"You Seem to Like Your Money, and We Like Our Country"

In the middle of the nineteenth century, the Salish, Pend d’Oreille, and Kootenai tribes of western Montana navigated a world of military struggles with enemy tribes in alliance with the newly arrived tribe of white Americans. By the last quarter of the century—from 1875 to 1889—the paradigm had shifted, as the tribes worked to keep the peace and preserve their tribal rights and assets against the onslaught of the growing white population. In just fifteen years, the Flathead Reservation tribes careened from dramatic efforts to stay out of the 1877 Nez Perce War to pressing the white justice system to punish white men who murdered Indians. In 1889 the Missoula County sheriff actively pursued Indians accused of murdering white men, but whites accused of killing Pend d’Oreille chief Michelle’s relatives and Kootenai chief Eneas’s son went unpunished. In 1882 tribal leaders negotiated terms for the sale of a railroad right of way through the reservation. Throughout the 1880s, Chief Charlo worked to secure the Salish’s right to remain in the Bitterroot and, if possible, obtain enough government aid to help establish a self-supporting Salish community in the Bitterroot Valley.  

"Much tribal, reservation, and Montana history can be learned from these documents, and they will easily surpass expectations for historical researchers. In these times of increasing ancestral land acknowledgements, with growing organizational and personal interest in tribal histories, these collections provide readers with engaging details about Salish, Pend d’Oreille, and Kootenai Indians that would have remained difficult to access in their archival forms. The volumes provide this easy access to primary resources, and anyone with an interest in understanding Montana, the land, and its people more personally will benefit from this series."—Fred Noel, Tribal College Journal

Robert Bigart is librarian emeritus at the Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Montana. Joseph McDonald is president emeritus at the Salish Kootenai College.