Aeneas Paul, a Kutenai Chief, was present at the 1855 treaty making with Governor Isaac I. Stevens. (Courtesy of Glacier National Park Historical Collections)

Among the western tribes, the Kutenai Indians probably were Glacier's most frequent Native American visitors. Kutenai (meaning "Water People" or "Fish Eaters"), probably migrated to the Kutenai River valley of Montana and southern British Columbia from the plains much earlier than their Kalispel or Flathead neighbors. Fish, berries, deer, and mountain sheep became important items in their diet, but they also ventured to the plains for buffalo. James Willard Schultz, an American who lived and hunted with the Blackfeet for many years, observed a Kutenai hunting party. He stated: "They had come straight to us from their country across the Rockies, up through the forests of the western slope, over the glacier-capped heights of the mountains, down the deep canon of Cutbank Stream, and then straight to our camp, a hundred miles out in the vast plain."

Schultz added that the Kutenai were different physically from the Piegan: they were built much heavier, with larger hands and feet. "This was the result of their mountain life; they were great big-horn and goat hunters, and constantly climbing had developed their leg muscles almost abnormally." The Blackfeet, according to Schultz, disliked that type of life and always hunted game with horses. Even as late as the 1800s, Kutenai hunters still hunted frequently in the St. Mary Lakes region, and places like Kootenai Peak and Kootenai (Salt) Lick were named for them.

The Kutenai, like their western neighbors, were reduced by persistent Blackfoot attacks. Buffalo hunting meant joining forces with Flathead or Kalispel and avoiding the Blackfeet if possible. Generally two or three hunting trips to the plains were made each year. But the Kutenai were probably the first western tribes to adapt to mountain life to which they adapted most successfully. Their Fir Tree Ceremony gave power and ability to their deer hunters and their Grizzly Bear Dance (indicating a strong competition with that ferocious animal for the mountains' annual berry crop) gave the Kutenai protection while gathering. Ducks, owls, moose, mountain sheep and other wildlife common to Glacier's environment abounded in Kutenai stories and legends, unlike any other area tribe.

The tribes of the western slope, having been forced off the Great Plains by the Blackfeet, adapted successfully to the mountain environment. This photograph was taken by Edward S. Curtis, a famous photographer of the West.

Very little remains of the western tribes' influence on the area to remind us of their presence. The Flathead, Kalispel, and some Kutenai became part of the Salishan (an inclusive group) Confederacy and moved to the Flathead Reservation along Flathead Lake or to other reservations in the Pacific Northwest or British Columbia. James Willard Schultz mistakenly assumed that Kuteani religious festivals were held at Lake McDonald and wanted to rename it "Sacred Dancing Lake." However, Kutenai festivals were probably held at Lake Pend Oreille far to the west. Only a few place names like Kootenai, Flathead, Camas, and Kintla are among the reminders of their visits. Chiefs like Victor or Charlo of the Flathead, Alexander of the Kalispel, Big Canoe, Bear Track, or Thunder of the Kutenai have no physical features in Glacier bearing their names comparable to the park's numerous Blackfoot place names.

Artist George Catlin sketched an Assiniboine man and woman as they appeared to him on a journey into the region of the upper Missouri River during the 1830s. A branch of the Assiniboine, called Mountain Assiniboine or Stoney Indians, lived in or near Glacier's northeast corner. (Courtesy of Western History Department, Denver Public Library)

The ceremony of the Medicine Lodge was probably the most important religious occasion among the Blackfeet. Sweat lodges would be constructed with a painted buffalo skull placed on top of each to represent the sun and the moon. The lodges were then covered and heated stones with water sprinkled upon them provided a sweat lodge for the warriors. Following that experience, a larger structure, the Medicine Lodge, would be built and the elaborate ceremonies of worship would take place. (Courtesy of Glacier National Park Historical Collections, Walter McClintock Album)

Finally, the least-known tribe visiting or living within Glacier were the Stoney Indians or Mountain Assiniboine, called "Cutthroats" by the Kutenai because of their custom of decapitating their enemies. Assiniboine means "one who cooks by the use of stones," hence the name Stone Roaster or Stoney Indians. Originally a part of the Assiniboine of the plains to the north and east, this smaller group apparently lived closer to the mountains in the less desirable foothill country. Since their numbers were inferior to the Blackfeet, they stayed off the plains and hunted mountain animals like the mountain sheep, deer, and elk.

In a few, very limited descriptions, early missionaries, explorers, and white settlers referred to the Stonies as peaceable when compared to their Blackfoot neighbors. The Stonies may have lived near the Waterton Lakes and Belly River area. The Mountain Stonies undoubtedly engaged in a constant warfare with their Blackfoot rivals as well as with the Kutenai and Salishan tribes across the mountains. Attacking western hunting parties along frequently used mountain passes provided this impoverished group with valuable buffalo meat and horses otherwise difficult to obtain.

These Indians probably withdrew into Canada during the nineteenth century, although some remained and became guides and trappers in the area. Most of the Stonies, however, were incorporated into the Stoney Reservation located at Morley, Alberta, just west of Calgary. Stoney Indian Pass, Stoney Indian Lake, and Stoney Indian Peaks, all in the northeast corner of the park, became the only reminders of their presence.

