Recent Logo of Confederation The Salish called themselves Se’lic, which means “people,” and they may have been around Montana longer than any of the other tribes that now call the state home. They are often grouped together with other tribes, such as the Pend d’Oreille, or Kalispel Indians, and the Kootenai, both of whom they are now confederated with in a single tribe.
The Salish are also commonly referred to as Flatheads, a name given to them by Europeans, and used to differentiate them from other tribes that didn’t practice ‘shaping’ a baby’s head. While they began expanding early, their progress was checked by other tribes, primarily the Blackfeet. They fled to the mountains, and have been there ever since.
The Salish are also commonly referred to as Flatheads, a name given to them by Europeans, and used to differentiate them from other tribes that didn’t practice ‘shaping’ a baby’s head. While they began expanding early, their progress was checked by other tribes, primarily the Blackfeet. They fled to the mountains, and have been there ever since.
Early Roots
Flathead Lake The Salish creation stories and oral traditions have always held that the Salish were present in the area during the last Ice Age, and their stories tell of extreme cold that ebbed over time, as well as the disappearance of larger animals that we know roamed the area, like giant beavers. The archeological evidence backs them up as well, and shows that they were in the area around Flathead Lake 9,000 years ago, far longer than any other tribe.
The Salish are spread out about the Northwest and into British Columbia, and they even began spreading out onto the Great Plains. Still, their expansion didn’t last long; by 1600 other tribes like the Blackfeet, themselves pushed west by Europeans, began to push the Salish back to their original territory. Realizing that they were no match for the Blackfeet, the Salish pulled back and expanded further west instead. Those that decided to settle in Montana did so around the Three Forks area, and even travelled regularly as far as the Big Horn Mountains.
The Salish are spread out about the Northwest and into British Columbia, and they even began spreading out onto the Great Plains. Still, their expansion didn’t last long; by 1600 other tribes like the Blackfeet, themselves pushed west by Europeans, began to push the Salish back to their original territory. Realizing that they were no match for the Blackfeet, the Salish pulled back and expanded further west instead. Those that decided to settle in Montana did so around the Three Forks area, and even travelled regularly as far as the Big Horn Mountains.
Bitter Enemies
Salish family, c. 1900 By 1700 other tribes were encroaching further onto their territory in Montana. Pushed themselves by the Europeans speeding across the Great Plains, the Blackfeet were the worst tribe to afflict those tribes that were already in the areas that they were forced to inhabit. The Shoshonis also pushed up from the south, and these dual intrusions caused the Salish to head further into the mountains, where they would claim the Bitterroot Valley as their own. Settling in the mountains thus gave the Salish characteristics of both the Plains Indians, of which they themselves were so much like for much of their expansionist history, and the Plateau Indians whom they joined at this later date.
Blodgett Canyon in Bitterroot Valley One group that the Salish frequently allied themselves with were the Nez Pearce tribe in Idaho. This not only allowed them to hunt the buffalo more efficiently, but also allowed them to fend off the ever-increasing attacks from the stronger and more numerous Blackfeet. The Blackfeet were thought to be the fiercest warriors of the plains, and when they got pushed west, no one wanted to stand in their way. The Salish thought discretion to be the better part of valor, and wisely moved away, leaving the other tribes across the Continental Divide to take the brunt of the attacks.
Whether they were here during the last ice age or not, the rest of the world didn’t come to learn of the Salish until the Lewis and Clark expedition, at which point they were a tribe living in fear and willing to ally themselves with anyone that would protect them from Blackfeet, including whites who had originally taken the Blackfeet’s land, and would do so again.
Notes
Pritzer, Barry. Native Americans [2 Volumes]: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Peoples. ABC-CLIO: Santa Barbara, 1998. p 272-3
Malone, Michael Peter; Roeder, Richard B.; Lang, William L. Montana: A History of Two Centuries. The University of Washington Press, 1976. p 14-15.
Salish-Pend d’Oreille Culture Committee and Elders Cultural Advisory Council. The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes: Canada, 2005. p 7-9.
Whether they were here during the last ice age or not, the rest of the world didn’t come to learn of the Salish until the Lewis and Clark expedition, at which point they were a tribe living in fear and willing to ally themselves with anyone that would protect them from Blackfeet, including whites who had originally taken the Blackfeet’s land, and would do so again.
Notes
Pritzer, Barry. Native Americans [2 Volumes]: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Peoples. ABC-CLIO: Santa Barbara, 1998. p 272-3
Malone, Michael Peter; Roeder, Richard B.; Lang, William L. Montana: A History of Two Centuries. The University of Washington Press, 1976. p 14-15.
Salish-Pend d’Oreille Culture Committee and Elders Cultural Advisory Council. The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes: Canada, 2005. p 7-9.
