In the Name of the Salish and Kootenai Nation: The 1855 Hell Gate Treaty and the Origin of the Flathead Indian Reservation

by Robert Bigart; Clarence Woodcock

• ISBN13: 9780295975450
• ISBN10: 0295975458
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-07-01
• Publisher: Univ of Nebraska Pr

Summary

On July 16, 1855, eighteen leaders of the Flathead, Kootenai, and Upper Pend d'Oreilles Indians signed an agreement with the United States government, ceding their title to almost all the land in western Montana and establishing the Flathead Indian Reservation. Born of confusion and disagreement, the Hell Gate Treaty is the legal basis for the modern relationship between the tribes and the federal government. In the Name of the Salish & Kootenai Nationreproduces the complete text of the Hell Gate Treaty and collects previously published documents relating to the treaty, among them the official proceedings of the treaty council, Gustavus Sohon's portraits of many of the treaty signers, and letters from the Jesuit priest, Adrian Hoecken, who was present at the treaty deliberations. These documents are presented in the hope that they will inspire further questions and research.

Author Biography

Robert Bigart is Librarian Emeritus at Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Montana, on the Flathead Indian Reservation and has written extensively on the history of the Montana Salish Indians. Clarence Woodcock was the Director of the Salish-Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee, St. Ignatius, Montana, until July 1995 and has since passed away.

Table of Contents

Message from the Kootenai Culture Committee
Editors' Note
Introduction	p. 1
Treaty with the Flatheads, Etc., 1855	p. 9
Official Proceedings of the Hell Gate Treaty Council notes	p. 19
Gustavus Sohon's Portraits of Flathead and Pend d'Oreille Indians, 1854	p. 67
A Jesuit at the Hell Gate Treaty of 1855	p. 121
Postscript: Implementing the Hell Gate Treaty	p. 149
Index	p. 161
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