CONFEDERATED
SALISH & KOOTENAI TRIBES
S&K Technologies is owned by the CSKT on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Northwestern Montana. Revenue generated by S&K Technologies is infused into the community through the CSKT Tribal General Fund, which funds many social programs on the reservation.
CONFEDERATED
SALISH & KOOTENAI TRIBES
S&K Technologies is owned by the CSKT on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Northwestern Montana. Revenue generated by S&K Technologies is infused into the community through the CSKT Tribal General Fund, which funds many social programs on the reservation.
KNOWLEDGE OF THE PAST
KNOWLEDGE OF THE PAST
Tradition & Stewardship
The Flathead Indian Reservation is home to three tribes, the Salish (Se̓liš), Kootenai (Ksanka), and Kalispel (Qĺispe̓) people. The territories of these three tribes covered all of western Montana and extended into parts of Idaho, British Columbia, and Wyoming. The Hellgate Treaty of 1855 established the Flathead Reservation, but over half a million acres passed out of Tribal ownership during land allotment that began in 1904.
The subsistence patterns of our Tribal people developed over generations of observation, experimentation, and spiritual interaction with the natural world, creating a body of knowledge about the environment closely tied to seasons, locations, and biology. This way of life was suffused with rich oral history and a spiritual tradition in which people respected the animals, plants, and other elements of the natural environment. By learning from our Elders and teaching our children, those Tribal ways of life continue to this day.
VISION FOR THE FUTURE
VISION FOR THE FUTURE
New Technology & Educational Opportunities
Salish Kootenai College (SKC) is an accredited and certified American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), Minority Higher-Education Institute. SKC stands as an institution that takes their own traditional values and applies them to modern day education. The Salish and Kootenai tribes worked with early settlers, priests, and scientists in identifying many of Western Montana’s plants and wildlife. Today, SKC offers a diverse course catalogue that ties traditional learning with modern day teachings.
In 2012, SKC teamed with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to create CubeSats; tiny satellites that were brought into space by NASA for University research. SKC developed their own CubeSat called “BisonSat” or “Nwist Qʷiq̓ʷáy,” which in Salish means “Buffalo up above.” The BisonSat is solar powered and contains a radio. SKC also designed a camera for it to transmit data back to SKC. The data consisted of atmospheric aerosols, cloud formation, and hydrologic processes. The BisonSat was launched into space in 2015 and transmitted data back to SKC’s ground station.
Learn More About the Salish and Kootenai Tribes
Se̓liš Qĺispe̓ Culture Committee
The Salish-Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee seeks to preserve, protect and perpetuate the living culture and traditional way of life of our people.
GOOD READS
GOOD READS
The Bison Hunt, a Metaphor for Business
Since time immemorial, the Salish, Qĺispe̓, and Kootenai people lived in balance with nature in a sometimes challenging environment. The people relied on their hunters for big game, like bison, as a valuable resource for food, shelter, clothing, tools, and ceremonial sacrament. The tribes respected the buffalo, and thanks were given to the buffalo for the continued subsistence. Many rituals and songs are about giving thanks to the buffalo. The Tribes in those times would generally go on bi-annual bison hunts, in the winter and summer, out on the plains. These hunts were critical to the vitality of the Tribes for the reminder of the year. The hunts were often a dangerous endeavor due to potentially encountering enemy tribes, possible severe weather conditions, or the inherent danger of hunting a large herd of bison. The hunters were accompanied by others in the Tribe who would be responsible for butchering and drying the meat for easier transport and storage for the trek back home. Bison hides were made into clothing and tepee covers.
Today the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) help maintain the National Bison Range with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Bison Range is a National Wildlife Refuge for the buffalo, as well as many other species of wild animals such as antelope, deer, and mountain lion. The Bison Range is one of the oldest wildlife refuges in America. The Bison Range is about 18,800 acres of grazing land located a few miles from the S&K headquarters office. It also contains many great views of the entire Reservation.
Today in modern times, the Tribes still need resources to function. In that sense, S&K Technologies helps provide resources for the Tribes much like those hunters did long ago. We have our “Hunters” in business development and bids and proposals. We have our administrative and financial staff that help deal with the day-to-day business of S&K Technologies in order to assure a successful hunt much like the people who processed the bison into food, clothing, and shelter. Much like those days of long ago, everyone at S&K Technologies and the family of LLC’s, have a critical role in the hunt. The success of the companies and their substantial dividends has led to S&K Technologies and all of the LLC’s becoming one of the most significant “hunting parties” for the CSKT, through the hard work and dedication of all of the staff.
