Pend d'Oreilles (tribe)
Encyclopedia
The Pend d'Oreilles, also known as the Kalispel, are a tribe
of Native Americans
who lived around Lake Pend Oreille
, as well as the Pend Oreille River
, and Priest Lake
although some of them live spread throughout Montana
and eastern Washington. The primary tribal range from roughly Plains, Montana
, westward along the Clark Fork River, Lake Pend Oreille
in Idaho, and the Pend Oreille River
in Eastern Washington and into British Columbia
was given the name Kaniksu by the Kalispel peoples. The Kalispel are one of the three tribes of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation
.
The name Pend Oreille is of French
origin, meaning "hangs from ears", which refers to the large shell earrings that these people wore. The main part of the reservation
on which these Native Americans live is northwest of Newport, Washington
, in central Pend Oreille County. The main reservation is an 18.638 square kilometres (7.2 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 the Spokane
metropolitan area in the city of Airway Heights
, with a land area of 0.202 square kilometres (49.9 acre), currently the site of Northern Quest Casino which is operated by the tribe. The total land area of the Kalispel Indian Reservation, located at 48°25′46"N 117°16′48"W in Pend Oreille County, is 18.84 square kilometres (7.3 sq mi).
The Pend d'Oreilles were generally peaceable. These people made their weapons and tools from flint
, and many other things were shaped with rocks. For housing the Pend d'Oreilles lived in tipi
s in the summer, as well as lodges in the winter time. These houses were all built out of large cattail
s, 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 retains the name "Tule Hut" in remembrance of this traditional housing.
The horse
s the Native Americans needed came from trading buffalo
skins. The Pend d'Oreilles, like many other tribes, hunted buffalo and traded the furs for other useful goods. These people wore robes as well as skins for clothing. They decorated themselves with dye
s, paint
s, bead
s, and sometimes even animal quills.
The Upper Pend d'Oreilles of the Flathead Reservation became engaged in a dispute over off-reservation hunting between the tribes and the state of Montana resulted in the Swan Valley Massacre of 1908
.
Their language, Kalispel-Pend d'Oreille, belongs to the Salishan
family.
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
of Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
who lived around Lake Pend Oreille
Lake Pend Oreille
Lake Pend Oreille is a lake in the northern Idaho Panhandle, with a surface area of . It is 65 miles long, and 1,150 feet deep in some regions, making it the fifth deepest in the United States. It is fed by the Clark Fork River and the Pack River, and drains via the Pend Oreille River...
, as well as the Pend Oreille River
Pend Oreille River
The Pend Oreille River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northern Idaho and northeastern Washington in the United States, as well as southeastern British Columbia in Canada. In its passage through British Columbia its name is spelled Pend-d'Oreille River...
, and Priest Lake
Priest Lake
Priest Lake, Idaho, United States is located in the northernmost portion of the Idaho Panhandle, 80 miles north of Spokane Washington, with the northern end of the lake extending to within 15 miles of the Canadian border. The primary lake, lower Priest is 19 miles long and over 300 feet deep...
although some of them live spread throughout Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and eastern Washington. The primary tribal range from roughly Plains, Montana
Plains, Montana
Plains is a town in Sanders County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,126 at the 2000 census. It was originally founded as Horse Plains. The name was later shortened to Plains when the US Postal Service established a presence in 1905.-Geography:...
, westward along the Clark Fork River, Lake Pend Oreille
Lake Pend Oreille
Lake Pend Oreille is a lake in the northern Idaho Panhandle, with a surface area of . It is 65 miles long, and 1,150 feet deep in some regions, making it the fifth deepest in the United States. It is fed by the Clark Fork River and the Pack River, and drains via the Pend Oreille River...
in Idaho, and the Pend Oreille River
Pend Oreille River
The Pend Oreille River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northern Idaho and northeastern Washington in the United States, as well as southeastern British Columbia in Canada. In its passage through British Columbia its name is spelled Pend-d'Oreille River...
in Eastern Washington and into British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
was given the name Kaniksu by the Kalispel peoples. The Kalispel are one of the three tribes of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation are the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai and Pend d'Oreilles Tribes. The Flatheads lived between the Cascade Mountains and Rocky Mountains. The Salish initially lived entirely east of the Continental Divide but established their...
