Kalispel flag on license plate The Pend d’Oreille tribe is also known as the Kalispel tribe, and there is often a lot of confusion in this regard when studying the history of the people. Many who are not familiar with the tribe will think that the Pend d’Oreille and the Kalispel are two different tribes, but that’s just not the case.
The Pend d’Oreille didn’t suffer as much as many of the other tribes that came to call Montana home, and they were here longer as well, beginning with the last ice age in fact.
The Pend d’Oreille didn’t suffer as much as many of the other tribes that came to call Montana home, and they were here longer as well, beginning with the last ice age in fact.
Similarities and Differences
Camassia, or Camas plant The term Pend d’Oreille is French, and means “hangs from ears,” or “ear drops.” The Indians who made up the tribe wore large earrings made from shells at the time of the first European encounters, and this must have looked odd or out of place to the French, so they named them after the most common feature they could see, the ears. The term Kalispel translates as “Camas People,” and was in reference to the Camas plant, which was often ground up into flour.
The Pend d’Oreille were very similar to the Salish in that they spent most of their early history in the Pacific Northwest, but moved back east to Montana about 5,000 years ago. But while the Salish primarily stayed higher up in the mountains, the Pend d’Oreille chose to branch out into the valleys and onto the plains. The area they came to inhabit was around the Paradise region of the state, and stretched upstream as far as Butte.
The Pend d’Oreille language and the Salish language are very similar, but there are some minor nuisances which differentiate the two. There way of life was slightly different as well. The Pend d’Oreille relied heavily on fishing around the Columbia River, and supplemented that with small game hunting and gathering roots and berries, while the Salish branched out onto the plains sooner and buffalo meat thus became a central part of their diet.
The Pend d’Oreille were very similar to the Salish in that they spent most of their early history in the Pacific Northwest, but moved back east to Montana about 5,000 years ago. But while the Salish primarily stayed higher up in the mountains, the Pend d’Oreille chose to branch out into the valleys and onto the plains. The area they came to inhabit was around the Paradise region of the state, and stretched upstream as far as Butte.
The Pend d’Oreille language and the Salish language are very similar, but there are some minor nuisances which differentiate the two. There way of life was slightly different as well. The Pend d’Oreille relied heavily on fishing around the Columbia River, and supplemented that with small game hunting and gathering roots and berries, while the Salish branched out onto the plains sooner and buffalo meat thus became a central part of their diet.
Lake Pend d'Oreille The population of the Pend d’Oreille is thought to have been around 1,600 in the 18th century, at a time when they were living around Pend d’Oreille Lake and Pend d’Oreille River, the latter being a large tributary of the Columbia River that flows through Idaho and Eastern Washington. Archeological evidence suggests that native peoples were living around in the area since the last ice age, nearly 12,000 years ago.
The Pend d’Oreille were a peaceful tribe, and that’s one of the reasons they suffered so when the other Indian tribes began moving into their lands. Like many of the other Plateau tribes, the Pend d’Oreille banded together with other area tribes to hunt buffalo, and with the introduction of the horse in the 18th century, to form war and raiding parties. This would have become more common, and more important, once the Blackfeet arrived in the state and began pushing the Pend d’Oreille and so many other tribes west across the Continental Divide and off of the western extent of the Great Plains.
Notes
Bryan, William L. Montana’s Indians: Yesterday and Today. American & World Geographic Publishing: Helena, 1996. p 115.
Ngal, Phyllis. Crossing Mountains: Native American Language Education in Public Schools. No publication information listed.
Pritzer, Barry. Native Americans [2 Volumes]: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Peoples. ABC-CLIO: Santa Barbara, 1998. p 257-8.
Walden, Carl. Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. Infobase Publishing: New York, 2006. p 126-7.
The Pend d’Oreille were a peaceful tribe, and that’s one of the reasons they suffered so when the other Indian tribes began moving into their lands. Like many of the other Plateau tribes, the Pend d’Oreille banded together with other area tribes to hunt buffalo, and with the introduction of the horse in the 18th century, to form war and raiding parties. This would have become more common, and more important, once the Blackfeet arrived in the state and began pushing the Pend d’Oreille and so many other tribes west across the Continental Divide and off of the western extent of the Great Plains.
Notes
Bryan, William L. Montana’s Indians: Yesterday and Today. American & World Geographic Publishing: Helena, 1996. p 115.
Ngal, Phyllis. Crossing Mountains: Native American Language Education in Public Schools. No publication information listed.
Pritzer, Barry. Native Americans [2 Volumes]: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Peoples. ABC-CLIO: Santa Barbara, 1998. p 257-8.
Walden, Carl. Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. Infobase Publishing: New York, 2006. p 126-7.
