The Rez We Live On - CSKT, Salish, Kootenai, Pend d’Oreille Tribes, Flathead Indian Reservation

CSKT

Welcome to the homeland of the Salish, Kootenai and Pend d’Oreille Tribes on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

We are a large government with business ventures and projects all run under the guidance of our traditional values. Here you will learn about our history and culture and discover why we refer to ourselves as a People of Vision.

    • Land and Homes

    • Sometimes people wonder why the Flathead Indian Reservation has a checkerboard pattern of land ownership. Some land is owned by the Tribes. Some land is owned by non-Indians. There is a long history of events and policy that have made this so.

    • Taxes

    • A top myth in Indian Country is that Indians don’t pay taxes. CSKT is among the largest tax payers on land, and every employee pays federal income tax. The April 15 tax deadline is as real in Indian Country as the rest of the United States.

    • Different Laws

    • On the Flathead Indian reservation, tribal people must follow tribal laws along with all laws of the United States. Tribal courts handle tribal laws.

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Our History

Our history goes back 14,000 years explore the CSKT timeline

  • 1700’s
  • 1800’s

    • In the days before 1800, Indian communities pursued a traditional lifestyle unchecked by modern day creations like international, state or county lines. The people split into smaller bands and covered the region. They survived by hunting and gathering.

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    • Contact begins with traders, trappers and missionaries. The tribes nurtured diplomacy to protect their interests. Life began to grow more complicated from the external pressures.

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    • Firmly established as a national leader in self-governance an innovative government, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes emerge as an economic player in the community. There are organized efforts to push back Tribal government progress. An era of collaboration begins.

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    • The era begins with the worst thing that could have been done to the Salish, Pend d’Oreille and Kootenai People – allotments and homesteading. Pressures to privatize the land successfully open the reservation, forever changing the land-ownership patterns and the tribes struggle to preserve what is left, eventually finding success.

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  • 1900’s
  • 2000’s

Flathead Reservation

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are comprised of the Bitterroot Salish, the Pend d’Oreille and the Kootenai tribes. For more information about our government, land, history and culture, services, employment and other tribal resources, please visit us at CSKT.org.

The Peoples Center

The Peoples Center is the place to experience the rich cultural heritage of the Salish, Pend d'Oreille and Kootenai tribes. Through education, we hope to dispel myths and stereotyping of Native Americans and create better understanding between all peoples. Please visit us at PeoplesCenter.org.

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