Flathead Indian Reservation
The Flathead Indian Reservation (English: Flathead Indian Reservation ) is the westernmost of seven Indian reservations in the State of Montana and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation represented (CSKT). The reserve is located in northwest Montana between the cities of Kalispell and Missoula , just west of the North American continental divide . Two-thirds of the reserve area is in the Lake County state administration ; one third extends to Sanders County to the west, Missoula County to the south, and Flathead County to the north. The reserve covers approximately 1.25 million acres (5,058 km² ). The Indian seat of government and administration is Pablo .
Tribes
The tribal association of the reservation consists of three Indian tribes. The tribe incorrectly called Flathead ("flat head Indians") belongs to the inland Salish ( Seliš or Sqelixw ) and is now often referred to as the Bitterroot Salish after its historic residence in the Bitterroot Valley . Together with the Upper Pend d'Oreille and Upper Kalispel ( Ql̓ispé ), which also belong to the Salish language family, it forms the Confederated Salish . There is also a group of Kutenai : the Lower Kootenai ( Ktunaxa or Ksanka ).
population
In 2012 there were 28,724 residents on the Flathead Reservation, of which 31.8% were Indians with various tribal affiliations. A total of approximately 7753 CSKT tribe members are registered ( enrolled members ), of which an estimated 5000 live in the reserve or in the vicinity (as of 2016).
The CSKT tribal affiliation is recognized and registered for persons born after May 4, 1960, if at least a quarter of the "blood quantum " of Salish or Kootenai ancestors (or both) can be proven. This quantum is reached when, for example, a grandparent or two great-grandparents can be shown to belong to one of the three CSKT strains. Different regulations apply to older people depending on their date of birth.
In 2003, a referendum that called for the easing of the requirements for recognition of CSKT tribal membership failed . One of the arguments in the discussion that has continued to this day is the concern that a high proportion of intercultural marriages will further reduce the number of tribal members and that in the long term the tribes would more or less become extinct. In 2001 there were only about 200 "thoroughbred" members of the Salish and Kutenai tribes, the youngest almost 40 years old.
Tribal membership has some economic benefits such as health insurance and access to Native American education. Certain fishing, hunting and land use rights are also tied to tribal membership.
history
The establishment of the reservation began on March 8, 1855 in Hell Gate near Missoula with the conclusion of a contract between Governor Isaac I. Stevens and leading Indian representatives, including the chiefs Victor ( Flathead Nation ), Alexander ( Upper Pend d'Oreilles ) and Michelle ( Kutenais) ). The treaty, later known as the Hell Gate Treaty , was ratified by the US Senate in 1859 and signed by the American President.
The Bitterroot Salish, under the leadership of Chief Charlo, refused to leave their traditional tribal area and move into the "Jocko Reservation" (the Flathead Reservation) named after the Jocko River near Arlee . In 1873, Salish sub-chief Arlee was relocated to the south of the reserve with a few families. In 1891 Charlo and the rest of the Salish were also forced to move to the reserve.
In 1882, tribal leaders were forced to agree to the construction of a railway line through the reserve.
In 1893, the Indian agent responsible for the Flathead reservation, Peter Ronan, died . His successor, William Smead , advocated opening the reservation to non-Indian settlers.
With the General Allotment Act of 1887 ( Dawes Act ) a parceling and privatization of reservation land in America was sought. In 1904, Congress passed the Flathead Allotment Act . A census ( census ) According 2,390 tribal members were entitled to allotments acres to obtain 80 or 160 for agriculture or livestock. Of 1,245,000 acres, 228,434 acres went into private Indian ownership in this way. After deducting areas for public use (such as schools and churches), the rest of the land - against the resistance of the Indians - was sold as surplus (surplus) to non-Indian settlers ( homesteaders ) who moved to the reservation from 1910. The Indians became a minority in their own reservation.
In 1908 the Flathead Irrigation Project was initiated, a fee-paying canal system for farmers and ranchers to irrigate their fields and pastures. As a result, many Indians lost their land due to excessive indebtedness.
In 1935, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes ratified a tribal constitution under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 and elected ten representatives to an Indian government ( council ). The last two officially recognized tribal chiefs, Martin Charlo and Chief Koostahtah, received lifelong, active membership in the tribal council.
In 1936 the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes signed a corporate charter . This initially served the business interests of the tribes in connection with the Kerr Dam hydroelectric dam under construction in the Flathead River south of Flathead Lake , which was commissioned in 1938.
In 1961, the tribes passed a law ( Public Law 83-280 ) that allowed the state of Montana to have criminal and civil jurisdiction on the reservation.
