Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home

by Chris LaTray

“Nothing less than the history of a people in the form of an absorbing and emotionally searing memoir.”—David Treuer, author of The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee

Growing up in Montana, Chris La Tray always identified as Indian. While the representation of Indigenous people was mostly limited to racist depictions in toys and television shows, and despite the fact that his father fiercely denied any connection, he found Indians alluring, often recalling his grandmother’s consistent mention of their Chippewa heritage.


When La Tray attended his grandfather’s funeral as a young man, he finally found himself surrounded by relatives who obviously were Indigenous. “Who were they?” he wondered, and “Why was I never allowed to know them?” Embarking on a deeply personal and revealing journey into his family’s past, he discovers a larger story of the complicated history of Indigenous communities—and the devastating effects of colonialism that continue to ripple through surviving generations. Combining diligent research and compelling conversations with Indigenous authors, activists, elders, and historians, La Tray follows a trail deep into the heart of his community—and himself. And as he comes to embrace his full identity, he eventually seeks enrollment with the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians, joining their 158-year-long struggle for federal recognition.

Both personal and historical, Becoming Little Shell is a testament to the power of storytelling, to family and legacy, and to finding home. Infused with candor, heart, wisdom, and an abiding love for a place and a people, Chris La Tray’s remarkable journey—and the journey of his tribe—is both revelatory and redemptive.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Indigenous, History, Native American, Biography, Audiobook

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 20, 2024

About the author

Chris La Tray is a Métis storyteller, a descendent of the Pembina Band of the mighty Red River of the North and a citizen of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

His third book, Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home, was published by Milkweed Editions on August 20, 2024 and has received a number of accolades including a Pacific Northwest Book Award and a Writing the West Award and Best Memoir of the Year selections from both People and Esquire magazines.

His first book, One-Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays from the World at Large won the 2018 Montana Book Award and a 2019 High Plains Book Award. His book of haiku and haibun poetry, Descended from a Travel-worn Satchel, was published in 2021 by Foothills Publishing.

Chris served as the 2025 Kittredge Distinguished Visiting Writer at the University of Montana and was awarded the 2025 Montana Heritage Keeper Award by the Montana Historical Society. Chris writes the weekly newsletter "An Irritable Métis" and lives near Frenchtown, Montana. He was the 11th Montana Poet Laureate, holding that post for 2023–2025.

https://chrislatray.substack.com

Reviews

[Anna East · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal interweaving of personal journey and the story of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians in their efforts to achieve federal restoration. Authentic, emotional, yet grounded in facts.

[Whitney Liegakos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book club read, enjoyed as an audiobook narrated by the author. Incredibly powerful storytelling from the heart, this book follows the author’s journey of finding and embracing his cultural heritage and the impact of seeing his tribe federally recognized after much struggle. La Tray spent a lot of time on the flathead reservation and it was fascinating to learn more about the area I call home. I am eager to find more books like this so I can better understand and appreciate the land and its people.

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wrote a review on Latrays book:

While Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home by Chris La Tray offers a heartfelt and personal account of the author’s quest to reconnect with his Indigenous heritage, the book has several notable shortcomings that hinder its overall effectiveness. One major flaw is the lack of critical engagement with the current leadership of the Little Shell Tribe, particularly the role of Gerald Gray Jr., who has been widely recognized as a fraud and not truly affiliated with the Little Shell people. La Tray’s omission of this controversy is surprising, especially given the memoir’s focus on the Little Shell Tribe’s identity and the complexities of their struggle for recognition. By failing to question Gray’s legitimacy and the broader implications of his leadership, La Tray misses an important opportunity to challenge a significant issue that has impacted the tribe’s credibility and governance.

Beyond this, the memoir’s subjective nature limits its ability to provide a comprehensive historical context of the Little Shell Tribe’s experiences. While La Tray’s personal journey offers insight into his individual connection to the tribe, it often veers away from a deeper exploration of the tribe’s collective history and struggles. The narrative sometimes feels like an introspective reflection rather than an informative, critical examination of the political, social, and cultural challenges faced by the Little Shell people.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Extremely interesting historical information and personal experience. Plain spoken and beautifully told at the same time. The sequence of the chapters makes so much sense emotionally even as the author moves us around in space and time. Really glad to have read this one.

