Description
Kalispel people are thought to have come from British Columbia. In the 18th century, the Niitsitapi people pushed them from the Great Plains to Pend d'Oreille River and Lake Pend Oreille. The town of Kalispell, Montana is named after the tribe. The Kalispel Indians were semi-nomadic hunters, diggers and fishermen and were often called the “River/Lake paddlers.” During the mid to late 19th century, the Kalispel Tribe of Indians worked to preserve its culture and life in the midst of increasing white settlement in the area. The Upper Kalispel were forced onto an Indian reservation in Montana, while the Lower Kalispel remained on their homelands in Washington. The tribe refused to sign a treaty proposed by the US government in 1872. In 1875, there were only 395 Lower Kalispel.
Language
Traditionally, Kalispel people spoke the Kalispel language, an Interior Salish language.
Culture
These people made their weapons and tools from flint, and many other things were shaped with rocks. For housing, they lived in tipis in the summer, as well as lodges in the winter time. These houses were all built out of large cattails, which were in abundance where the people lived. These cattails were woven into mats called “tule mats”, which were attached to a tree branch frame to form a hut. Today a large community building on the Kalispel reservation bears the name “Tule Hut” in reference to this traditional housing. The tribe traded bison hides for horses and other useful goods. They traditionally made clothing from rabbit pelts and deer hides. They embellished hides with dyes, paints, beads, and porcupine quills.