Kutenai
Total population | |
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1,536 (2016) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
United States (Idaho, Montana), Canada (British Columbia) | |
Canada British Columbia | 940[1] |
United States (Idaho, Montana) | 596[2] |
Languages | |
English, Kutenai (Kitunahan), ʔa·qanⱡiⱡⱡitnam (Ktunaxa Sign Language)[3] | |
Religion | |
Kutenai spiritualism |
People | Ktunaxa |
---|---|
Language | Ktunaxa, ʔa·qanⱡiⱡⱡitnam |
Country | Ktunaxa ʔamakʔas |
Indigenous peoples in Canada |
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|
Indigenous North Americas Canada portal |
The Kutenai (/ˈkuːtəneɪ, -niː/ KOO-tə-nay, -nee),[4][5] also known as the Ktunaxa (/tʌˈnɑːhɑː/ tun-AH-hah;[6] Kutenai: [ktunʌ́χɑ̝]), Ksanka (/kəˈsɑːnkɑː/ kə-SAHN-kah), Kootenay (in Canada) and Kootenai (in the United States), are an indigenous people of Canada and the United States. Kutenai bands live in southeastern British Columbia, northern Idaho, and western Montana. The Kutenai language is a language isolate, thus unrelated to the languages of neighboring peoples or any other known language.
Four bands form the
Kootenay
Around 40 variants of the name Kutenai have been attested since 1820; two others are also in current use. Kootenay is the common spelling in
In the Kutenai language, Ktunaxa is considered the most correct general term for the culture and peoples. Differing etymologies have been suggested, tying the name to the verb for "eating food plain, [meaning] without seasoning," or alternately to the verb for "licking up blood."[9] In the same interview referenced above, Finley attests the latter meaning to the image of a Ktunaxa warrior shooting an enemy, drawing out the arrow, and licking the blood from the arrowhead.[9] He also says that, historically, people identified themselves primarily with the name of their band and less so with the broad term Ktunaxa.
It has been attested that some Columbian Plateau groups may have called themselves "Upnuckanick."[10] Ksanka, meaning "people of the standing arrow" is the name of the southeastern-most of the seven bands, who are today primarily associated with what is now northwestern Montana, and are politically organized within the CSKT.[9]
Communities
Four Kutenai bands live in southeastern British Columbia, one lives in northern Idaho, and one lives in northwestern Montana:
- The Ktunaxa Nation Council (KNC) (until 2005 the Ktunaxa/Kinbasket Tribal Council)[11]includes the four Canadian bands:
- Akisqnuk First Nation ("place of two lakes"; also known as the Columbia Lake Indian Band).[12] An Upper Kutenai group, they are headquartered in Akisqnuk, south of Windermere. Reserves include: Columbia Lake #3, St. Mary's #1A, ca. 33 km2, population: 264)[13]
- Lower Kootenay Band, (Yaqan Nukiy or Lower Kootenay First Nation).[14] A Lower Kutenai group, they are headquartered in Creston, on the most populous reserve Creston #1 along the Kootenay River, ca. 6 km north of the US-Canada border. Reserves include: Creston #1, Lower Kootenay #1A, #1B, #1C, #2, #3, #5, #4, St. Mary's #1A, ca. 26 km2, population: 214)
- St. Mary's First Nation (ʔaq̓am or ʔaq̓amniʔk, "deep dense woods").[15] An Upper Kutenai group, they live along the St. Mary's River near Cranbrook. Tribal headquarters are located on the most populous reserve, Kootenay #1; reserves include: Bummers Flat #6, Cassimayooks (Mayook) #5, Isidore's Ranch #4, Kootenay #1, St. Mary's #1A, ca. 79 km2, population: 357)
- Tobacco Plains Indian Band (Tobacco Plains First Nation, ʔa·kanuxunik, Akan'kunik, or ʔakink̓umⱡasnuqⱡiʔit - 'People of the place of the flying head'.[16] An Upper Kutenai band, they live near Grasmere on the east shore of the Lake Koocanusa below the mouth of Elk River, ca. 15 km north of the British Columbia-Montana border. Reserves include: St. Mary's #1A, Tobacco Plains #2, ca. 44 km2, population: 165)[17]
Additionally, the
- Kootenai Tribe of Idaho[18] (ʔaq̓anqmi or ʔa·kaq̓ⱡahaⱡxu, also called Idaho Ksanka). A Lower Kutenai group, they govern the Kootenai Indian Reservation in Boundary County. Their population is 75.
