday to Friday in memory of Old Person.