Chapter One:
THE RED MAN ROAMS THE MOUNTAINS (continued)
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Aeneas Paul, a Kutenai Chief, was
present at the 1855 treaty making with Governor Isaac I. Stevens.
(Courtesy of Glacier National Park Historical Collections)
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Among the western tribes, the Kutenai Indians
probably were Glacier's most frequent Native American visitors. Kutenai
(meaning "Water People" or "Fish Eaters"), probably migrated to the
Kutenai River valley of Montana and southern British Columbia from the
plains much earlier than their Kalispel or Flathead neighbors. Fish,
berries, deer, and mountain sheep became important items in their diet,
but they also ventured to the plains for buffalo. James Willard Schultz,
an American who lived and hunted with the Blackfeet for many years,
observed a Kutenai hunting party. He stated: "They had come straight
to us from their country across the Rockies, up through the forests of
the western slope, over the glacier-capped heights of the mountains,
down the deep canon of Cutbank Stream, and then straight to our camp, a
hundred miles out in the vast plain."
Schultz added that the Kutenai were different
physically from the Piegan: they were built much heavier, with larger
hands and feet. "This was the result of their mountain life; they
were great big-horn and goat hunters, and constantly climbing had
developed their leg muscles almost abnormally." The Blackfeet,
according to Schultz, disliked that type of life and always hunted game
with horses. Even as late as the 1800s, Kutenai hunters still hunted
frequently in the St. Mary Lakes region, and places like Kootenai Peak
and Kootenai (Salt) Lick were named for them.
The Kutenai, like their western neighbors, were
reduced by persistent Blackfoot attacks. Buffalo hunting meant joining
forces with Flathead or Kalispel and avoiding the Blackfeet if possible.
Generally two or three hunting trips to the plains were made each year.
But the Kutenai were probably the first western tribes to adapt to
mountain life to which they adapted most successfully. Their Fir Tree
Ceremony gave power and ability to their deer hunters and their Grizzly
Bear Dance (indicating a strong competition with that ferocious animal
for the mountains' annual berry crop) gave the Kutenai protection while
gathering. Ducks, owls, moose, mountain sheep and other wildlife common
to Glacier's environment abounded in Kutenai stories and legends, unlike
any other area tribe.
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The tribes of the western slope, having
been forced off the Great Plains by the Blackfeet, adapted successfully
to the mountain environment. This photograph was taken by Edward S.
Curtis, a famous photographer of the West.
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Very little remains of the western tribes' influence
on the area to remind us of their presence. The Flathead, Kalispel, and
some Kutenai became part of the Salishan (an inclusive group)
Confederacy and moved to the Flathead Reservation along Flathead Lake or
to other reservations in the Pacific Northwest or British Columbia.
James Willard Schultz mistakenly assumed that Kuteani religious
festivals were held at Lake McDonald and wanted to rename it "Sacred
Dancing Lake." However, Kutenai festivals were probably held at Lake
Pend Oreille far to the west. Only a few place names like Kootenai,
Flathead, Camas, and Kintla are among the reminders of their visits.
Chiefs like Victor or Charlo of the Flathead, Alexander of the Kalispel,
Big Canoe, Bear Track, or Thunder of the Kutenai have no physical
features in Glacier bearing their names comparable to the park's
numerous Blackfoot place names.
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Artist George Catlin sketched an
Assiniboine man and woman as they appeared to him on a journey into the
region of the upper Missouri River during the 1830s. A branch of the
Assiniboine, called Mountain Assiniboine or Stoney Indians, lived in or
near Glacier's northeast corner. (Courtesy of Western History
Department, Denver Public Library)
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The ceremony of the Medicine Lodge was
probably the most important religious occasion among the Blackfeet.