.
The name Pend Oreille is of French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
origin, meaning "hangs from ears", which refers to the large shell earrings that these people wore. The main part of the reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
on which these Native Americans live is northwest of Newport, Washington
Newport, Washington
Newport is a city in, and the county seat of, Pend Oreille County, Washington. The population was 2,126 at the 2010 census.-History:Newport was given its name in 1890 because it was selected as a landing site for the first steamboat on the Pend Oreille River. Newport was officially incorporated on...
, in central Pend Oreille County. The main reservation is an 18.638 square kilometres (7.2 sq mi) strip of land along the Pend Oreille River, west of the Washington-Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
border. There is also a small parcel of land in the western part of the Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
metropolitan area in the city of Airway Heights
Airway Heights, Washington
Airway Heights is a city in Spokane County, Washington, United States, just west of Spokane. The population was 6,114 at the 2010 census. The city's name was taken from its close proximity to Fairchild Air Force Base and Spokane International Airport....
, with a land area of 0.202 square kilometres (49.9 acre), currently the site of Northern Quest Casino which is operated by the tribe. The total land area of the Kalispel Indian Reservation, located at 48°25′46"N 117°16′48"W in Pend Oreille County, is 18.84 square kilometres (7.3 sq mi).
The Pend d'Oreilles were generally peaceable. These people made their weapons and tools from flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
, and many other things were shaped with rocks. For housing the Pend d'Oreilles lived in tipi
Tipi
A tipi is a Lakota name for a conical tent traditionally made of animal skins and wooden poles used by the nomadic tribes and sedentary tribal dwellers of the Great Plains...
s in the summer, as well as lodges in the winter time. These houses were all built out of large cattail
Typha
Typha is a genus of about eleven species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. The genus has a largely Northern Hemisphere distribution, but is essentially cosmopolitan, being found in a variety of wetland habitats...
s, 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 retains the name "Tule Hut" in remembrance of this traditional housing.
The horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s the Native Americans needed came from trading buffalo
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
skins. The Pend d'Oreilles, like many other tribes, hunted buffalo and traded the furs for other useful goods. These people wore robes as well as skins for clothing. They decorated themselves with dye
Dye
A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
s, paint
Paint
Paint is any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film. One may also consider the digital mimicry thereof...
s, bead
Bead
A bead is a small, decorative object that is usually pierced for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under to over in diameter. A pair of beads made from Nassarius sea snail shells, approximately 100,000 years old, are thought to be the earliest known examples of jewellery. Beadwork...
s, and sometimes even animal quills.
The Upper Pend d'Oreilles of the Flathead Reservation became engaged in a dispute over off-reservation hunting between the tribes and the state of Montana resulted in the Swan Valley Massacre of 1908
Swan Valley Massacre of 1908
The Swan Valley Massacre was an incident that occurred in 1908 in which hunting party of four Pend d'Oreilles Indians were killed by a state game warden and his deputy in the Swan Valley in Northwestern Montana...
.
Their language, Kalispel-Pend d'Oreille, belongs to the Salishan
Salishan languages
The Salishan languages are a group of languages of the Pacific Northwest...
family.
Further reading
- Beaverhead, Pete, and Dwight Billedeaux. Mary Quequesah's Love Story: A Pend D'Oreille Indian Tale. Pablo, Mont: Salish Kootenai College Press, 2000. ISBN 0-917298-71-3Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection Includes Pend d'Oreille tales by James A. Teit.
- Carriker, Robert C. The Kalispel People. Phoenix [Ariz.]: Indian Tribal Series, 1973.
- Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation. Sk"sk"stulex"s Sqélix: Names Upon the Land, a Tribal Geography of the Salish and Pend D'Oreille People. [Pablo, Mont: The Committee], 1996.
- Fahey, John. The Kalispel Indians. [Civilization of the American Indian series, v. 180]. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1986. ISBN 0-8061-2000-2
External links
- Kalispel Tribe of Indians
- http://curtis.library.northwestern.edu/curtis/viewPage.cgi?showp=1&size=2&id=nai.07.book.00000087&volume=7#nav Edward S. Curtis's The North American Indian, Northwestern University, Digital Library Collections, "Kalispel", Page 51