- Flathead Indian Reservation
The Flathead Indian Reservation, located in western
Montana on theFlathead River , is home to the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai and Pend d'Oreilles Tribes - also known as theConfederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation [http://www.charkoosta.com/about1.html (1)] . The Reservation was created through1855 Treaty of Hellgate and includes parts of four Montana counties: Lake, Sanders, Missoula, and Flathead [http://www.lakecounty-mt.org/planning/pdf/chapter%206.pdf (2)] . The Flathead Indian Reservation is an area of 5,019.621 km² (1,938.087 sq mi) of forested mountains and valleys just west of theContinental Divide [http://www.ohwy.com/mt/f/flathdir.htm (3)] .Unlike most other tribes in Montana, the Bitterroot Salish migrated from the west. The Kootenai, however, are native to the state. Archaeological evidence shows that native Americans inhabited Montana more than 14,000 years ago, and artifacts indicate that the 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 buffalo 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 theBighorn Mountains . As the tribe moved east, it had to change from a lifestyle based onsalmon fishing to one more dependent on native plants and buffalo. During the1700s , these two tribes – the Salish and the Kootenai – shared common hunting and gathering grounds [http://montanakids.com/db_engine/presentations/presentation.asp?pid=170&sub=Tribal+Histories (4)] .The present-day population of the reservation is 26,172 as of the 2000 census. The largest community on the reservation is the city of Polson, which is also the
county seat of Lake County. The seat of government of theConfederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation is Pablo.Points of interest
*Flathead Indian Museum, St. Ignatius
*Flathead Lake State Park
*Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness
*TheNational Bison Range /Pablo National Wildlife Refuge , Moiese
*Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge and State Wildlife Management Area, Ronan
*St. Ignatius Mission , St. IgnatiusCommunities
References
* [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-context=dt&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-CHECK_SEARCH_RESULTS=N&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_P001&-CONTEXT=dt&-tree_id=4001&-transpose=N&-redoLog=true&-all_geo_types=N&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=06000US3002991118&-geo_id=06000US3004791123&-geo_id=06000US3006391128&-geo_id=06000US3008991134&-geo_id=25000US1110&-search_results=06000US3004791123&-fully_or_partially=N&-format=&-_lang=en&-show_geoid=Y Flathead Reservation, Montana] United States Census Bureau
External links
* [http://www.cskt.org/ Official site of the Confederated Tribes of the Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation]
* [http://www.charkoosta.com/about1.html Char Koosta News]
* [http://www.lakecounty-mt.org/planning/pdf/chapter%206.pdf Charlo School - Local & Social Services]
* [http://www.ohwy.com/mt/f/flathdir.htm Online Highways - Flathead Indian Reservation]
* [http://montanakids.com/db_engine/presentations/presentation.asp?pid=170&sub=Tribal+Histories montanakids.com - Flathead Indian Reservation]
* [http://www.ronan.net/ Access Montana Ronan.net]
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