Sweat lodges would be constructed with a painted buffalo skull placed on
top of each to represent the sun and the moon. The lodges were then
covered and heated stones with water sprinkled upon them provided a
sweat lodge for the warriors. Following that experience, a larger
structure, the Medicine Lodge, would be built and the elaborate
ceremonies of worship would take place. (Courtesy of Glacier National
Park Historical Collections, Walter McClintock Album)
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Finally, the least-known tribe visiting or living
within Glacier were the Stoney Indians or Mountain Assiniboine, called
"Cutthroats" by the Kutenai because of their custom of decapitating
their enemies. Assiniboine means "one who cooks by the use of stones,"
hence the name Stone Roaster or Stoney Indians. Originally a part of the
Assiniboine of the plains to the north and east, this smaller group
apparently lived closer to the mountains in the less desirable foothill
country. Since their numbers were inferior to the Blackfeet, they stayed
off the plains and hunted mountain animals like the mountain sheep,
deer, and elk.
In a few, very limited descriptions, early
missionaries, explorers, and white settlers referred to the Stonies as
peaceable when compared to their Blackfoot neighbors. The Stonies may
have lived near the Waterton Lakes and Belly River area. The Mountain
Stonies undoubtedly engaged in a constant warfare with their Blackfoot
rivals as well as with the Kutenai and Salishan tribes across the
mountains. Attacking western hunting parties along frequently used
mountain passes provided this impoverished group with valuable buffalo
meat and horses otherwise difficult to obtain.
These Indians probably withdrew into Canada during
the nineteenth century, although some remained and became guides and
trappers in the area. Most of the Stonies, however, were incorporated
into the Stoney Reservation located at Morley, Alberta, just west of
Calgary. Stoney Indian Pass, Stoney Indian Lake, and Stoney Indian
Peaks, all in the northeast corner of the park, became the only
reminders of their presence.
Thus, any Indian activity in the mountains of Glacier
prior to written documentation is mostly speculation. Even the recorded
Indian legends offer few examples of their attachment to the mountains.
While almost entirely plains oriented, a few Blackfoot legends, like
those of Medicine Grizzly, Beaver Medicine, or Old Man, contained some
mountain or lake settings. One of the most interesting legends was
recorded by Walter McClintock. It was entitled "The Home of the Wind
Maker" and it stated:
Many years ago, when a heavy wind swept across the plains, a chief
of the Blackfeet faced the storm and made a vow to find its origin. He
crossed the plains and entered the mountains. His way led through dark
canyons and dense forests, where the wind rushed and roared. The
terrible wind and the dark and gloomy surroundings filled him with
dread, but, because of his vow, he pressed forward until, at last, he
saw in the distance, close to one of the highest peaks, the shining
water of a lake. During a lull in the storm, he crept close to the shore
and watched. Suddenly from the middle of the lake, arose the huge
antlers of an enormous bull elk. His eyes were red and flames darted
from his nostrils. When he waved his huge ears, a wind arose, so fierce
and terrible, that the waters of the lake were whisked up into the air.
When the elk sank again beneath the waves, the wind went down. The chief
hurried back to his tribe to tell them of his wonderful discovery of the
home of Medicine Elk, the Wind Maker.
Small Windmaker Lake, at the head of Swiftcurrent
Creek, retains the name for this legendary experience.
As the legend indicated a dread or fear of the
supernatural power high in the mountains, we may speculate that
superstitions developed from a Blackfoot unfamiliarity with or fear of
the area. Of all the Blackfoot place names in Glacier, probably only two
or three physical features had any legendary or spiritual interest in
their historical traditions. Two Medicine, named for the construction of
both Piegan and Blood medicine or ceremonial lodges, and Chief Mountain,
used by individual members for vision seeking or other religious
practices, might well have been the only two physical features of
importance. Possibly St. Mary Lakes, called "The Lakes-Inside" or the
"Walled-In Lakes" by the Blackfeet, served as a "traditional" hunting
and camping site after the Kutenai were pushed westward. It is important
to remember that the Blackfoot territory included several hundred miles
of mountainous front range. Further, any familiar mountain passes or
other well-known features lacked the supernatural potential of less
accessible geographic locations. But as the Blackfeet became confined to
their Montana reservation, their familiarity and relationship with the
neighboring mountain features increased. Men like George Bird Grinnell,
James Willard Schultz, and Walter McClintock recorded the legends and
stories more oriented to a confined existence, but told by men who
longed for the old days of raiding, buffalo hunting, and the freedom of
the unfenced prairie.