- Kootenai (K̓upawiȼq̓nuk or Ksanka) are members of the Flathead Reservationin western Montana. A total population of about 6,800 live on the reservation, while 3,700 live outside the reservation nearby.
History
The Kutenai today live in southeastern
Origins
Scholars have numerous ideas about the origins of the Ktunaxa. One theory is that they originally lived on the
Some Ktunaxa remained on or returned to the prairies year-round; they had a settlement near Fort Macleod, Alberta. This group of Ktunaxa suffered high mortality rates, partly because of the depredations of the Blackfoot, and partly because of smallpox epidemics. With numbers sharply reduced, these Plains Ktunaxa returned to the Kootenay region of British Columbia.[citation needed]
Some of the Ktunaxa say that their ancestors came originally from the Great Lakes region of Michigan. To date, scholars have not found either archeological or historic evidence to support this account.[citation needed]
The Ktunaxa territory in British Columbia has archeological sites with some of the oldest human-made artifacts in
Archaeologist Dr. Wayne Choquette believes that the artifacts represented in the Goatfell Complex, dated from 11,500 BP up to the early historical period, show that there has been no break in the archaeological record. In addition, he says that it appears that the technology was local. No evidence supports the conjecture that the region's first inhabitants emigrated from this area, nor that they were replaced or succeeded by a different people. Choquette concludes that the Ktunaxa today are the descendants of those first people to inhabit the land.[citation needed]
Other scholars, such as Reg Ashwell, suggest that the Ktunaxa moved to the British Columbia region in the early half of the 18th century, having been harassed and pushed there from East of the Rockies by the
The Goatfell assemblage of artifacts suggests that prior to 11,500 BP, the people who came to inhabit the Kootenay mountains may have lived in what is now the southwestern United States, during a period when British Columbia was beneath the Cordilleran ice sheet of the last ice age. The Goatfell Complex, and specifically the techniques of manufacture of the tools and points, are part of a tradition of knapping that existed in the North American Great Basin and the intermontane west of the continent in the late Pleistocene. The prevailing theory is that as the glaciers retreated, people moved northward, following the revival of the flora and fauna to the north.[citation needed]
From the time of the first Ktunaxa settlement in the Kootenays, until the historical period beginning in the late 18th century, there is little known of the people's social, political, and intellectual development. Stone tool technologies changed and became more complex and differentiated.[citation needed] They were probably big game hunters in their earliest prehistoric phase. The Ktunaxa were first noted in the historical record when mentioned on Alexander Mackenzie's map, circa 1793.[citation needed]
As temperatures continued to warm, the glacial lakes drained and fish found habitat in the warmer waters. The Lower Kootenay across the Pacific Northwest made fishing a fundamental part of their diet and culture, while maintaining the old traditions of game hunting.[citation needed]
Early history
Anthropological and ethnographic interest in the Ktunaxa were recorded from the mid-19th century. What these
The earliest ethnographies detail Ktunaxa culture around the turn of the 20th century. Europeans observed the Ktunaxa enjoying a stable economic life and rich social life, based on a detailed ritual calendar. Their economic life focused on fishing, using
The Ktunaxa conducted vision quests, particularly by a young man in a passage to adulthood. They used tobacco ritually. They practiced a Sun Dance and Grizzly Bear Dance, a midwinter festival, a Blue Jay Dance, and other social and ceremonial activities.[citation needed] The men belonged to different societies or lodges, such as the Crazy Dog Society, the Crazy Owl Society, and the Shamans' Society. These groups took on certain responsibilities, and membership in a lodge came with obligations in battle, hunting, and community service.
The Ktunaxa and their neighbors the Sinixt both used the sturgeon-nosed canoe. This water craft was first described in 1899 as having some similarity to canoes used in the Amur region of Asia.[24] At the time, some scholars believed in a theory of dispersal, concluding that similarities of artifacts or symbols among cultures represented that a superior culture had transmitted its elements to another culture. Since then, however, most scholars have concluded that many such innovations arose independently among different cultures.
Harry Holbert Turney-High, the first to write an extensive ethnography of the Ktunaxa (focusing on bands in the United States), records a detailed description of the harvesting of bark to make this canoe (67):
A tree ... growing rather high in the mountains is sought. Finding one of the desired size and quality, a man climbed it to the proper height and cut a ring around the bark with his elk-horn chisel or flint knife. In the meantime a helper cut out another ring at the base of the tree. This done, an incision was made down the length of the trunk connecting the two rings. This cut had to be as straight and accurate as possible. A stick of about two inches in diameter was used carefully to pry the bark from the tree. The bark was wrapped up so that it would not dry out on the way to camp. The inside, or tree-side of the bark sheet, became the outside of the canoe, while the outside surface became the inside of the boat. The bark was considered ready for immediate use. There was no scraping or seasoning, nor was it decorated in any way.
