The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Revised Edition

by Salish-Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee, Elders Cultural Advisory Council, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes

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 their encounter with the Lewis and Clark expedition. The result is a new understanding of the expedition and its place in the wider context of U.S. history. Through oral histories and other materials, Salish elders recount the details of the Salish encounter with Lewis and their difficulty communicating with the strangers through multiple interpreters and consequent misunderstanding of the expedition’s invasionary purpose, their discussions about whether to welcome or wipe out the newcomers, their puzzlement over the black skin of the slave York, and their decision to extend traditional tribal hospitality and gifts to the guests.

 

What makes The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition a startling departure from previous accounts of the Lewis and Clark expedition is how it depicts the arrival of non-Indians—not as the beginning of history but as another chapter in a long tribal history. Much of this book focuses on the ancient cultural landscape and history that had already shaped the region for millennia before the arrival of Lewis and Clark. The elders begin their vivid portrait of the Salish world by sharing creation stories and their traditional cycle of life. The book then takes readers on a cultural tour of the Native trails that the expedition followed. With tribal elders as our guides, we now learn of the Salish cultural landscape that was invisible to Lewis and Clark.

 

The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition also portrays with new clarity the profound upheaval of the Native world in the century before the expedition's arrival, as tribes in the region were introduced to horses, European diseases, and firearms. The arrival of Lewis and Clark marked the beginning of a heightened level of conflict and loss, and the book details the history that followed the the opening of Salish territory to the fur trade; the arrival of Jesuit missionaries; the establishment of Indian reservations, the non-Indian development of western Montana; and, more recently, the revival and strengthening of tribal sovereignty and culture.

 

Conveyed by tribal recollections and richly illustrated, The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition not only sheds new light on the meaning of the expedition; it also illuminates the people who greeted Lewis and Clark and, despite much of what followed, thrive in their homeland today.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

216 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2005

Reviews

[Chuck Wiedrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, this work relates many Native American stories and does a great job of describing the world before Lewis & Clark arrived. That encounter is told through the eyes of the Salish people. This perspective is an important one; one that helps us understand how strong these people were and have been since the Europeans arrived.

[Richard Buller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because it offers the ignored native point of view, the book is a must-read for people interested in the history of the west, particularly the Lewis & Clark Expedition. The book also details the belief system, way of life, and places of importance to the Salish people, particularly in Western Montana. The discoveries of the "Corps of Discovery" were for Europeans. As the book emphasizes, the Salish and allied tribes were in North America for thousands of years before meeting the Lewis & Clark expedition. The book is also a poignant retelling of the loses the Salish and other tribes have endured as a result of the European advance into their lands.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although Lewis and Clark were given credit for ‘discovering’ lands and peoples during their great expedition, this book contains oral history of the people who had lived in the Bitterroot Valley for thousands of years before Lewis and Clark’s discovered the area.

It begins with describing the land and the Salsh’s symbiotic use and love for the Bitterroot Valley; – what various locations were known for in terms of resources and myth.

It then goes on to relate the oral traditions passed down by the elders of the Salish people’s first encounters with the Lewis and Clark expedition.

In all the writings commemorating the anniversary of the famous expedition, the Native point of view was left out. This is the only book rectifying the omission of that viewpoint from the Salish perspective.

This was a 5 star non-fiction read for me. I loved the descriptions of the history of the Bitterroot Valley where I live. Although I borrowed this book from the library, it’s one that I need to acquire to have a copy of my own.

[Alexis K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be read by every student in Montana, as well as anyone even slightly interested in the history of the West.

[Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the true stories from the Salish people about their history and experiences. So interesting, beautiful photography and artwork included as well.

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