The traditional homeland of the Kootenai (also spelled Kutenai) was in the area west of the Rocky Mountains in what is today western Montana, northern Idaho, and southeastern British Columbia. The Kootenai are generally divided into two groups: Upper Kootenai and Lower Kootenai, referring to their position on the drainage of the Kootenay River. The Upper Kootenai lived near the western face of the Rocky Mountains. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Upper Kootenai had adopted the horse were more dependent on the annual buffalo hunts while the Lower Kootenai depended more on fish for their subsistence and the buffalo played only a minor role in their economy.
The Heritage Museum in Libby, Montana has a good series of displays about the Kootenai.
Shown above is a Kootenai saddle. The horse diffused into Kootenai culture from the south following the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The Kootenai began to adopt the horse, which meant all of the cultural features which came with the animal, during the early 1700s.
The diorama shown above shows a Kootenai lodge (tipi) after the coming of the horse when the people began using buffalo hides for the lodge coverings.
The lodge shown above is constructed with tule reeds. Tule, also known as “softstream bulrush,” is a common reed which grows in the marshlands and lakes in the area. According to the display:
“It is uniquely suited to this construction purpose because of its tendency to swell up when wet and shrinks when hot and dry. During the rain, the tule reeds swell and the mats tighten, forming waterproof shelter. When hot and dry the reeds contract and get thinner and the mats are more like screens, allowing air to pass through and cool the home.”
The inside of the lodge is shown above.
Shown above is a berry basket made from bark. In making this type of basket, a piece of cedar bark about four feet long and about a foot wide would be used. The bark would first be folded in half the long way and then a two-inch slit would be made on each side of the fold. The bark would then be folded into a basket with overlapping seams pinned together with small twigs.
In the type of bark baskets shown above, a willow hoop would sewn in the opening in order to give the basket a cylindrical shape at the top.
Archaeology: