“[A] remarkable and beautifully produced book. . . . It flips the standard lens of history to portray a critical American historical event from the perspective of the Salish people of western Montana. . . . Perhaps the most important reason the authors were able to write such a compelling narrative is the three decades of cultural preservation work, including extensive interviews with tribal elders that have been recorded and stored in the tribal community. This truly beautiful book is a community-based project.”—David R.M. Beck, Oregon Historical Quarterly
“With this book of sacred texts, legends, and narratives presented with significant scholarly attention and consideration, the Salish people proudly take their place at the academic table. We are treated to an exceptional journey into oralcy and oral history, manifesting a truly unique Native perspective and epistemology.”—Jay Hansford C. Vest,
American Indian Quarterly “Through this multi-voiced tribal history of the Salish people and homeland, we come to understand the Lewis and Clark Expedition as one small moment in a vast narrative of Salish history. We see that Lewis and Clark were traveling through a deeply storied Indigenous homeland, mapped through placenames, which each carry their own stories of creation and continuation. . . . This book gives all of its readers the opportunity to listen, to pay attention, and to learn. The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition is a model for how to create a collective tribal history, based on a collaborative, intergenerational process. The awe-inspiring images and words are a gift, not only for the community today, but for future generations.”—Lisa Brooks, author of
Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War “From Elders to authors to publishers, all stress a similar theme—the book finally gives American Indians a chance to tell their own story.”—Peter Bulger, The Missoulian
“The indigenous peoples of the United States have the benefit of a recent view of history. The tradition of oral history is also of great worth. ‘The Salish People’ preserves the viewpoint of the conquered. It also highlights the fact that all Montana’s tribes are at a crossroads. I give this book a thumbs up.”—Billings Outpost
“It may provoke some fans of Jefferson and/or the Lewis and Clark expedition to echo the question sometimes attributed to General Custer and Little Big Horn: ‘Where did all these Indians come from?’”—John Goodspeed, The Star-Democrat
“[An] informative volume compiled by elders of the affiliated Salish, Pend d’Oreille, and Kootenai tribes. The book is richly illustrated with contemporary and historical art and photography.”—We Proceeded On
“A beautifully illustrated book built upon the foundation of tribal oral tradition.”—Journal of the West
“A refreshing account of the meeting between the Salish and expedition members.”—South Dakota History
“Superb. . . . A unique Native American history. . . . A model for other Indian groups to follow in reconstructing their own history.”—Howard R. Lamar, Sterling Professor Emeritus of History and former president of Yale University
