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The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation are the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai and Pend d'Oreilles Tribes. They lived between the Cascade Mountains and Rocky Mountains. The Salish (Flatheads) initially lived entirely east of the Continental Divide but established their headquarters near the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains. Occasionally hunting parties went west of the Continental Divide but never east of the Bitterroot Range. The easternmost edge of their ancestral hunting forays were the Gallatin, Crazy Mountain, and Little Belt Ranges. Image File history File links Flathead_Indians. ... Image File history File links Flathead_Indians. ... Image File history File links Flathead_Family. ... Image File history File links Flathead_Family. ... Salish Men Near Tipis (1903 Flathead Reservation, MT) The Bitterroot Salish are one of three tribes of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation in Montana. ... The Kootenai (also Kutenai or Ktunaxa (pronounced in English as //) are an indigenous people of North America. ... Tribal flag Tule Hut Kalispel Mission Group The Pend dOreilles, also known as the Kalispel, are a tribe of Native Americans who lived centered around Lake Pend Oreille, as well as the Pend Oreille River, although some of them live spread through Montana and eastern Washington. ... Mount Adams in Washington state The Cascade Range is a mountainous region famous for its chain of tall volcanos called the High Cascades that run north-south along the west coast of North America from British Columbia to the Shasta Cascade area of northern California. ... Confectionary Company, see Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. ... A continental divide is a line of elevated terrain which forms a border between two watersheds such that water falling on one side of the line eventually travels to one ocean or body of water, and water on the other side travels to another, generally on the opposite side of...

They were called the Flathead Indians by the first white men who came to the Columbia River. The name is often said to derive from the flat skull produced by binding infant's skulls with boards. However, this is mistaken folk etymology, as the tribes never practiced head flattening. In fact, the Salish were called "flat head" because the tops of their heads were not pointed like those of neighbouring tribespeople who practiced vertical head-binding. The sign language used by neighboring tribes to distinguish the Flatheads consisted of "pressing each side of the head" with the hands. The Flatheads call themselves Salish meaning the people. The Columbia River (French: fleuve Columbia) is a river situated in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. ... Folk etymology or popular etymology is a linguistic term for a category of false etymology which has grown up in popular lore, as opposed to one which arose in scholarly usage. ...

History

The written record of the tribes is from their meeting with the Lewis and Clark Expedition (September 5, 1805). They also appear in the records of the Catholic Church at St. Louis to which they sent four delegations to request missionaries (or "Black Robes") to minister to the tribe. Their request was finally granted and a number of missionaries including Peter De Smet, S.J., were eventually sent. Lewis and Clark The Lewis and Clark expedition (1804-1806) was the first United States overland expedition to the Pacific coast and back. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 1805 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

The tribes negotiated the Treaty of Hellgate with the United States in 1855. From the start, the Hellgate Treaty negotiations were plagued by serious translation problems. A Jesuit observer, Father Adrian Hoecken, said that the translations were so poor that "not a tenth of what was said was understood by either side." But as in the meeting with Lewis and Clark, the pervasive cross-cultural miscommunication ran even deeper than problems of language and translation. Tribal people came to the meeting assuming they were going to formalize and already recognized friendship. Non-Indians came with the goal of making official their claims to native lands and resources. Isaac Stevens, the new governor and superintendent of Indian affairs for Washington Territory, was intent on obtaining cession of the Bitterroot Valley from the Salish. Many non-Indians were already well aware of the valley's potential value for agriculture and its relatively temperate climate in winter. Due to the resistance of Chief Victor (Many Horses), Stevens ended up inserting into the treaty complicated (and doubtless poorly translated) language that defined the Bitterroot Valley south of Lolo Creek as a "conditional reservation" for the Salish. Chief Victor put his X mark on the document, convinced that the agreement would not require his people to leave their homeland. No other word came from the government for the next fifteen years, so the Salish assumed that they would indeed stay in their Bitterroot Valley forever. The Treaty of Hellgate was signed in Hellgate on July 16, 1855 between President James Buchanan and the Native American tribes located in western Montana. ... Lewis and Clark The Lewis and Clark expedition (1804-1806) was the first United States overland expedition to the Pacific coast and back. ... State nickname: Treasure State Other U.S. States Capital Helena Largest city Billings Governor Brian Schweitzer Official languages English Area 381,156 km² (4th)  - Land 377,295 km²  - Water 3,862 km² (1%) Population (2000)  - Population 902,194 (44th)  - Density 2. ...

After the 1864 gold rush in newly established Montana Territory, pressure upon the Salish intensified from both illegal non-Indian squatters and government officials. In 1870, Chief Victor died, and he was succeeded as chief by his son, Chief Charlot (aka Charlo, Claw of the Little Grizzly). Like his father, Chief Charlot adhered to a policy of nonviolent resistance. He insisted on the right of his people to remain in the Bitterroot Valley. But territorial citizens and officials thought the new chief could be pressured into capitulating. In 1871, they successfully lobbied President Ulysses S. Grant to declare that the survey required by the treaty had been conducted and that it had found that the Jocko (Flathead) Reservation was better suited to the needs of the Salish. On the basis of Grant's executive order, Congress sent a delegation, led by future president James Garfield, to make arrangements with the tribe for their removal. Chief Charlot ignored their demands and even their threats of bloodshed, and he again refused to sign any agreement to leave. U.S. officials then simply forged Chief Charlot's X onto the official copy of the agreement that was sent to the Senate for ratification. Chief Charlo (Claw of the Little Grizzly or Small Grizzly-Bear Claw) lived from 1830-1910 in the Bitterroot Valley and served as head chief of the Bitterroot Salish from 1870 to 1910. ... Ulysses S. Grant[2] (born Hiram Ulysses Grant, April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was an American general and the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877). ... James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th President of the United States (1881) and the second U.S. President to be assassinated (Abraham Lincoln was the first). ...

