Flathead Indian Reservation

Updated: February 3, 2026

The Flathead Indian Reservation is located north of I-90 between Missoula and Kalispell in western Montana. Fertile valleys, Flathead Lake, and the Mission and Swan mountain ranges surround roughly 1.3 million acres of tribal and other lands within the reservation boundary. The reservation is home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), a union of the Bitterroot Salish, the Pend d'Oreille (Ql'ispé), and the Kootenai (Ksanka) peoples. There are about 7,700-7,800 enrolled tribal members, and approximately 5,000 tribal citizens live on or near the reservation, alongside many Native people from other tribes and non-Native residents.

Forests, hydropower, tourism, and tribally owned businesses are important parts of the CSKT economy. Timber and forest management continue to provide revenue and jobs, but one of the most significant changes is that the tribes now own and operate the (SKQ) Dam, formerly Kerr Dam, on the Flathead River. In 2015, through their company Energy Keepers, Inc., CSKT became the first tribal nation in the United States to own a major hydroelectric facility, giving them greater control over energy production and revenues from their own waters. The tribes also own enterprises such as the Kwataqnuk Resort & Casino on Flathead Lake and S&K Electronics, an electronics manufacturing and engineering company with multiple contracts and facilities.

Salish Kootenai College, a tribally controlled college in Pablo, offers two- and four-year degrees in fields such as Native American Studies, Environmental Science, Forestry, Business, Education, and Information Technology, and serves students from many tribal nations. The college and tribal education programs play a central role in language revitalization, cultural preservation, and workforce training on the reservation.

Points of Interest

• Three Chiefs Cultural Center (formerly The People's Center) in Ronan, a museum and cultural center where visitors can learn about Salish, Pend d'Oreille, and Kootenai history, see exhibits, and join classes and cultural activities.
• St. Ignatius Mission and visitor area, where murals from the late 1800s and interpretive materials show the long history of Catholic missions and Salish-Kootenai relations with the Church.
• Flathead Lake State Parks (a system of several state park sites around Flathead Lake), which offer camping, boating, and lake access in and near the reservation.
• CSKT-managed portions of the former National Bison Range (now tribal trust lands on the Flathead Reservation), which were restored to tribal ownership and management through federal legislation in 2020 and are once again part of the tribal land base.
• Pablo and Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuges, important wetland and bird-habitat areas within the reservation landscape.

Events

Annual gatherings and powwows remain major cultural and social events. The Arlee Celebration (often held around the Fourth of July) is one of the largest powwows in the region, featuring traditional and contemporary dances, drumming, contests, and a large encampment. The Standing Arrow Powwow near Elmo on the west side of Flathead Lake is usually held in July and celebrates Kootenai culture with dancing, drumming, and giveaways. The Three Chiefs Cultural Center and local communities also host cultural events, classes, and smaller powwows throughout the year. Visitors are welcome at public events and are encouraged to follow announcer instructions and local etiquette.

History and Cultural Background

The Kootenai, Salish, and Pend d'Oreille are Indigenous to this region of the northern Rocky Mountains and Columbia Plateau. Archaeological and oral histories show that Native peoples have lived in what is now Montana for more than 14,000 years, and the ancestors of today's CSKT have deep roots in western Montana, northern Idaho, and eastern Washington. Kootenai bands traditionally lived in and west of the mountains, with lifeways centered on rivers, lakes, fishing, and plant gathering, while also traveling east onto the plains for buffalo hunts.

Salish and Pend d'Oreille homelands stretched across river valleys in what are now Montana, Idaho, and Washington; as they moved farther east for hunting, they adapted from salmon-centered economies to lifeways more dependent on buffalo, roots, and berries. By the 1700s and early 1800s, horses, new trade goods, and expanding fur-trade networks were reshaping life for all three groups, and Salish and Kootenai people shared many hunting and gathering areas.

Catholic missionaries arrived in the 1840s, and Christianity-especially Catholicism-became an important influence in many Salish and Kootenai communities, even as traditional spiritual practices continued. Some historians note that relationships with missionaries and certain U.S. officials contributed to comparatively less open warfare in western Montana than on some other parts of the Plains, though the tribes still experienced dispossession and hardship.

In 1855, representatives of the Salish, Pend d'Oreille, and Kootenai signed the Hellgate Treaty with the United States. The treaty recognized a large tribal homeland but also laid the groundwork for ceding millions of acres; over time, federal actions and policies confined the tribes largely to the Flathead Reservation, while much of the rest of their traditional territory was opened to non-Native settlement. Despite allotment, land loss, and efforts to suppress Native languages and ceremonies, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have maintained strong governments, cultural institutions, and legal claims to lands and waters.

Today, CSKT manage forests, wildlife, and water projects; operate the (SKQ) Dam; run schools and colleges; and lead language-revitalization programs in collaboration with families and elders. Their work on the dam, the bison range, and cultural education is often cited as a leading example of Indigenous stewardship and self-determination in the United States.

For more information about the Flathead Reservation contact:

Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes
P.O. Box 278
Pablo, MT 59885
406-675-2700

VisitMT - Flathead Indian Reservation

Updated: February 3, 2026