The History Of The Kutenai
Indians |
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The Kutenai Indians lived in the Kootenay region for about 3000
years. They fished, hunted and built an assortment of things for
use as transportation, tools and places in which to
live. |
Charlotte Basil building a Kutenai canoe
(Photo used with permission - Creston & District Museum Archives -
2003) |
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They
fished for trout, Kokanee, sturgeon, ling cod, whitefish and char.
Once the Kutenai men caught the fish, the children helped
carry the fish from the canoes to the women who would
clean and smoke or dry the fish. The fish were hung on small
trees and bushes to dry or they could be sun-dried on a tipi-shaped
sapling rack or hung on rectangular racks over a small, smoky
fire- this technique was used during cloudy and rainy weather. After
drying, the fish were stored in cedar-bark boxes. It was only
the men who fished. |
 Drawing of
a Kutenai canoe |
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 Diagram of
a sapling fish weir |
To fish, the natives used spears, harpoons, brush or stone
corrals; fish traps, called weirs, were made of saplings. Hooks
made of bone and lines and nets of twisted bark were used by
individuals. |
The Way They Fished And Made
Canoes |
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The Kutenai Indians fished in Meadow
Creek, Kootenay Lake, Kootenay River, Upper Kootenay Lake, Lower
Kootenay Lake and Kootenay Bay and into the east Kootenays.
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This photograph is believed to be the Louie family near the West Arm
of Kootenay Lake.
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DOUBLE CLICK to see a larger image.
Photo used with permission: Creston & District Museum Archive -
2003 |
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Charlotte Basil building a typical Kutenai canoe. |
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Photo used with permission: Creston &
District Museum Archive - 2003 |
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They used two different canoes for fishing-a
curved front canoe and a sturgeon nosed canoe. To build the canoes,
long wooden poles were soaked in water until they were
flexible. The “ribs”, made of cedar, would be lashed onto the long
thin poles. The poles were gathered and tied together at the
ends of the canoe. By this time the frame was almost
finished, so the natives put one large piece of white pine bark over
the canoe frame. Then the bark was trimmed along all
edges . The bark was placed so that the inside of the bark was the
outside of the canoe. Holes were then punched along the edges of the
bark cover to allow the builder to lash the cover to the canoe
frame. Finally, two sharpened wooden poles were lashed from bow to
stern along the top edges of the canoe. A spreader bar was placed
across the center of the canoe; this provided support and also
allowed it to keep its proper shape. Very little sealing was needed
as the cover was one continuous piece of bark. A small amount
of pitch was used to seal the seams and any small
holes found in the cover.
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The Kutenai Indians made and used
their canoes for fishing and transportation for many years. |
How They Lived |
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The Kutenai as
you know, survived on their own. They had different resources and
ways of doing things. They learned how to fish, hunt,
trap, and build things for
transportation.
The Kutenai Indians did
not have stores or catalogues from which to buy things so they had
to make many things like clothing, shelter and accessories
such as bowls, baskets and tools. The children were helpful .
They helped clean and carry the fish to the women who
stored the fish after they were dried.
Sometimes the girls
would help with clothes and shelter making . Skins of
many kinds were tanned and used for these purposes.
The lifestyle of the Kutenai
Indians was very different from the one we have these days. It was
much more difficult to
live on their own. |
If you would like to learn more about the Kutenai, visit the
Creston & District Historical Museum
and talk to curator, Tammy Hardwick.
Click on the link above to visit their website. |
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