Over time, the real reason for the Hellgate treaty meetings became clear to the Salish and Pend d"Oreille people. Under the terms spelled out in the written document, the tribes ceded to the United States more than twenty million acres (81,000 km²) of land and reserved from cession about 1.3 million acres (5300 km²), thus forming the Jocko or Flathead Indian Reservation. Conditions had become intolerable for the Salish by the late 1880s, after the Missoula and Bitter Root Valley Railroad was constructed directly through the tribe's lands, with neither permission from the native owners nor payment to them. Chief Charlot finally signed an agreement to leave the Bitterroot Valley in November 1889. Inaction by Congress, however, delayed the removal for another two years, and according to some observers, the tribe's desperation reached a level of outright starvation. In October 1891 a contingent of troops from Fort Missoula forced Chief Charlot and the Salish out of the Bitterroot and roughly marched the small band sixty miles to the Flathead Reservation.

Tribal flag

The three main tribes moved to the Flathead Reservation were the Bitteroot Salish, Pend d'Oreille, and Kootenai. The Bitterroot Salish and the Pend d'Orielle tribes spoke dialects of the same Salish language. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Demographics

The tribe has about 6,800 members with approximately 4,000 tribal members currently living on the Flathead Reservation and 2,800 tribal members living off the reservation. 1,100 Native Americans from other tribes and over 10,000 non-Native Americans also live on the reservation.

As the first to organize a tribal government under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1936 they are governed by a tribal council. The Tribal Council has ten members and the council elects from within the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. The tribal government offers a number of services to tribal members and is the chief employer on the reservation. The tribes operate a tribal college, the Salish Kootenai College (SKC) and a heritage museum called "The People's Center" in Pablo, MT. The tribes own and jointly operate a valuable hydropower dam called Kerr Dam as well as the Best Western KwaTaqNuk Inn in Polson, Montana. Salish Kootenai College (SKC) is a Native American tribal college based in Pablo, Montana which serves the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend dOreilles tribes. ... Undershot water wheels on the Orontes River in Hama, Syria Saint Anthony Falls Hydropower is the capture of the energy of moving water for some useful purpose. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Kerr Dam is located at River Mile 72 of the Flathead River at the end of Flathead Lake near Polson, Montana. ...

Geography

Aboriginal Lands

The peoples of these tribes originally lived in the areas of Montana, parts of Idaho, British Columbia and Wyoming. The original territory comprised about 22 million acres (89,000 km²) at the time of the 1855 Hellgate Treaty. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo - Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 36 - Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area Ranked 4th - Total 944,735 km... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area  Ranked 10th  - Total 97,818 sq mi (253,348 km²)  - Width 280 miles (450 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 0. ... The Treaty of Hellgate was signed in Hellgate on July 16, 1855 between President James Buchanan and the Native American tribes located in western Montana. ...

Salish Men Near Tipis (1903 Flathead Reservation, MT)

Salish Men Near Tipis (1903 Flathead Reservation, MT) Title: Salish men on July 4th stand by tepees near St. ... Salish Men Near Tipis (1903 Flathead Reservation, MT) Title: Salish men on July 4th stand by tepees near St. ...

Reservation lands

The Flathead Reservation in northwest Montana is over 1.3 million acres (5,300 km²) in size. The Flathead Indian Reservation is located in western Montana, it is home to the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai and Pend dOreilles Tribes - also known as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation (1). ... Official language(s) English Capital Helena Largest city Billings Area  Ranked 4th  - Total 147,165 sq mi (381,156 km²)  - Width 255 miles (410 km)  - Length 630 miles (1,015 km)  - % water 1  - Latitude 44°26N to 49°N  - Longitude 104°2W to 116°2W Population  Ranked...

The Tribal Council represents eight districts.

• Arlee District
• Dixon District
• Elmo District
• Hot Springs District
• Pablo District
• Polson District
• Ronan District
• St. Ignatius District

Arlee is a census-designated place located in Lake County, Montana. ... Dixon is a census-designated place located in Sanders County, Montana. ... Elmo is a census-designated place located in Lake County, Montana. ... Hot Springs is a town located in Sanders County, Montana. ... Pablo is a census-designated place located in Lake County, Montana. ... Some clouds over Flathead Lake in Polson Montana Polson is a city located on the southern shore of Flathead Lake in Lake County, Montana. ... Ronan is a city located in Northwest Montana in Lake County, Montana on the Flathead Indian Reservation about 12 miles south of Flathead Lake. ... St. ...

Culture

• Languages
  • Salish Language
  • Kootenai language
• Historical Sites
• Archaeology

The Salishan (also Salish) languages are a group of languages of western Canada and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. ... Kootenai language The Kootenai language (also Kutenai or Ktunaxa language) is named after and is spoken by some of the Kootenai Native American/First Nations people who are indigenous to the area of North America that is now Montana, Idaho, and British Columbia. ...

Values

External links

• Official site of the Confederated Tribes
• Official site of Nkwusm Salish Language Institute
• Treaty of Hellgate (1855)
• Lewis and Clark expedition journal entry