(NB I read an uncorrected proof of this book provided by its publisher.)

[Rob Gifford]

the investigation of native history and cultural issues can be a bit 101-level, although it generally deepens as the book progresses, fitting with the journey of discovery La Tray is on. as a memoir, the best and worst thing going for La Tray is La Tray: he’s very earnest, and comes off as a sweet guy, and that keep things rolling along even when the book itself starts to drag. his reflections are both fascinating and scattered, with the genuine insights distributed unevenly amidst biographical details that sometimes feel a bit chaff-heavy — there are some sections that feel a little too much like Grandpa Simpson telling you how he tied an onion to his belt, which was the style at the time…

[Heidi Barr · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gift of a book! I eagerly awaited this one since learning it was in the works, and it's a beautiful journey through what it means to embrace one's becoming. Highly recommended.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part memoir, part Native American history that is not talked about in most places, part searching for family connection and tribal identity. All engaging. Chris La Tray shares his imagination, humor, wonder, frustration, sadness, hope and compassion.

[jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

i take a breath. i'm part of this, part of them. i wipe the sweat from my brow and take a quick look around me for snakes. then i follow the trail down the slope, across time, through genocide and diaspora, and fear and death and now rebirth, to food, to companionship, and increasingly, to community.

chris la tray's becoming little shell is a moving, spirited memoir of self-discovery, governmental violence and betrayal, generational trauma, heritage reclaimed, and cultural (re)connection. la tray, métis storyteller and montana poet laureate, braids personal history and historical accounts into a compelling narrative of identity, legacy, and healing. as he sets out to discover his own indigenous roots, la tray's story broadens from one of self to one of community, leading to his eventual membership in the little shell tribe of chippewa indians and their fight for (long overdue) federal recognition. becoming little shell, like many such accounts, is a bittersweet reckoning with the injurious past, tempered by growth, acknowledgement, resilience, and restoration. la tray writes candidly, with a blunt and blackish humor, and becoming little shell is an emotive, expressive work of past and present.

i'm committed to uncovering the culture of my people. i'm committed to learning as much of the language as i can. i've always loved this land, and i've always loved indian people. the more i dig into it, the more i interact with my indian relatives, the more it blooms in my heart. the more it blooms in my spirit. focusing on this rhetoric over blood and race is a smokescreen to mask the slow roll of continued genocide.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris LaTray has a gift. He has written a memoir that is interesting and educational and also so personal. And, he does it in a way that feels completely conversational. This book goes into the history of Montana and the landless Indians as well as the background of Metis, Little Shell Tribe and colonization in the western states. It was a journey that I happily went on, as I followed LaTray in becoming an enrolled member as well as federal recognition for his tribe. His voice is similar to Gabrielle Union's and Michelle Obama's where it was personal and inviting, even with the serious subject matter. This is a love letter to his Indigenous roots as well as a love letter to Montana. Chris LaTray self describes as a Métis storyteller, but to me, he is a storyteller, full stop.

I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.

ETA: Staff Pick 9/24

[Debra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned so much about American Indians that I didn’t know and still feel unclear about since their treatment has been so varied and complicated compounded by a culture who values societal obligations differently. But to have these questions in my head helps me to understand what has been done to La Tray’s culture and family.

The concept of his subtitle ‘A Landless Indian’s Journey Home’ helps explain what he does in detail in the book. The writing becomes bogged down in excruciating specifics. I am sure they are necessary but I learn from storytelling and I found the facts exceeded the narrative and for me that’s a turn off.

What I am grateful for though is a shaky understanding of Blood Quotients, reservation decisions, border conceptions by different cultures, tribal cultures, and a vision of the difficulties of trying to sort out fair decisions for his people, Little Shell.

