Flathead Indian Reservation
The Flathead Indian Reservation is located
north of I-90 between Missoula and Kalispell. Fertile valleys and towering
mountain peaks surround the 1.2 million acres of the reservation. The reservation
is home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes. The tribes are a combination
of the Salish, the Pend d'Oreilles, and the Kootenai. There are approximately
6,800 enrolled tribal members; and about 3,700 live on or near the reservation.
Timber industry sales and Kerr Dam are sources of income for the tribe. The
tribes also own the Kwataqnuk (which means, "where the water leaves the
lake") Resort Hotel and the S&K electronics manufacturing facility.
The Salish-Kootenai Community College is located in Pablo. The college offers
two- and four-year degrees.
Points of interest on the reservation are:
Flathead Indian Museum, St. Ignatius
Flathead Lake State Park
The National Bison Range/Pablo National Wildlife Refuge, Moiese
Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge and State Wildlife Management Area, Ronan
St. Ignatius Mission, St. Ignatius
The People's Center, Pablo
Unlike most other tribes in Montana, the Salish migrated from the west. The
Kootenai are native to the state. Archaeological evidence shows that native
Americans inhabited Montana more than 14,000 years ago, and artifacts indicate
that Kootenai have roots in the area's prehistory. The Kootenai inhabited
the mountainous terrain west of the Continental Divide, venturing only seasonally
to the east for buffalo hunts.
The Kootenai were divided into two main groups. One band lived to the northeast and had a lifestyle based on bison hunting. The other band lived in the mountainous west and had a lifestyle focused on rivers and lakes. The Salish occupied territory in Washington, Idaho, and western Montana but ventured as far east as the Bighorn Mountains. As the tribe moved east, it had to change from a lifestyle based on salmon fishing to one more dependent on native plants and buffalo. During the 1700s, these two tribes — the Salish and the Kootenai — shared common hunting and gathering grounds.
Later, Christianity, in the form of Catholicism,
heavily influenced the Salish. The effect of the Church played a major role
in keeping western Montana relatively peaceful during the Indian wars. With
the signing of the Hellgate treaty, the massive traditional lands of the tribes
were reduced to the fertile grounds of the Flathead Reservation.
POWWOW'S:Pow
Wows are the Native American people's way of meeting together, to join in
dancing, singing, visiting, renewing old friendships and make new ones. This
is a time to renew thoughts of the old ways and to preserve a rich heritage.
Dancing:Dancing has always
been a very important part of the life of the American Indian. The outfits
worn by the dancers, like the styles of clothing today, evolve over time.
It is not a stagnant culture but a vibrant and changing way of life.
Storytelling:
Coyote and the Another One
Native American Lore
Two Coyotes were crossing a farmers field. Both Coyotes were strangers to
each other for they had never met. Just as they were about to introduce themselves
they heard the farmer yell, "There's a Coyote in the field!" The
first Coyote turned to the other and told him to run! They both started to
run for the trees when they heard the farmer yell, "And there goes another
one!". Finally both Coyotes made it to the cover of the trees and they
started to introduce themselves. "I never saw you before, I am Wanderer,
I am a Coyote like you." The other Coyote looked at him oddly and said,
"I am Sleek, but I am not a Coyote like you."
"Yes you are," said Wanderer.
"Oh no I am not," replied Sleek.
"Look my friend, you are confused. You have ears like mine, you have a tail like mine, our fur is the same, our snouts are the same, everything is the same, you are just like me and we are both Coyotes," Wanderer tried to explain. "Listen let's run across the field again and you will see," challenged Sleek. So off they ran. First went Wanderer and again the Farmer yelled, "There goes that darn Coyote." Then Sleek took afoot and the Farmer yelled, "And there goes another one... again!"
When the two Coyotes reached the other side of the field they ducked into the woods. Wanderer turned to sleek and said, "There! Didn't you hear the Farmer? He called us both Coyotes." Sleek look disappointed with his new confused friend and said, "Yes I heard the Farmer. He called you a Coyote, but I am an `Another One'."
Music: In many native American cultures, a system of rights and obligations has existed with respect to the singing of songs. The right to sing some songs was reserved for certain individuals. In some cases, only a single person was permitted to sing a given song. In other cases, the right to sing certain songs was reserved exclusively for members of a particular society or club. Often, songs were exchanged or purchased by individuals, or given as gifts. The right to sing some songs was sometimes passed down through hereditary lines.
PEOPLE:The Flathead Indian Reservation is home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes. The tribes are a combination of the Flathead, the Pend d'Oreille and the Kootenai. Of the 5,936 enrolled tribal members, about 3,156 live on or near the reservation.
Economy:Montana Power Company pays the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes $9.4 million annually to lease land on which the Kerr Dam sits near Polson. Potential for development of additional hydroelectric power sites and residential recreation areas promise additional income in the future. The reservation also derives income from logging and Christmas tree sales.
Location:North of I-90 between Missoula and Kalispell, the fertile valleys and towering mountain peaks of northwest Montana are the motifs of the Flathead Reservation. The Reservation comprises over 1.2 million acres.
The Reservation Map:the map of the Reservation around Montana.
Language:The Salish bands gathered on the reservation in its early days each spoke slightly different dialects of the Kalispel or Flathead language. The Kalispel language is part of the Salish family of languages spoken by many tribes of the Pacific Northwest. The Kootenais speak a totally different language. Almost all of the tribal members now living speak English only as a result of years of government-sponsored schooling. Many of the young people of the tribes who speak English as their first language attend classes to learn the old languages. It is said that only 80 fluent speakers of either language exist today.
History:The reservation dates back to 1855, when representatives of the Salish, the Kootenai and the Pend d’Orielles Indians signed a treaty ceding some 20 million acres of ancestral land to the U.S. government, while retaining approximately 1.3 million acres as their homeland. In 1904, land parcels within the reservation were allotted to Indians and others. Since the 1940s, the resident tribes have been buying back reservation lands, with more than 51 percent tribally owned by the mid-1990s.
Beading:
n.