1967 CSKT received a compensation payment of just over 4 million US dollars for the loss of land by the Treaty of Hellgate, calculated by value in 1855. A further compensation of 7.4 million, calculated according to the land value in 1912, was the tribes of Awarded breach of contract by opening it to non-Indian settlers.
politics
The Tribal Council consists of ten elected members. Elections are held every two years in October and December. The council members send eight electoral districts : two seats each are occupied by Jocko Valley and Mission District and one council seat each by the districts of Ronan, Pablo, Polson , Elmo- Dayton , Hot Springs-Camas Prairie and Dixon . The term of office of a council member is four years.
Council
The tribal council ( council ) consists of the following members (as of January 2020):
- Chair ( Chairwoman ): Shelly Fyant (2022)
- Deputy Chairman ( Vice-Chairwoman ): Anita Matt (2022)
- Secretary ( Secretary ): Ellie Bundy (by 2024)
- Treasurer ( Treasurer ): Martin Charlo (until 2024)
- Assessors ( Council Member ):
- Fred Matt (until 2022)
- James "Bing" Matt (until 2024)
- Carole Lankford (until 2022)
- Leonard Twoteeth (until 2022)
- Charmel Gillin (until 2022)
- Mike Dolson (until 2024)
Water rights
Since 1996, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have been negotiating an out-of-court settlement with representatives of the state of Montana as well as various interest groups inside and outside the reserve to clarify their water rights .
The first water rights agreement of an Indian tribe in Montana was concluded in 1985 by the Assiniboine in the Fort Peck reservation . The penultimate settlement to settle the water rights issue was made by the Blackfeet in 2009. A first draft of the tribes in the Flathead reservation for a water rights agreement ( Water Rights Compact , often simply called "Compact") failed in 2013 in the legislative process.
CSKT claimed that when the reservation was established in 1855, Hell Gate's contract guaranteed the Indians unrestricted rights to use the water resources in their traditional tribal areas. These extended across northwest Montana and parts of Idaho to the east of Washington State . The tribes threatened to sue for these water rights in the competent court. This would have encompassed several thousand lawsuits, triggered mass counterclaims and taken several decades. Farmers and cattle breeders feared that the Compact would limit their water resources and thus endanger their economic basis. The political debate was accompanied by racist accusations.
In April 2015, the Montana House of Representatives finally confirmed the newly drawn up agreement. In the contract, the tribes waive all water rights outside of their reserve area, but are entitled to certain inflow quantities ( in-stream ). For the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project , installed in 1908 , controlled inflow and allocation quantities are also defined. Private water use remains unaffected by the agreement; Individual water requirements, for example for groundwater wells, can also be entered. The state pledged to provide 55 million for the modernization of the Irrigation Project , the establishment of water-saving pumping and irrigation technologies and restoration measures. The “Compact” has yet to be approved by the US Congress in order to be legally effective.
Culture
Since 1975, two cultural committees, the Salish-Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee (SPCC) and the Kootenai Culture Committee , have been advising the Indian government in its decisions and in the development of tribal projects in close cooperation with the respective councils of elders.
The SPCC published several books of traditional narratives as well as the Challenge to Survive series on the history of the Salish Indians on the Flathead Reservation. The committee also runs a Salish language project to revive and maintain the dying, traditional language. Currently, fewer than 50 reservation residents speak Salish fluently - none under 50 years of age, most over 75. The Salish Culture Committee operates a longhouse which, in addition to SPCC meetings, is primarily used for traditional customs and cultural events.
Traditional cultural techniques are taught in the annual "Agnes Vanderburg Culture Camp". The summer camp was founded in the 1970s by the Salish Indian Agnes Vanderburg (1901-1989) and is now offered by Salish Kootenai College as a summer course in cooperation with the Salish Culture Committee.
Every year on July 4th, American National Day, the Native American government hosts the Arlee Powwow . The Standing Arrow Pow Wow also takes place in July . The Veterans Warrior Society , founded in 1992 , hosts the Veterans Pow Wow annually on Veterans Day in November. A Head Start Pow Wow for children has been held annually since around 1970.
The People's Center in Pablo serves as an Indian cultural center. In addition to exhibitions on the culture and traditions of the local tribes, cultural courses, groups and events are offered.
Tipis at the Arlee Powwow 2015
Traditional dancers at the 2013 Arlee Powwow
education
In 1975 the Native American government established Two Eagle River School , a high school in Pablo with a focus on arts education.
In 1976 the forerunner of Salish Kootenai College (SKC) was founded, until 1981 as an offshoot of Kalispell College and initially housed in the premises of the Polson School District. Since 1984 the college has been fully recognized as a higher education institution. Since then, the number of tribal members with university degrees in the reservation has increased significantly. The college is based in Pablo.
