 Touch Her Dress, a Kalispel girl, ca. 1910 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| over 400 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| United States (Montana,Washington) | |
| Languages | |
| Kalispel-Pend d’Oreille,English[1] | |
| Religion | |
| traditional tribal religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Chewelah,[2]Spokane |
ThePend d'Oreille orPend d'Oreilles (/ˌpɒndəˈreɪ/PON-də-RAY), also known as theKalispel (/ˈkæləspɛl/),[3] areIndigenous peoples of the Northwest Plateau. Today many of them live inMontana and easternWashington of the United States. The Kalispel peoples referred to their primary tribal range asKaniksu.
Their traditional territory comprised the drainage systems of theFlathead River, Clark Fork, and Pend Oreille rivers. It extended from roughly present-dayPlains, Montana, westward along theClark Fork River, toLake Pend Oreille[3] andPriest Lake in Idaho, and thePend Oreille River (Ntxwe, meaning "river") in eastern Washington and intoBritish Columbia (Canada).
They lived in many bands — originally, probably eleven — in their historic lands. They are generally divided geographically and culturally in two groupings:[4]
and
In addition, some Kalispel are enrolled in theConfederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in eastern Washington.[2]
Prior to colonization by European-Americans, Chewelah was home to a band of the Lower Kalispel people. The band was known as theSlet̓éw̓si, meaning "valley people". TheChewelah Band of Indians is currently part of theSpokane Tribe of Indians of Washington.
The namePend d’Oreille (French:[pɑ̃d‿ɔ.ʁɛj]), which means "hangs from ear", was attributed to them by French-speaking colonists and traders in reference to the large shell earrings worn by these people. The nameKalispel is an anglicization of their name in their own languageQl̓ispé (Salishan:[qəˀlispe]), which means "Camas people". Camas is a flower bulb that was a staple of their diet.[5]
Their language,Kalispel-Pend d’Oreille, is aSouthern Interior Salish language. It is also known as Flathead-Kalispel.[1]
The Pend d'Oreille people have tworeservations: theFlathead Indian Reservation in western Montana and theKalispel Indian Reservation in Washington. Also, a small number of Kalispel people live on theColville Indian Reservation in Washington.[2]
The main part of the Kalispel Reservation is northwest ofNewport, Washington, in centralPend Oreille County. The main reservation is an 18.638 square kilometres (7.196 sq mi) strip of land along the Pend Oreille River, west of the Washington–Idaho border. There is also a small parcel of land in the western part of theSpokane metropolitan area in the city ofAirway Heights, with a land area of 0.202 square kilometres (50 acres). This is the site ofNorthern Quest Resort & Casino, which is operated by the tribe. The total land area of theKalispel Indian Reservation, located at48°21′16″N117°16′25″W / 48.35444°N 117.27361°W /48.35444; -117.27361 in Pend Oreille County, is 18.840 square kilometres (7.274 sq mi). The nearest outside community isCusick, near the south end of the reservation.
The Pend d'Oreille people are believed to have migrated south fromBritish Columbia. In 1809, theNorth West Company established atrading post in their territory, calling itKullyspell House.[5] Jesuits established aRoman Catholic mission there in 1846. In 1855, the tribe split into the upper and lower divisions, with the upper moving to the Flathead Reservation in Montana. One of the two lower bands joined them in 1887.[2]
These people made their weapons and tools fromflint, and many other things were shaped with rocks. For housing, the Pend d’Oreille lived intipis in the summer, as well as lodges in the winter time. These houses were all built out of largecattails, which were in abundance where the people lived. These cattails were woven into mats called “tule mats”, which were attached to a tree branch frame to form a hut. Today a large community building on the Kalispel reservation bears the name “Tule Hut” in reference to this traditional housing.
The tribe tradedbison hides for horses and other useful goods. They traditionally made clothing from rabbit pelts and deer hides.[2] They embellished hides withdyes, paints, beads, and porcupinequills.
The Upper Pend d’Oreille of the Flathead Reservation became engaged in a dispute over off-reservation hunting between the tribes and the state of Montana, resulting in theSwan Valley Massacre of 1908.
Long after they were dispossessed of their hereditary lands around Lake Pend Oreille, the Pend d'Oreille band of Kalispel continued to gather for an annual pow wow on its traditional grounds just east of what is now Sandpoint City Beach. The three-day event[6] included ceremonies, dancing and traditional stick games. The pow wows in Sandpoint were discontinued in the early 1950s.
Since 1975, the Kalispel Tribe has held an annual pow wow at itsUsk, Washington, reservation in July or August. The events are open to the public and include a dance contest, traditional foods, stick games and others.[7]
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| National | |
| Other | |
