HELENA — Rep. Ed Butcher was criticized Saturday for insensitivity reflected in a private e-mail, written by him, that characterized supporters of increased funding for an American Indian education program as ‘‘semi-literate.’’

The Winifred Republican said he is the victim of a Democratic attack designed to silence debate.

Retired Fairfield teacher Dorothea Susag wrote Butcher an e-mail on Wednesday, urging him to support a bill by Sen. Carol Juneau, D-Browning, that would increase funding for Indian Education for All. The program is intended to teach all students about Montana’s Indian tribes.

The funding measure, which passed the Senate, was heard Friday by the House Education Committee.

In his response to Susag, Butcher, who is on the committee, wrote that the program was misguided and was being ‘‘propelled by the ‘politically correct’ crowd of semi-literate proponents.’’

Later in an interview, Butcher would not specify which people comprise ‘‘the politically correct crowd.’’ But he said Juneau was not among them, nor were other Indian lawmakers or the Office of Public Instruction, the department that overseas Indian Education for All.

He also wrote in his response he had been ‘‘astonished at the naivety of our educational community in buying into this ‘Indian education project.’’’ He wrote that an accurate picture of historic Indian culture was not possible because Indians were a ‘‘hunter/gather peoples who would have had a limited vocabulary ... and relied upon sign-language for much of their communication.’’

The e-mail exchange eventually was forwarded to several lawmakers highly critical of Butcher’s comments.

Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Rocky Boy, said Butcher was ‘‘basically thumbing (his) nose to the creator.’’

Earlier this session, Butcher apologized on the House floor for calling Windy Boy ‘‘Chief Windy Boy.’’ In 2001, Butcher drew criticism for calling Indian reservations ‘‘ghettos.’’

Butcher said that the statements in his e-mail were accurate and that he has studied Indian history extensively. He added that he was not prejudiced against Indians, but simply thinks their history should not be ‘‘overemphasized’’ in schools, to the neglect of other subjects.

‘‘I mean good grief, there are a heck of a lot more Norwegians, Germans and other ethnic groups in the state of Montana than there are Indians,’’ Butcher said.

He added that the fact his private e-mail was circulated around the Legislature shows an ongoing effort by Democrats to attack him. Last month, House Democrats tried to have Butcher censured for calling an argument from Rep. Eve Franklin, D-Great Falls, ‘‘nonsense.’’

‘‘The Democrats are twisting and turning this thing to try and make an issue out of something that is a non-issue,’’ Butcher said.

Democrats made no official statement criticizing Butcher’s e-mail, but Senate Majority Leader Carol Williams, D-Missoula, urged Republicans to speak out against him.

‘‘I think that shows a void in Republican leadership because it implies that the leadership agrees with him,’’ Williams said.

House Majority Leader Michael Lange, R-Billings, called Butcher’s e-mail ‘‘disappointing,’’ but said he had no control over the private correspondence of his party’s members.