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Flathead Indian Reservation - Definition |
| Related Words: Archives, Area, Arrangement, Bank, Booking, Condition, Demurrer, Employment, Engagement, Exception, Grant, Hedge |
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Salish Men Near Tipis
(1903 Flathead Reservation, MT)
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University of Washington Digital Collections
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The Flathead Indian Reservation is located in western Montana, it is home
to the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai and Pend d'Oreilles Tribes - also known as the
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation (1) (http://www.charkoosta.com/about1.html). The
Reservation was created through 1855 Treaty of Hellgate and includes parts of
four Montana counties: Lake, Sanders, Missoula, and Flathead (2) (http://www.lakecounty-mt.org/planning/pdf/chapter%206.pdf). The Flathead Indian Reservation is an area of 1,250,000 acres (5,058 km²) of forested
mountains and valleys just west of the Continental Divide in Montana (3) (http://www.ohwy.com/mt/f/flathdir.htm).
Unlike most other tribes in Montana, the Bitterroot 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 (4) (http://montanakids.com/db_engine/presentations/presentation.asp?pid=170&sub=Tribal+Histories).
Points of interest
- 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
Cities
External links
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