[Sara Habein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ancestry can be a fraught exploration in all sorts of circumstances, but it is a particular mix of enlightening and painful when one's history is rooted in the forced movements and attempted eradication of North America's Indigenous tribes. When it came to Chris La Tray's ancestral past, both confirmed and denied by relatives, the revelations are even more bittersweet. Through his research, he learns more about the struggles and triumphs of the Métis people, and after piecing together more recent history, he applies to the tribe of their descendants, the Little Shell. Many of today's Little Shell call Montana home, but they have no "official" land of their own. This book gives a basic explanation of why (though at the end, La Tray lists many other further references one can read). As both a memoir and account of history, it's compelling.

Admittedly, many of us, myself included, have gaps in our knowledge. I grew up in Montana, and we are all required to have a certain amount of what they called "Indian Education" and Montana history, so I learned some things in my school days —and some teachers made an extra effort, and the Native American clubs in both my middle and high school were quite active— but most of my knowledge has been acquired as an adult. This book certainly gave me even more information.

Chris LaTray was on my radar as a Montana writer for a few years before the release of this memoir. Somewhere or another, I was recommended his newsletter (I recommend it to you, "An Irritable Métis"), and on some Missoula visit or another, I picked up his book One-Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays From the World At Large while shopping at Fact & Fiction, a store he once worked at, I learned from the bookseller on duty that day. Montana is a bit of a "small town" state in that you're never really more than a hop-skip-jump to mutual connection. When we were both on (the artist-formerly-known-as) Twitter, we followed each other, and we've spoken briefly at a handful of events. His writing voice is very near his public-facing event mode, and the man has a schedule that would exhaust most people. I really respect his way of doing things, and how seriously he has taken his role as Montana Poet Laureate.

I got a lot of enjoyment out of reading about places familiar to me, particularly Great Falls and Lewistown. Somehow, I didn't know the story of how Hill 57 got its name! Still, even if you're not from around here, I wholeheartedly recommend reading this. You'll probably learn a lot.

[Kim Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the last page of his book Chris La Tray writes that he set out to write it as a Little Shell person in service to his Little Shell people, but ended up writing it in service to the whole world. I was glad to read that, because I'm not "his people" and I almost felt guilty for enjoying this book so much.

I have trace amounts of native heritage, I learned recently, and upon getting the details, I was surprised and dismayed to learn that one of my forebears, a Chief of the Turtle Clan of the Mohawk Tribe in the 1600s gave his daughter in marriage to a Dutch settler. Chris's book helped me understand by his explanation about the Metis people how this wasn't a cruelty on the part of a Father. Marriages were arranged as the norm; it was mutually beneficial to both parties. The settler/colonizer needed the knowledge of the native for his mere survival, and the bride's whole tribe benefitted in certain ways from the union.

It was also thrilling for me to hear mentioned the names of towns, rivers, mountain ranges, and yes, Indian reservations, because Montana is my home state. I grew up in the Milk River country of Malta and Glasgow, as well as Butte and Helena as a child. When my high school basketball team played the Browning Indians and other rez towns in our class A school, I was in awe and thrilled to see those brown boys and their bball skills.

I went to college at U of MT in Missoula. But like so many other Montana kids that got degrees at the state schools there, we left Montana pretty much out of necessity, to find work worthy of our degrees. Like Chris, some of my classmates went west to Seattle, many to California. A couple of us from my class went east, and now, many years later, I find myself in the Great Lakes region. I suppose many make their way back, but I haven't been able to do so. Now a single woman, I am pretty much priced out of the real estate market, in a place that I hear is very popular for wealthy Californians to buy property. I am becoming increasingly sad about it. All my family reside in various towns in Montana.

Which brings me to another big take-away from Becoming Little Shell. Despite their suffering and terrible mistreatment by past and current white people, Native Americans have something many settler whites don't -- a strong sense of community. My daughter was told at her college orientation to "find her tribe" in order to have the best experience at school. I know now that the meaning behind this expression should not be underestimated. It is potent and sage advice for a happier life. My family is one of those that does not know how to be, or care to be close. I yearn for those familial connections for myself and my children, as La Tray has found with his Little Shell people.