In 2002 the Salish language school Nkwusm opened in Arlee .
In the boarding school-like training center Kicking Horse Job Corps, young adults (16–24 years) from low-income families learn various professions and can also catch up on a school leaving certificate.
Economy and Infrastructure
traffic
The main artery through the reservation is US Highway 93, which runs north-south . The Montana State Highway 28 in the north of the reservation area connects Elmo with Niarada in the west and runs from there south to Lonepipe and Hot Springs. Montana Highway 35 begins in Polson at the southern end of Flathead Lake and follows its eastern shore north. Montana Highway 200 runs south of the reserve from Ravalli to the west.
Polson and Ronan each have an airport that is jointly owned by the respective city and county.
Companies and institutions
According to its own information, CSKT was the largest employer in the reserve with 55% of all jobs in 2011. In addition to various government institutions and programs, the tribal association operates several educational institutions, from early childhood education ( Head Start ) to the Salish Kootenai College with 260 employees. One of the most important sources of income is the timber trade. The subsidiaries S&K Electronics (manufacture of electronic components, founded in 1984) and S&K Technologies (founded in 1999, with five international, mainly military technology divisions) are conventional manufacturing companies owned by the tribes. CSKT has also operated the sole local power company, Mission Valley Power , since the 1980s . In addition, the casinos Gray Wolf Peak and KwaTaqNuk (with the Best Western KwaTaqNuk Resort on Flathead) Lake are owned by the Indian government ( S&K Gaming ). The S & K Holding grants loans to Indian entrepreneurs and advises entrepreneurs.
In 2015, CSKT acquired the Kerr Dam hydroelectric dam, built on the reserve in the 1930s, and renamed it Séliš Ksanka Ql'ispé Dam . The plant produces around 1.1 million megawatt hours of electricity annually and is America's first hydroelectric dam to be owned and operated by Indians (by CSKT subsidiary Energy Keepers Inc , EKI).
While half of the tribal members were still unemployed in 1980, the unemployment rate of the Indian reservation residents fell significantly to below 14% in 2014 and was only a few percent higher than the average unemployment rate in the reservation. In February 2017, the Flathead Resverate had the lowest unemployment rate of any of the seven Indian reservations in Montana at 5.6%.
Healthcare
The Indian Health Department ( Tribal Health Department ) based in St. Ignatius operates six medical examination and treatment centers for tribal members in the reservation area.
The (non-Indian operated) hospitals on the reservation are St. Luke's in Ronan and Providence St. Joseph in Polson.
While the average life expectancy for "white" women in Lake County is 82 years and for white men 78 years, the average Native American women die at 65 years and Native American men at 59.5 years.
media
CSKT publishes a weekly newspaper, the Charkoosta News . The Lake County Leader and Mission Valley Journal also appear .
Attractions
The National Bison Range, established in 1908, is located in the south of the Flathead Reserve near Ravalli and Moiese . A herd of around 500 bison currently lives on an area of around 20,000 acres (almost 81 km²) . Elk and white-tailed deer , bighorn sheep and pronghorns also live here .
The reserve includes Flathead Lake State Park , to which Wild Horse Island belongs, and the park facilities Finley Point , Yellow Bay , Big Arm , Wayfarers and West Shore, which are distributed around the southern part of the lake .
Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge and State Wildlife Management Area near Charlo south of Ronan is a water and bird sanctuary. It is managed as part of the National Bison Range by the state Fish and Wildlife Service ; the tribes manage the fish stocks.
The Church of St. Ignatius Mission was built in 1854 by Indians under the guidance of Catholic missionaries in the town of St. Ignatius. She is known for her historical murals .
Another attraction is the Flathead Indian Museum in St. Ignatius.
National Bison Range
St. Ignatius Mission
Wall paintings ( murals ) in the church
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literature
- Robert Bigart (Ed.): Over a Century of Moving to the Drum: Salish Indian Celebrations on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Montana Historical Society Press, 1998, ISBN 0-917298-57-8 .
- Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation, Flathead Culture Committee: A Brief History of the Flathead Tribes . St. Ignatius, Montana 1979, OCLC 41746399 .
- Salish Kootenai College: Challenge to survive: History of the Salish tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation .
- Volume 1: From Time Immemorial, Traditional Life.
- Volume 2: Three Eagles and Grizzly Bear Looking Up Period, 1800-1840 .
- Volume 3: Victor and Alexander Period, 1840-1870 .
- Volume 4: Charlo and Michel Period: 1870-1910 .
- CSKT: Clqetk Ntx Etks' akinmituk - Lower Flathead River Flathead Indian Reservation, Montana. A Cultural, Historical, and Scientific Resource. 2008, OCLC 227148014 .
