Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes

Common card · No. 349430

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation (Montana Salish: Séliš u Ql̓ispé, Kutenai: k̓upawiȼq̓nuk) are a federally recognized tribe centered on the Flathead Indian Reservation in the U.S. state of Montana. The tribe includes Kutenai, Bitterroot Salish, and Upper Pend d'Oreilles people, the later two are Interior Salish peoples. The Bitterroot Salish were referred to by Euro-American explorers as Flathead Indians. This name was originally applied to various Salish peoples after Europeans misinterpreted their identifying Coast Salish Sign Language sign to mean that they practiced artificial cranial deformation. This sign involved pressing both hands to the opposite sides of the head and meant, "We the people.” The peoples of these tribes originally lived in the areas of Montana, parts of Idaho, British Columbia, and Wyoming. The original territory comprised about 22,000,000 acres (89,000 km2) at the time of the 1855 Hellgate treaty.

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