As 7th graders in Montana school systems, we had a whole year of Montana History. It comes to my mind frequently, for some reason. I remember covering topics like the fur trade and the Hudson Bay Co., as well as weeks spent on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. But reading La Tray's book made me realize the gaps in my knowledge of my home state.

[Nate Schweber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of revelations. One revelation is the “creation” (defined as long overdue federal recognition) of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Little Shell people, a.k.a. Metis people have an amazing, centuries-old Western history spanning the border of the U.S. and Canada. Unfortunately it was – and they were – marginalized for more than a century. “We haven’t gone anywhere,” author Chris LaTray defiantly writes, “and we’re still here, stronger than ever.” Becoming Little Shell’s twin revelation is LaTray finding and embracing his heritage. When his father dies, LaTray discovers he belongs “to something larger.” He is part of what he calls the “Metis Archipelago.” (Full disclosure: LaTray and I worked together for the University of Montana student newspaper.) The blended narratives of a man discovering himself and a people earning overdue recognition from Montana and the United States comes across as beautifully as fine Metis beadwork.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Montana's poet laureate embarks on a memoir of self discovery into his indigeneity, which his father has denied. An ordinary life shines in this masterful storytelling. His father's death was the catalyst for this journey. Heartfelt, sincere, and informative. Miigwech to Chris La Tray for educating us on the Little Shell Tribe, the 574th tribe recognized by the federal government in 2019.

[Samuel Steffen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Chris LaTray presents a compelling narrative of identity and history, offering both a and personal perspective on being a landless Native American. He embarks on a journey to secure federal recognition for the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewas of Montana. This book is ideal for those who support Native American causes and others in their history.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the narrative of this book and the amount of research the author took in finding his roots in the tribe he was most associated with. In his writing you can tell how passionate he was in being accepted into the Little Shell tribe and the injustice the Indians, as a whole in the Montana area, they received in terms of land treaties and their rights as citizens of the land.

[Nancy Schalk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris writes very well, it feels like he is just talking with you. He describes his journey to become enrolled with the passion he exercised to attain it. His search for his community burned within him and now he directs his energy to spreading the word about landless tribes and the challenges they face.
We were fortunate to meet him at one of his presentations and he is an engaging speaker who left us with an interest in reading more of his works.

[Adena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping this would be more of a narrative about a quest for identity. Instead, it read more like a history book with tangents about a search for identity and tangents raging (though justified) against the actions of historical US government administrations.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this mix of history and personal journey!

[Annie Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great read, very nice blend of memoir and history.

[Beth Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lesson in Montana history we are not readily taught or talk about. A deeply personal exploration by La Tray into his family tree and Indigenous bloodline, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Montana history and the treatment of its Native people.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were times I struggled with the pace of this book, but in the end it’s really lovely. As the author researches his heritage, he offers us vivid, lyrical descriptions of the landscapes he loves.

[Sarah Henn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris LaTray's story is an important piece of living history. The amount of American History completely passed over by the public school system is shameful. I'm thankful to books like this and others like Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz An Indigenous People's History of the United States, for filling in some of my gaps of knowledge. This book was great because it read like a memoir yet contained a lot of important interesting history. Even more fun, I was reading this book while visiting Missoula, so the places mentioned all felt very real and present. What happened to the indigenous people in the USA is not old news, as Chris's story highlights, and it's very much ongoing. I highly recommend this book as an interesting piece on identity, self-exploration, and Native history of the Montana/Northwest region of the US.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this memoir, Chris La Tray discusses his journey to discover his indigenous identity. His father never told him about his heritage and denied any connection to it, despite La Tray’s grandmother mentioning their ties to the Chippewa.

La Tray did tremendous amounts of research and took a DNA test to try to trace his ancestry. He attended conferences and spoke to many indigenous people to uncover his people’s history, and eventually took steps to enroll as a member of the Little Shell Tribe.