Thus, any Indian activity in the mountains of Glacier prior to written documentation is mostly speculation. Even the recorded Indian legends offer few examples of their attachment to the mountains. While almost entirely plains oriented, a few Blackfoot legends, like those of Medicine Grizzly, Beaver Medicine, or Old Man, contained some mountain or lake settings. One of the most interesting legends was recorded by Walter McClintock. It was entitled "The Home of the Wind Maker" and it stated:

Many years ago, when a heavy wind swept across the plains, a chief of the Blackfeet faced the storm and made a vow to find its origin. He crossed the plains and entered the mountains. His way led through dark canyons and dense forests, where the wind rushed and roared. The terrible wind and the dark and gloomy surroundings filled him with dread, but, because of his vow, he pressed forward until, at last, he saw in the distance, close to one of the highest peaks, the shining water of a lake. During a lull in the storm, he crept close to the shore and watched. Suddenly from the middle of the lake, arose the huge antlers of an enormous bull elk. His eyes were red and flames darted from his nostrils. When he waved his huge ears, a wind arose, so fierce and terrible, that the waters of the lake were whisked up into the air. When the elk sank again beneath the waves, the wind went down. The chief hurried back to his tribe to tell them of his wonderful discovery of the home of Medicine Elk, the Wind Maker.

Small Windmaker Lake, at the head of Swiftcurrent Creek, retains the name for this legendary experience.

As the legend indicated a dread or fear of the supernatural power high in the mountains, we may speculate that superstitions developed from a Blackfoot unfamiliarity with or fear of the area. Of all the Blackfoot place names in Glacier, probably only two or three physical features had any legendary or spiritual interest in their historical traditions. Two Medicine, named for the construction of both Piegan and Blood medicine or ceremonial lodges, and Chief Mountain, used by individual members for vision seeking or other religious practices, might well have been the only two physical features of importance. Possibly St. Mary Lakes, called "The Lakes-Inside" or the "Walled-In Lakes" by the Blackfeet, served as a "traditional" hunting and camping site after the Kutenai were pushed westward. It is important to remember that the Blackfoot territory included several hundred miles of mountainous front range. Further, any familiar mountain passes or other well-known features lacked the supernatural potential of less accessible geographic locations. But as the Blackfeet became confined to their Montana reservation, their familiarity and relationship with the neighboring mountain features increased. Men like George Bird Grinnell, James Willard Schultz, and Walter McClintock recorded the legends and stories more oriented to a confined existence, but told by men who longed for the old days of raiding, buffalo hunting, and the freedom of the unfenced prairie.

The western tribes faced the mountain environment on a daily basis. Their lives depended upon successful fishing, gathering, or hunting within the mountainous region. The Flathead, Kalispel, and Kutenai legends and stories contained animals and scenes familiar to Glacier Park, yet none are identifiable as specifically within the park area. Coyotes, grizzly bears, birds, muskrats, beavers, and other animals depicted in western Indian legends and stories were not confined to any particular area any more than the historic Indian was restricted by boundary lines.

Thus, the lives and legends of the Native Americans within the Glacier Park area remains speculative and their attachment to the region became even more tenuous as the Whites approached. A Kutenai legend relating to the environment of the mountainous country told of the decline of the Indian influence over the region and the coming of the white invader:

One time when the Kutenais were having their usual troubles with the Blackfeet, a band of our people were camping in the mountains. The leader of the band was named Sowatts.

Sowatts decided one morning that he would go out and get some fresh meat. He was warned that he might run into Grizzly Bear and was reminded that someone in the band had disobeyed the bear's instructions.

Grizzly Bear had charge of all plants, roots, and berries, and he forbade people to eat certain of them. "Some plants belong to animals," he said. "Human beings are forbidden to eat them." The first thing a boy or girl was taught was to avoid eating certain plants. Grizzly Bear had also taught the women how to cook plants—for example, how to steam camas roots.

Not long before this, some person had eaten a plant that belonged to the animals. So when Grizzly Bear met Sowatts alone in the mountains, he tore the man's hair out, pulled his arms off—tore him to pieces.

Three days later his people found him dead. They carried his body back to camp, planning to bury it in the shale the next morning. But he came back to life. He had no hair and no lips. It was difficult for him to talk, but people could see that he had something he wanted to say to them. "Tomorrow I will tell you," he managed to make clear.

After sunrise the next morning, he said to them, "Things are changing. While I was with the spirits, after Grizzly Bear killed me, they took me to the top of a mountain. When we looked toward the place where the sun rises, we saw many people. They were not dressed like us. One man I noticed in particular was dressed in a black robe.

"The spirit chief said to me, 'See that man? He is the one who will take over when we spirits are gone. We have done all we can for you and your people. That man will come some time in the next ten snows. Before he comes other people will come with the same words but not dressed like him. Let them pass through'."

"Today," continued Sowatts, "you must turn back and go forth to make peace with the Blackfeet. The spirits can no longer help us."

But some people in the camp did not want to believe Sowatts.

"Give us proof," they said to him. "Give us some proof that what you say is right."

"Prove it by killing Grizzly Bear," said another. "He is now near our camp. He runs in, scares the children, and then hides in the brush where we can not see him and kill him."

Sowatts called his dog. Then he opened his medicine bag, took out some red paint, and painted marks on the dog's face and front feet. He said to the dog, "Now go over to that brush and get that bear out so that the men can kill him."

The dog rolled over three times and then jumped into the brush. Soon the bear ran out and the men killed him. All the people then believed Sowatts. They made peace with the Blackfeet, and the following year the Kutenais went to their country and exchanged gifts with them.

A few snows later a missionary and his wife came among the Kutenais, stopping at Nyack. They had some message, but the Indians paid no attention to them. Later Father De Smet came and started a mission.

From that time on, the Indians began to lose their power. The spirits had deserted them.

From Indian Legends from the Northern Rockies,
by Ella E. Clark. Copyright 1966 by the
University of Oklahoma Press.

The dead were placed upon scaffolds built in trees, upon the summit of e high hill, or laid in a lodge pitched in a thicket. They were dressed according to their station when in this life, because they were believed to go to the Sand Hills in the clothes with which they were buried. Walter Mcclintock in The Old North Trail. (Courtesy of Glacier National Park Historical Collections, Walter McClintock Album)