The Ktunaxa had been exposed to Christianity as early as the 18th century, when a Lower Kootenay prophet from Flathead Lake in Montana by the name of Shining Shirt spread news of the coming of the 'Blackrobes' (French Jesuit missionaries) (Cocolla 20). Ktunaxa people also encountered Christian Iroquois sent west by the Hudson's Bay Company. By the 1830s the Ktunaxa had begun to adopt certain Christian elements in a syncretic blend of ceremonies. They were influenced less by European missionaries than through their contact with Christian Natives from other parts of Canada and the United States.
Father
In the first stages of Ktunaxa-European contact, mainly the result of a
Slowly though, the Yaqan Nu'kiy began participating in European-driven industries. They served as hunters and guides for the miners at the Bluebell silver-lead mine at
20th century
While there was sometimes conflict between the Yaqan Nu'kiy and the local settler community at Creston, their relations were more characterized by peaceful coexistence. Their conflicts tended to be over land use. In contrast, relations between the Lower Kootenay and the surrounding European society in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, deteriorated.
By the turn of the 20th century, some Yaqan Nu'kiy were engaged in agricultural activities introduced by European settlers, but their approach to the land was different. An example of the type of conflict that repeatedly arose between European settlers and Native farmers is shown by a newspaper article in the Creston Review dated Friday, 9 August 1912:
A dispute over the rights to cut hay on the flat lands, between the Indians and the white men, which might have resulted in bloodshed, was settled Wednesday by W.F. Teetzel, government agent, of Nelson, who told both Indians and whites that if violence is done, no one would be allowed to cut hay on government land. ... The principal trouble this year occurred when some Indians threatened Frank Lewis and drove him from the hay he had already cut. The Indians claim they have cut land at this particular place for years while the old-time ranchers say that hay has never before been cut there. Mr. Lewis complained to Policeman Gunn who, as the definite boundry [sic] of the Indian reservation is not known was at a loss what to do because no violence was committed whereby he could act. ... Mr. Teetzel arrived from Nelson Wednesday and in conference with Chief Alexander, got him to promise to see that Mr. Lewis got his hay, and warned him to keep the Indians from violence under penalty of losing the right of cutting hay on the flats. This warning he also gave to the white men. This is not the only one of the cases occurring this year. One farmer whose place is located near the reservation has been continually bothered by the Indians cutting his fences and turning their cattle in to graze on his property.
The Creston Review, also reported on 21 June 1912: "[Indian Agent Galbraith] says everything is in good condition and the majority of the Indians are at work picking berries for the ranchers who find their help useful and profitable."
These examples illustrate the dynamic of relations between two peoples: the Ktunaxa whose lands have been vastly reduced by the introduction of a reserve system, and the European settlers who are constantly looking to expand their access to the land (and later industries).
During the 20th century the Yaqan Nu'kiy gradually became involved in all the industries of the Creston valley: agriculture, forestry, mining, and later health care, education, and tourism. This process of integration separated the Yaqan Nu'kiy from their traditional lifeways, yet they have remained a very successful and self-confident community. They gradually gained more control and self-government, with less involvement from the Department of Indian or Aboriginal Affairs. Like most tribes in British Columbia, the Yaqan Nu'kiy did not have a treaty defining their rights regarding their territory. They have been working for decades on a careful and more or less cooperative treaty negotiation process with the government of Canada.[citation needed] The Creston Band of the Ktunaxa today has 113 individuals living on the reserve, and many others living off-reserve and working in various industries in Canada and the United States.[citation needed]
Feeling that they have lost some traditions that are very important to them, the Ktunaxa are working to revive their culture, and particularly to encourage language study. A total of 10 fluent speakers of Ktunaxa live in both the U.S. and Canada. The Yaqan Nu'kiy have developed a language curriculum for grades 4–6, and have been teaching it for four years, to develop a new generation of native speakers. They are involved in designing curriculum for grades 7–12, which requires meeting B.C. curriculum guidelines. Concurrent with this, they are recording oral stories and myths, as well as to videotaping the practice of their traditional crafts and technologies, with spoken directions.
