Language and Culture. by Jamillah Posey

Aspects of the Confederate Salish and Kootenai Culture

Introduction

According to the Tribal preservation department “cultural resources of the tribes are being lost, substantially altered or destroyed, with increasing frequency. It is the policy of the Tribal Preservation Department to protect cultural resources by identifying, evaluating, and protecting cultural, historic and archaeological resources and by regulating undertakings upon protected lands when they may result in changes in the character or use of such cultural resources” (CSKT, 2009). The foundation of culture in these tribes is comprised of community development, preservation and the overall development of the Salish and Kootenai people. Spirit and direction is reflected vividly in their cultural heritage and this paper will attempt to show this through such aspects including language, food, clothes, lodging, dance and ceremonies.

Briefly stated, “The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are comprised of the Bitterroot Salish, the Pend d’Oreille and the Kootenai tribes. The Flathead Reservation of 1.317 million acres in northwest Montana is their home now, but the tribe’s ancestors lived in a territory now known as western Montana, parts of Idaho, British Columbia and Wyoming. The subsistence patterns of these Tribal people developed over generations of observation, experimentation and spiritual interaction with the natural world, creating a body of knowledge about the environment closely tied to seasons, locations and biology. This way of life was suffused with rich oral history and a spiritual tradition in which people respected the animals, plants and other elements of the natural environment. By learning from their Elders and teaching their children, those Tribal ways of life continue to this day” (CSKT, 2009).

Language

The Salish and Pend d’Oreille share a language with dialectic differences. The Kootenai have a unique language known as languages isolate (Vanderberg, 2009). Culturally most of the elders of the tribes feel as if language is where the most work needs to be done in terms of preservation. The tribe believes that their language is the substance of the culture, and if lost then a major facet of the way they live their lives will be lost as well. Vanderberg articulates that “unless we make a determined, aggressive effort to save it, Salish will become one of the ninety-eight percent of native languages that will soon become extinct” (Vanderberg, 2009). The culture committee insists that if the Salish Kootenai language will survive, then the tribe has to put forth a persistent effort at rounding up the few fluent speakers left. The committee believes this is critical for the younger tribal members to be able to learn and gain fluency (CSKT, 2009).

In an effort to save the language the CSKT Tribal Council has made it possible for the culture committees to manage and direct all efforts of preserving their language on the reservation. In addition to long-term goals for planning, the Tribal Council has made it a priority to include the elders of the community so that they are a part of the reservation’s language planning efforts.  In the 1970’s the Culture Committee and several elders from the reservation worked with linguists in refining the International Phonetic Alphabet for writing the Salish language. As a result of such efforts, the Culture Committee began to develop books emphasizing Salish grammar and vocabulary.  These same books are used for teaching the language to younger tribal members who are in school. Further, the Culture Committee continues to publish Salish language materials, including books, audio tapes, and CDs to assist students

in learning the language. The Culture Committee also continues to translate and transcribe recordings of elders speaking in the Salish language. The local People’s Center assists with the language preservation efforts by recording  a  weekly program, known as the  “Salish Language with Shirley Trahan,” for broadcast on SKC-TV.

Food, Clothes, and Shelter

Mother Nature deemed to be an amazing resource in sustaining the lives and everyday activities of the Salish-speaking tribes; it provided not only an abundance of food, but also raw materials for creating shelter, tools, clothing, and games. Coverings, similar to modern roofs, for housing came from elk, or buffalo hid; tools such as needles, mauls and grinding stones were made from wood, animal bone and rock. The tribes would travel to a designated area in the wilderness to gather specific materials to create tools or other items for family or personal use (CSKT, 2009). According to the Culture Committee the most popular hunted animal flesh amongst the reservation is the elk and the buffalo. Due to the abundance and many resourceful uses to the various parts of the animals, the hunting of elk and the buffalo have become a reservation necessity However, I discovered from my interaction with tribal members on the reservation that elk and buffalo are hunted less frequently, and the natural earth is more utilized for purposes of shelter, food and clothing.  An example of this switch includes buffalo bone marrow no longer being utilized to create paintbrushes.

Lucy Vanderberg tells me that “most of the tribal members own museums and are fighting to preserve certain aspects of the culture because things like making tools and clothes from the remains of an animal has been taken care of by advanced technology”. In other words, these Native Americans are not practicing life as their ancestors would have done in the past because there has not been a need too.

