Ethnos

Kootenai

The Kootenai are native to the state of Montana and currently live on the Flathead Indian Reservation. The Flathead Indian Reservation is an area of 1,250,000 acres of forested mountains and valleys just west of the Continental Divide in Montana. Archaeological evidence shows that native Americans inhabited Montana more than 14,000 years ago, and artifacts indicate that Kootenai have roots in the area's prehistory. The Kootenai inhabited the mountainous terrain west of the Continental Divide, venturing only seasonally to the east for buffalo hunts. The Kootenai were divided into two main groups. One band lived to the northeast and had a lifestyle based on bison hunting. The other band lived in the mountainous west and had a lifestyle focused on rivers and lakes. ***