"Kootenai Nation War"
On 20 September 1974, the Kootenai Tribe headed by Chairwoman Amy Trice declared war on the United States government. Their first act was to post tribal members on each end of U.S. Highway 95 that runs through the town of Bonners Ferry. They asked motorists to pay a toll to drive through the land that had been the tribe's aboriginal land. (About 200 Idaho State Police were on hand to keep the peace and there were no incidents of violence.) They intended to use the toll money to house and care for elderly tribal members. Most tribes in the United States are forbidden to declare war on the U.S. government because of treaties, but the Kootenai Tribe never signed a treaty.
The United States government ultimately made a land grant of 12.5 acres (0.051 km2), the basis of what is now the Kootenai Reservation.
See also
- Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation
- Kootanae House, early fur trade post associated with the Kootenai tribe
- Kootenays
- Kutenai language
- Kaúxuma Núpika
- Jennifer Porter
- Salish Kootenai College
Literature
- Boas, Franz, and Alexander Francis Chamberlain. Kutenai Tales. Washington: Govt. Print. Off, 1918.
- Chamberlain, A. F., "Report of the Kootenay Indians of South Eastern British Columbia," in Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, (London, 1892)
- Finley, Debbie Joseph, and Howard Kallowat. Owl's Eyes & Seeking a Spirit: Kootenai Indian Stories. Pablo, Mont: Salish Kootenai College Press, 1999. ISBN 0-917298-66-7
- Kootenai Culture Committee (Autumn 2015). "The Traditional Worldview of the Kootenai People". Montana: The Magazine of Western History. 65 (3). Helena, Montana: Montana Historical Society Press: 47–73.
- Linderman, Frank Bird, and Celeste River. Kootenai Why Stories. Lincoln, Neb: University of Nebraska Press, 1997. ISBN 0-585-31584-1
- Maclean, John, Canadian Savage Folk, (Toronto, 1896)
- ISBN 0-517-58623-1
- Thompson, Sally (2015). People Before The Park-The Kootenai and Blackfeet Before Glacier National Park. Helena, Montana: Montana Historical Society Press.
- Turney-High, Harry Holbert. Ethnography of the Kutenai. Menasha, Wis: American Anthropological Association, 1941.
References
- ^ "Aboriginal Ancestry Responses (73), Single and Multiple Aboriginal Responses (4), Residence on or off reserve (3), Residence inside or outside Inuit Nunangat (7), Age (8A) and Sex (3) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces and Territories, 2016 Census - 25% Sample Data". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Government of Canada. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
- ^ "American FactFinder - Results". factfinder.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
- ^ Auld, Francis. "ʾa·qanⱡiⱡⱡitnam". Facebook (in Kutenai). Retrieved 22 June 2017.
- ^ "Kutenai". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins.
- ^ "Kutenai". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
- ^ "Pronunciation Guide to First Nations in British Columbia". Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada. 15 September 2010. Archived from the original on 23 January 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
- ^ a b c Morgan, Lawrence Richard (1991). A Description of the Kutenai Language (PhD). University of California. p. 1.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-926706-84-9.
- ^ a b c d Thompson, Sally (director). "Tribes of Montana" (2007), The Montana Experience: Stories From Big Sky Country, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgEvbYgGfus
- YouTube, Narrative of David Thompson's life and travels. / Feb 2011, minutes: 14:13–14:20
- ^ Ktunaxa Nation
- ^ "Akisqnuk: Our Community". www.akisqnuk.com. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
- ^ Source for Population: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), Registered Population as of June, 2011
- ^ "Lower Kootenay First Nation". lowerkootenay.com. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
- ^ "Aqam - About". www.aqam.net
- ^ Tobacco Plains Band Archived 2 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Aboriginal Canada - First Nation Connectivity Profile Archived 6 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Kootenai Tribe of Idaho". Archived from the original on 29 October 2006. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- ^ "Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation". www.csktribes.org. Retrieved 31 May
- ^ Morgan, Lawrence Richard (1991). A Description of the Kutenai Language (PhD). University of California. p. 3.
- ^ Anderson, Frank W. (1972). The Dewdney Trail. Canada: Frontier Press. pp. 9–10.
- ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. .
- ^ Reg Ashwell, Indian Tribes of British Columbia, Hancock House (1977/2012, p. 55
- ^ Mason in Rep. Nat. Mus., 1899, 19 June 2012
- ^ Idaho's forgotten war, University of Idaho
External links
- Official website of the Ktunaxa Nation
- Kootenai Tribe of Idaho Archived 29 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine, official website