While exploring the reservation, I discovered that the huckleberry is very popular amongst the entire reservation. Since the reservation is surrounded by mountains it makes it easier to make fresh “huckleberry” pastries because the huckleberry plant can be found in mid-alpine regions, often on the lower slopes of the mountains. In addition, the plant grows best in damp, acidic soil, and due to the reservations high elevation allowing the huckleberries to ripen properly.

Dance and Ceremonies

Pow Wow’s

According to the Native American pow wow Association, pow wow’s are times when Native American people come together in a way of meeting to join in dancing, singing, visiting, renewing old friendships and to make new ones. This is also a time to renew thoughts of the old ways and to preserve the rich heritage (powwows, 2009). When asked about the upcoming pow wows, several people I interviewed from three of the reservations districts reacted with pure excitement. The indigenous people of Arlee, Polson, and Pablo, all expressed one thing to me and that was that a pow wow was no pow wow unless there was a drum. The drum, consisting of the instrument and its singers, is the center of the arena and the center of attention. The drum sings song for all occasions from a contest song to a birthday song; the drum can provide a song for the job. The songs of today can be categorized into several fields: flag songs, memorial songs, veteran’s songs, intertribal songs, contest songs, etc., Drums travel many miles to attend pow wows, and will sing for up to eight hours, giving their all to make the dance successful. Good drums draw the best dancers, so every pow wow committee tries to get the best drum possible for its own pow wow.

Grass dance

“A long time ago, a Native American lay down to sleep in the grass of the North American prairies. In a vision, the grass asked to be honoured in a traditional grass dance. To do so, grass was added to the regalia worn by the young man. Thereafter, wherever he went, there would be food for his horse. Honouring grass in this fashion became part of the tradition. Nature thrives on appreciation” (nativenations, 2009). Today the people of the Flathead Reservation, especially the elders, are excited when they hear the song for the grass dance. The following excerpt was emailed to me by Salish Tribe member Lucy Vanderberg. According to Lucy this is the only song played for any grass dance performance:

Aka ha hoy oh hoya ka

Aka ha hoya oh hoya ka

Eaka ah hoya a kana ha

Eaka hoya a kana ha

Oh hoya a ha

Oh hoya a hanaa ha

Eoko hoya aa kana ha

Eoko hoya aa kana ha

Eoh ho

Eoh ho

Eoh ho ha

Eokono h oh no ha

Eokhono oh ho no ha

Eaka hina ha

Hmya hmya hmmmmya

Ohhoonya ohhonya

Hmya hmmya hmma

Hmma hmma hmma

Hmaa hmmaa hma

Huma hma

Issaha issaha issaha

Prairie Chicken Dance

When I interviewed Lucy she expressed genuine excitement when talking about the “chicken dance”. Lucy stated that although the dance can be seen at pow wow’s, it is also performed at funerals and weddings held on the reservation. The Prairie Chicken Dance is representative of the plains prairie chicken’s mating dance.  The Blackfeet people are the creators of this dance by way of a vision.  Some dancers wear small pheasant feathers, ankle bells, side bells, arm bustles, mirror boards, fans and other accessories.  The dance is characterized by jerking of the neck, a pecking like motion of the head, tapping on the ground, slow spinning movements, and a stepping motion forward” (nativenationsdance, 2009).

Culturally the Confederate Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation aim to preserve, protect and practice the traditional ways of life of their people. Although today preserving an authentic way of life has been a struggle due to technology and pop-culture, the people of the Flathead Reservation understand the importance in trying. In my interview with Vanderberg she expressed a great concern for their youth. She explains that she becomes worried that the tribe will continue to lose the “culture” unless the entire reservation can continue to educate their members on the tribe’s overall importance. In addition, she expresses that this is why there is a dire need to preserve the language, food, and festivities from the ancestral period of the culture.

Refereneces

Grass Dance. Retrieved August 28, 2009, from http://www.nativenations.com

Kootenai Culture. Retrieved August 28, 2009, from http://www.CSKT.org

Posey, J. Interview with Lucy Vanderberg, 2009.

Pow Wows. Retrieved August 28, 2009, from http://www.powwows.com

Prairie Chicken Dance. Retrieved August 28, 2009, from http://www.nativenations.com

Salish Culture. Retrieved August 28 2009, from http: //www.CSKT.org.