Black River Swan Creek Ojibway
These Michigan Bahweting Ojibways, actually followed the American demands to relocate to Kansas during 1836. There whereabouts presently is currently a mystery. Exactly how many of them departed for Kansas is difficult to ascertain, but there was a small group of them who relocated to Kansas, if white historians were correct. After reaching Kansas they settled on their small Kansan Reservation, but their American enemy would stab them in the back of course. Since they were living in close proximity to the Anishinabek who were forced by the United States to relocate to western Iowa and northwestern Missouri in the 1830s, we should assume that they were in constant contact with them. From what i have learned about the forced relocation of the Bahweting Black River and Swan Creek Anishinabek, especially about how many relocated to Kansas in the 1830s (they claim only slightly more than 60 Black River and Swan Creek Bahweting relocated to Kansas), only fuels my curiosity all the more.
Why you may ask? Because there are Bahweting Black River and Swan Creek Chippewa's living in Montana of all places. Yes, there is a band of Bahweting Black River and Swan Creek Chippewa's living in Montana. How did that group of Bahweting Black River and Swan Creek Chippewa's end up living in Montana? Why are they trying to gain federal recognition in the State of Montana? Since we know the Anishinabek of Kansas fled to Mexico on several occasions from the 1830s to the 1860s, its reasonable to speculate that those same Kansan Anishinabek fled to Montana during those same years to escape from the evil intentions of the United States. During the 1830s, 1840s and 1850s the Pembina Anishinabek were already well esablished in Montana, and the Kansan Anishinabek obviously knew about Anishinabe Montana. Of course, some of the Kansan Anishinabek fled to Montana during those years. However, the important thing is they evidently did not lose their identity. Another probable truth about what the United States forced them through in the 1830s, was probably far more than only 60 or 70 Black River and Swan Creek Chippewa's left Michigan to relocate to Kansas. Their true number may have been in the tens of thousands, and their Kansas Reservation may have been the largest in Kansas.
Through outright greed the United States abolished the Black River-Swan Creek Ojibway Reservation in Kansas, but before doing so some Delaware had settled on their Kansan Reservation in the late 1850s. That should tell both the Kansan Anishinabe and Delaware, that Montana has a Delaware Indian population and Mexico as well. Its likely scores of the Kansan Black River-Swan Creek Ojibway fled to Mexico during the 19th century, as well as Montana. That is probably why Kansas no longer has a major Black River-Swan Creek Ojibway population. Today, their descendents are still in Kansas, Montana and probably Oklahoma, as well as in Mexico.