A STORY CENTURIES IN THE MAKING

Learn more about Montana before it was Montana.

People have called the plains and mountains of what is now Montana home for millennia, with evidence of human presence in and around present-day Glacier National Park dating back more than 10,000 years.

The people who pre-dated Montana, and their ancestors here today, have defined a cultural heritage that is a rich, colorful tapestry of tradition, art, music, dance, storytelling, adventure, industry and leisure that creates a place of awe-inspiring spirit and wonder.

Today, there are seven reservations and 12 tribes in Montana: the Assiniboine (Nokado, Nakona), Blackfeet (Niitsitapi (Amskapi Piikani)), Chippewa (Ojibwe) (Annishinabe), Plains Cree (Ne-i-yah-wahk), Crow (Apsáalooke), Gros Ventres (A’aninin), Kootenai (Ksanka), Little Shell Chippewa (Annishinabe and Métis), Northern Cheyenne (Tsetsêhesêstâhase and So’taa’eo’o), Pend d’Oreille (Ql ispé), Salish (Sélish) and Sioux (Lakota, Dakota). Each of these Tribal Nations observes and celebrates its own distinct story and heritage.

Western Montana’s Glacier Country sits on the traditional, ancestral territory of the Amskapi Piikani, Ksanka, Séliš, and Qlispé people. What is now Glacier National Park, as well as the land east of the park (what is today the Blackfeet Reservation) was the original home to the Blackfeet Indian Tribe. The Salish and Kootenai Tribes traditionally inhabited the valleys east of the Continental Divide and hunted on the eastern plains.

On the Flathead and Blackfeet reservations, the tribes share their cultures against the backdrop of sacred landscapes, often through storytelling and pow wows, like the Annual Arlee Espapqeyni Celebration held by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe over the Fourth of July weekend and the North American Indian Days Celebration held by the Blackfeet Nation the second week of July each year. Both the Blackfeet and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes continue to teach their native languages and honor their tribes’ traditions through organizations like the Piegan Institute in Browning and Salish language school, Nk wusm in Arlee.

To learn about the Blackfeet Nation, book a day trip with Sun Tours or Iron Shield Creative (specializing in visual storytelling and cultural workshop hikes), or pore over artifacts, exhibits and art at the Museum of the Plains Indian, Lodgepole Gallery, Western Curios and Faught’s Blackfeet Trading Post, all in Browning.

Dive deeper into the histories and heritages of the Salish, Kootenai and Pend d’Oreille tribes at the Three Chiefs Cultural Center, Museum & Gift Shop in St. Ignatius. At the Ninepipes Museum of Early Montana in Charlo, explore Montana’s heritage, as well as the stories of the land, the Salish and Kootenai people and the wildlife of the Flathead Indian Reservation.

In Moiese, in the heart of the Flathead Indian Reservation, you’ll find the Bison Range. This gorgeous, 18,500-acre wildlife conservation area is managed by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and is open to the public. It’s the perfect place for a day trip, complete with a rich history and breathtaking Mission Mountain views.

We encourage visitors to support tribally owned businesses, like Montana’s Duck Lake Lodge in Babb and Backpacker’s Ferry in East Glacier Park, and to look for Native American Made in Montana products.

Please be a responsible traveler while visiting Tribal Nations. Know where you stand, be respectful, and secure tribal permits. Visit recreateresponsiblymt.com for more information. Learn more about experiencing Tribal Nations in Montana at glaciermt.com/american-indian-culture and visitmt.com/indian-country