Web links
- Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation website
- Website The Rez we live on
- Salish-Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee websites with speech samples
- Charkoosta News website
- Salish Kootenai College website
- Arlee Pow Wow website
- National Bison Range Wildlife Refuge website
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Montana Governor's Office of Indian Affairs: Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes . Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- ↑ a b c d CSKT: Sustainable Economic Development Study Results. September 2014.
- ↑ CSKT: History and Culture
- ^ A b c State of Montana Governor's Office of Indian Affairs: Flathead Reservation. Demographic and Economic Information. October 2013 edition. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Montana Office of Public Instruction: Flathead Timeline ( Memento of the original from February 16, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ CSKT: Enrollment
- ^ Indian Country Today Media Network: Blood quantum wins at Flathead; membership decline predicted. January 24, 2003.
- ^ A b Ryan W. Schmidt: American Indian Identity and Blood Quantum in the 21st Century: A Critical Review. In: Journal of Anthropology. Volume 2011, Article ID 549521 ( online version )
- ^ A Battle Over Who Is Indian. In: Los Angeles Times . January 4, 2001.
- ↑ TREATY WITH THE FLAT HEADS, ETC., 1855th
- ↑ General Allotment Act. 1904.
- ↑ Montana Tribes: Flathead Reservation ( Memento of the original from February 19, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ CSKT: Current Council Members . Retrieved January 8, 2020
- ↑ a b Montana Public Radio: The last water rights settlement on tribal land in Montana, still unsettled. May 30, 2014.
- ^ For Water Rights in Montana, It's Still the Wild West. In: Wall Street Journal . June 26, 2016.
- ↑ a b Missoulian: Flathead tribal water compact critical issue for 2015 Montana Legislature. January 11, 2015.
- ↑ Missoulian: Montana House endorses Flathead water compact. April 15, 2015.
- ^ Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC): Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes . Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ↑ CSKT: Water Rights Compact
- ^ CSKT: Kootenai Culture Committee
- ↑ a b c CSKT: Salish-Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee
- ↑ a b Missoulian: Two become 7th, 8th students to earn diplomas from Nkwusm Salish School. 4th June 2015.
- ↑ At Tribal Elder's Camp, Tradition Is Saved by Passing It On. In: Los Angeles Times . 17th September 1987.
- ↑ Gretchen M. Bataille, Laurie Lisa: Native American Women: A Biographical Dictionary . Routledge, 2003, ISBN 1-135-95586-7 ( Google Books )
- ↑ Barbara Springer Beck: Agnes Vanderburg: A Woman's Life in the Flathead Culture . University of Montana, 1982. ( online version )
- ^ Valley Journal: Culture camp passes on old ways. 19th June 2013.
- ^ Anne Grob: Educational Empowerment of Native American Students: A Tribally Controlled College Leads the Way . In: 2009-Proceedings of the Eighth Native American Symposium . Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 2010.
- ↑ Website of the Arlee Powwow ( Memento of the original from May 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Missoulian: Band of warriors: CSKT society helps, honors veterans. November 11, 2009.
- ^ Valley Journal: Veterans honored during powwow. November 11, 2015.
- ^ Valley Journal: Powwow brings children together. 23rd November 2016.
- ↑ People's Center website
- ↑ Salish Kootenai College: History of SKC ( Memento of the original from April 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Website Kicking Horse Job Corps ( Memento of the original from April 25, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Airnav: 8S1 - Polson Airport
- ↑ Airnav: 7S0 - Ronan Airport
- ^ S&K Electronics website
- ^ S&K Technologies website
- ↑ S&K Holding website
- ↑ CSKT: Sustainable Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (pdf; 4.96 MB), December 2015.
- ^ Federal commission OKs 2nd new name for former Kerr Dam. November 10, 2015.
- ↑ Flathead Beacon: CSKT Prepares for Historic Acquisition of Kerr Dam. 19th August 2015.
- ^ Barry Pritzker: A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples . Oxford University Press, 2000, ISBN 0-19-513877-5 . ( Online version )
- ^ Montana Labor Market Information on the State of Montana website. ( Archive version . Retrieved March 25, 2017)
- ↑ CSKT: Tribal Health Department ( Memento of the original from October 19, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ St. Luke’s website
- ^ Providence St. Joseph website
- ↑ Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS): Community health Profile 2015 - Lake County. ( Memento of the original from January 27, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. P. 12.
- ↑ Charkoosta News website
- ^ Website of the National Bison Range Wildlife Refuge
- ^ Fish and Wildlife Service : Nine-pipe National Wildlife Refuge - About the Refuge
- ↑ Visit Montana: St. Ignatius Mission
- ↑ Visit Montana: Flathead Indian Museum and Trading Post
