Flathead Indians, Tribe, History

The Flathead tribe is composed of Salish, Kootenai and Pend d’Oreilles tribes, Indians who were closely associated in western Montana, existing and surviving together through the good times and bad.

The Flathead Indians don’t have flat heads. They gained this name from insults thrown at them from neighboring tribes who strived, through artificial head compression, to make their heads pointed. Their history is a fascinating story of survival, through ages of antagonism to Native Americans.

Early Times
This tribe inhabited the mountains where the Missouri River began, surviving on berries and roots and sometimes hunting for sustenance.

1700s
The Spanish arrived on the Pacific Coast, bringing with them horses. Many Indian tribes, including the Flatheads, got horses either by trading or stealing.

1805
The tribe met up with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, who bought horses from them.

1820
The Flatheads began trading with fur trappers who came to the area from the east. They received guns, knives, blankets, tobacco and whiskey for their furs.

1841
Father De Smet was an influence on the tribes and converted many to the Christian religion, establishing the St. Mary’s Mission.

1855
The tribes were driven from their lands and put on a reservation. They still occupied the Bitterroot Valley, which was included in the Treaty of Hellgate.

1889
In time, the Flatheads came to realize the true meaning of the treaty signed and that they had ended up ceding over 20 million acres of their land to the government. Even their remaining 1.3 million acres had the railroad running through it, and conditions became intolerable. They finally signed an agreement to leave the valley.

1891
In October, American troops from Fort Missoula marched the Indians out of the Bitterroot and to the Flathead Reservation.

1936
Under the Indian Reorganization Act, the tribes form a tribal government. A Tribal Council is formed and has a Chairman, Vice Chairman and a Secretary and Treasurer.

Today
The present-day population of the Flathead Reservation is around 26,000 (per a 2000 census) of which the largest community is Polson, Montana. The tribe makes their living by ranching, tourism, logging and manufacturing. They own and run two schools, and many members of the tribe now have college degrees. The future looks bright.