I enjoyed learning the history of the tribe, including its Métis origins. La Tray describes how settler colonialism devastated the tribe all the way into its surviving generations, with broken treaties, stolen land, forced relocation, food deprivation, forced assimilation, and the more than 150-year struggle for federal recognition.

This book is an important Native American document, as it provides information no one learned in history class alongside personal stories and experiences.

It’s a beautiful, frustrating, and hopeful journey of self-discovery and tribal identity that I think everyone should read!

[KarnagesMistress · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not an Indian. Oh, there's rumored to be some Cherokee blood floating around in here, but the overwhelming majority of the family is Second Potato Famine Irish. For that reason I was reluctant to pick up Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home. I was afraid that, not only would I not be the correct audience, but that my reading would take a copy of the book away from its proper audience. After reading Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home I do not believe either of those worries were necessarily correct.

As a history/biography of his Indian community, I don't think I read a single word that was familiar to me. Other than seeking out the knowledge on my own, I'm not completely sure where I should have learned about things like the Hudson's Bay Company or how blood quantum actually works out. Being non-BIPOC, there were sections where I needed to sit with my discomfort. It's not enough to blithely disclaim that "I didn't do it, and most of my family wasn't here to do it, either!" I am the recipient of privileges because of people who did "do it." I'm not sure exactly what I'm supposed to do about it now. I'm not completely sure Chris LaTray wants me to generally do anything other than go forth with a greater consciousness and understanding. That, I can certainly do.

I think the number one thing that I liked about Chris LaTray was that he is open and honest about being on a journey. I like Chris LaTray. He's a fellow Gen X, for sure! I was completely unfamiliar with him or his work prior to reading. (I need to look up his band. It sounds right up my alley.) He's a gifted storyteller, honest in his emotions. I am glad to have "met" him. If I ever found myself somehow able to chat with him I think we would have a lot to talk about.

I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways. #LittleShell

[Lora Chilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Becoming Little Shell by Chris LaTray is the deeply moving telling of his personal journey as he seeks connection with his Native ancestors while also revealing the struggles of his tribe, the “landless” Little Shell Tribe of the Chippewa Indians. “Landless” because of the nonstop broken treaties and land grab by the relentless stream of settlers moving west, resulting in the removal of Native people from the lands they had inhabited for centuries. In this case, the tribe lived in Montana, near the Canadian border. LaTray is direct and compassionate in his storytelling without being sentimental. When he delves into his Metis ancestry, his discussion of the racism the Metis encountered is very matter-of-fact. Poignantly, near the end of Becoming Little Shell, LaTray says, “The Indigenous part of who I am is still blossoming, and I do my best to embody it every day.” A charge for all of us to embrace- to blossom- be it with our Native roots or those of other cultures. The book ends with the satisfying news that the Little Shell Tribe did receive the federal recognition they had been seeking. 

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so, so glad I read this book. Chris La Tray is a storyteller of the highest order.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris LaTray has written an engrossing read about the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Montana, and his connection to the community. Filled with little-known information about the tribe and the process of how the United States has failed the Indigenous people in this country due to broken treaties. He provides a wealth of information about the process of what it means to be a federally recognized tribe. I found this book incredibly interesting and important for all Americans to understand the history of this tribe and that of other Indigenous communities. Outstanding.

[Nancy Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Chris LaTray's One Sentence Journal, I was excited to have the opportunity to spend the day with him last year on a cultural tour he led in partnership with Yellowstone Forever. That day, I bought this memoir and he signed it for me. I don't usually get Celebrity Syndrome, but Chris LaTray is the kind of person I want to be when I grow up, and I feel privileged to have spent some time in his presence.

Subscribe to his newsletter on Substack.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first half of the book but then it started to bog down as La Tray became more repetitive. It was an interesting book when it came to finding one’s roots and the strange and mostly horrible ways the U.S. government has treated our Native American population over the years. The tribal enrollment process was fascinating. Felt the book could have been helped by adding pictures and maps. His descriptions are good but pictures would have been great.