The western tribes faced the mountain environment on
a daily basis. Their lives depended upon successful fishing, gathering,
or hunting within the mountainous region. The Flathead, Kalispel, and
Kutenai legends and stories contained animals and scenes familiar to
Glacier Park, yet none are identifiable as specifically within the park
area. Coyotes, grizzly bears, birds, muskrats, beavers, and other
animals depicted in western Indian legends and stories were not confined
to any particular area any more than the historic Indian was restricted
by boundary lines.
Thus, the lives and legends of the Native Americans
within the Glacier Park area remains speculative and their attachment to
the region became even more tenuous as the Whites approached. A Kutenai
legend relating to the environment of the mountainous country told of
the decline of the Indian influence over the region and the coming of
the white invader:
One time when the Kutenais were having their usual troubles with
the Blackfeet, a band of our people were camping in the mountains. The
leader of the band was named Sowatts.
Sowatts decided one morning that he would go out and get some
fresh meat. He was warned that he might run into Grizzly Bear and was
reminded that someone in the band had disobeyed the bear's
instructions.
Grizzly Bear had charge of all plants, roots, and berries, and he
forbade people to eat certain of them. "Some plants belong to animals,"
he said. "Human beings are forbidden to eat them." The first thing a boy
or girl was taught was to avoid eating certain plants. Grizzly Bear had
also taught the women how to cook plantsfor example, how to steam
camas roots.
Not long before this, some person had eaten a plant that belonged
to the animals. So when Grizzly Bear met Sowatts alone in the mountains,
he tore the man's hair out, pulled his arms offtore him to
pieces.
Three days later his people found him dead. They carried his body
back to camp, planning to bury it in the shale the next morning. But he
came back to life. He had no hair and no lips. It was difficult for him
to talk, but people could see that he had something he wanted to say to
them. "Tomorrow I will tell you," he managed to make clear.
After sunrise the next morning, he said to them, "Things are
changing. While I was with the spirits, after Grizzly Bear killed me,
they took me to the top of a mountain. When we looked toward the place
where the sun rises, we saw many people. They were not dressed like us.
One man I noticed in particular was dressed in a black robe.
"The spirit chief said to me, 'See that man? He is the one who
will take over when we spirits are gone. We have done all we can for you
and your people. That man will come some time in the next ten snows.
Before he comes other people will come with the same words but not
dressed like him. Let them pass through'."
"Today," continued Sowatts, "you must turn back and go forth to
make peace with the Blackfeet. The spirits can no longer help
us."
But some people in the camp did not want to believe
Sowatts.
"Give us proof," they said to him. "Give us some proof that what
you say is right."
"Prove it by killing Grizzly Bear," said another. "He is now near
our camp. He runs in, scares the children, and then hides in the brush
where we can not see him and kill him."
Sowatts called his dog. Then he opened his medicine bag, took out
some red paint, and painted marks on the dog's face and front feet. He
said to the dog, "Now go over to that brush and get that bear out so
that the men can kill him."
The dog rolled over three times and then jumped into the brush.
Soon the bear ran out and the men killed him. All the people then
believed Sowatts. They made peace with the Blackfeet, and the following
year the Kutenais went to their country and exchanged gifts with
them.
A few snows later a missionary and his wife came among the
Kutenais, stopping at Nyack. They had some message, but the Indians paid
no attention to them. Later Father De Smet came and started a
mission.
From that time on, the Indians began to lose their power. The
spirits had deserted them.
From Indian Legends from the Northern Rockies,
by Ella E. Clark. Copyright 1966 by the
University of Oklahoma Press.
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The dead were placed upon scaffolds
built in trees, upon the summit of e high hill, or laid in a lodge
pitched in a thicket. They were dressed according to their station when
in this life, because they were believed to go to the Sand Hills in the
clothes with which they were buried. Walter Mcclintock in The Old
North Trail. (Courtesy of Glacier National Park Historical Collections,
Walter McClintock Album)
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