On September 4, 1805, in the upper Bitterroot Valley of what is now western Montana, more than four hundred Salish people were encamped, pasturing horses, preparing for the fall bison hunt, and harvesting chokecherries as they had done for countless generations. As the Lewis and Clark Expedition ventured into the territory of a sovereign Native nation, the Salish met the strangers with hospitality and vital provisions while receiving comparatively little in return. For the first time, a Native American community offers an in-depth examination of the events and historical significance of its encounter with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition is a startling departure from previous accounts of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Rather than looking at Indian people within the context of the expedition, it examines the expedition within the context of tribal history. The arrival of non-Indians is therefore framed not as the beginning of the history of Montana or the West but as only a recent chapter in a far longer Native history.The result is a new understanding of the expedition and its place in the wider context of the history of Indian-white relations. Based on three decades of research and oral histories, this book presents tribal elders recounting the Salish encounter with Lewis and Clark. Richly illustrated, The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition not only sheds new light on the meaning of the expedition but also illuminates the people who greeted Lewis and Clark and, despite much of what followed, thrive in their homeland today.
Introduction: Tribal Voices and Tribal HistoryPart I: The Salish World in 1805Coyote and the Ice Age: Tribal Creation Stories and Tribal OriginsThe Big Picture: Tribal Elders on the Sweep of History from Columbus to Lewis and Clark to the Allotment Act"This Land Was Good": The Traditional Cycle of LifeA Salish Journey through the Bitterroot Valley (Introduction, Salish-Pend d'Oreille Placenames)Part 2: The Salish Encounter with the Lewis and Clark ExpeditionThe Beginning of the Great Changes: Horses, Epidemics, and GunsThe Question of Intent: Salish Perspectives on the Purpose of the Lewis and Clark ExpeditionTo Help Them or to Wipe Them Out: Stories of Misunderstanding and MiscommunicationGift-giving and ConfusionLewis and Clark in the Fold of Tribal HistoryThe Survival and Renewal of Salish and Pend d'Oreille CultureElders and Contributors: Biographical Notes and PerspectivesA Brief Guide to Written Salish and the International Phonetic Alphabet by Shirley TrahanArchival Sources and AbbreviationsNotesSelected BibliographyIndexSource AcknowledgmentsCharlie Russell's Lewis and Clark Meeting the Indians at Ross' Hole: An Appreciation
Examines the Lewis and Clark expedition within the context of tribal history
"[A] remarkable and beautifully produced book. . . . It flips the standard lens of history to portray a critical American historical event from the perspective of the Salish people of western Montana. . . . Perhaps the most important reason the authors were able to write such a compelling narrative is the three decades of cultural preservation work, including extensive interviews with tribal elders that have been recorded and stored in the tribal community. This truly beautiful book is a community-based project."-David R.M. Beck, Oregon Historical Quarterly "With this book of sacred texts, legends, and narratives presented with significant scholarly attention and consideration, the Salish people proudly take their place at the academic table. We are treated to an exceptional journey into oralcy and oral history, manifesting a truly unique Native perspective and epistemology."-Jay Hansford C. Vest, American Indian Quarterly "Through this multi-voiced tribal history of the Salish people and homeland, we come to understand the Lewis and Clark Expedition as one small moment in a vast narrative of Salish history. We see that Lewis and Clark were traveling through a deeply storied Indigenous homeland, mapped through placenames, which each carry their own stories of creation and continuation. . . . This book gives all of its readers the opportunity to listen, to pay attention, and to learn. The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition is a model for how to create a collective tribal history, based on a collaborative, intergenerational process. The awe-inspiring images and words are a gift, not only for the community today, but for future generations."-Lisa Brooks, author of Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip's War "From Elders to authors to publishers, all stress a similar theme-the book finally gives American Indians a chance to tell their own story."-Peter Bulger, The Missoulian "The indigenous peoples of the United States have the benefit of a recent view of history. The tradition of oral history is also of great worth. 'The Salish People' preserves the viewpoint of the conquered. It also highlights the fact that all Montana's tribes are at a crossroads. I give this book a thumbs up."-Billings Outpost "It may provoke some fans of Jefferson and/or the Lewis and Clark expedition to echo the question sometimes attributed to General Custer and Little Big Horn: 'Where did all these Indians come from?'"-John Goodspeed, The Star-Democrat "[An] informative volume compiled by elders of the affiliated Salish, Pend d'Oreille, and Kootenai tribes. The book is richly illustrated with contemporary and historical art and photography."-We Proceeded On "A beautifully illustrated book built upon the foundation of tribal oral tradition."-Journal of the West "A refreshing account of the meeting between the Salish and expedition members."-South Dakota History "Superb. . . . A unique Native American history. . . . A model for other Indian groups to follow in reconstructing their own history."-Howard R. Lamar, Sterling Professor Emeritus of History and former president of Yale University
