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Indians 101: A short overview of the Coeur d’Alene Indians [1]
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Date: 2022-07-14
In his book A Brief History of the Coeur d’Alene Indians 1806-1909, Jerome Peltier describes the aboriginal Coeur d’Alene lands this way:
“…they extended westward from the Coeur d’Alene and Bitterroot mountains to the headwaters of the Spokane River extending a short distance above Spokane Falls to Coeur d’Alene Lake and all of the tributaries leading into the lake. To the southeast their boundaries extended across the headwaters of the Clearwater river. Westward their territory took in the Hangman Creek, DeSmet, and Farmington areas. It included the Spokane Valley and south of the Spokane river.”
Within this territory there were four distinct and autonomous Coeur d’Alene bands, each of which was associated with different areas within this territory.
The Coeur d’Alene Indians call themselves Schitsu’umsh. With regard to the name Coeur d’Alene, which is obviously of French origin, it is most likely that this designation originated from the French-speaking Iroquois Indians brought into the region by Nor’wester fur trader David Thompson in the early nineteenth century. The designation Coeur d’Alene, meaning “heart of the awl” probably referred to their sharp trading practices. The American Corps of Discovery (commonly called the Lewis and Clark Expedition) called them Skitswish.
Shown above is the exhibit on the Coeur d’Alene Indians in the Museum of North Idaho.
With regard to language, the Coeur d’Alene language is classified as a Salish language, the largest language family in the Plateau Culture Area. As Salish-language speakers, the Coeur d’Alenes could easily communicate with other Salish-language groups, such as the Flatheads, Spokans, and Kalispels.
Hunting and Gathering
Like other Plateau Indian nations, the Coeur d’Alene obtained their food through a combination of fishing, hunting, and gathering wild plants. Anthropologist Lillian Ackerman, in an article in Idaho Yesterdays, points out that the Plateau tribes were not truly nomadic:
“They had an annual round of predictable movements within a well-established territory, which they followed to exploit the food resources of their area.”
The annual round included gathering food plants (berries and root plants, such as camas), hunting, and fishing. Each of these activities took place in a different environmental niche. Historian Larry Cebula, in his book Plateau Indians and the Quest for Spiritual Power, 1700-1850, reports:
“Indians used their knowledge and experience as well as their spirit power to direct the timing and direction of their seasonal moves.”
The historic photograph shown above features a hunter with a deer and a tipi in the background. This photograph was on display in the Museum of North Idaho.
Food resources were generally shared among all members of the groups. In hunting, for example, the game would be divided into equal piles and each household, including those who had not participated in the hunt, given a share.
Shown above is a historic photograph of a hunting camp. This photograph was on display in the Museum of North Idaho.
For the Plateau tribes on the eastern portion of the Plateau, hunting tended to be somewhat more important than fishing as a food source. Game animals included deer, elk, moose, mountain goat, mountain sheep, and caribou. Hunting, however, is not always a dependable way of obtaining food. Archaeologist James Keyser, in his book Indian Rock Art of the Columbia Plateau, writes:
“Given the unpredictability of the hunt, Columbia Plateau hunters had strong religious rituals designed to insure its success.”
Individual hunters sought out spirit helpers and communal hunts required a hunt chief with experience, as well as an appropriate spirit guide. Before hunting, the men would often go through a sweat bath purification ritual and would make appeals to the animal spirits.
Perhaps as much as half of the calories consumed by the Coeur d’Alenes came from the wild plants they gathered. The plants frequently used for food were camas, serviceberry (also known as saskatoon berry, Amelanchier Alnefolia), hawthorne berries, bitterroot, huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaeceum), wild onions, wild strawberries, soapberries, gooseberries, chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), desert parsley (Lomatium cous), Indian potatoes (Claytonia lanceolata), wild carrot (Perideridia gairdneri), biscuit root, (also known as Kowsh, a member of the carrot family), and wild turnip.
The root crops, such as camas, provided a major source of carbohydrates for their diet. Root crops were often dug in May and June, before the plants had fully matured. At this time, the roots were still soft and juicy.
In gathering plant foods, people generally cared for the areas by making sure that they did not over-harvest and by using controlled fires to keep berry-picking areas clear and fertile.
Shown above are a mortar and pestle displayed in the Museum of North Idaho.
Shown above are some stone artifacts displayed in the Museum of North Idaho.
Shown above are more stone artifacts displayed in the Museum of North Idaho.
Shown above are some stone pestles displayed in the Museum of North Idaho.
Shown above is some Coeur d’Alene beadwork displayed in the Museum of North Idaho.
Shown above is a Coeur d’Alene beaded pouch which was on display in the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Washington.
Shown above are Coeur d’Alene miniature woven baskets which were on display in the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Washington.
Shown above are a Coeur d’Alene beaded purse and coin purse which were on display in the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Washington.
Shown above are three twined cylinder gathering bags. These were made by Coeur d’Alene artist Leanne Campbell and displayed in the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Washington.
Villages
It is estimated that the Coeur d’Alene bands lived in 30 villages prior to the European invasion. Typically, these Plateau villages would have populations ranging from as few as 50 people to as many as 700 people. There were a few large villages with populations of 200 or more. Archaeologist James Keyser reports:
“The Indians occupied villages primarily during the winter and the salmon fishing season, but old or injured people might remain year-round.”
The map above shows some of the traditional Coeur d’Alene villages. This was on display in the Museum of North Idaho.
Coeur d’Alene winter villages were in sheltered areas alongside rivers or in areas with good water sources. In addition to dwellings, the villages would have storage pits, earth ovens, and sweat lodges.
Dwellings in the winter villages were dug down about 30 inches on the inside and a layer of cobbles would be laid down and covered with bear grass, white sage, and fir boughs. The cobbled floor became a heat sink for interior fires.
A winter lodge is shown above. This was on display in the Museum of North Idaho.
The exterior walls would be covered with tule mats. According to the This was on display in the Museum of North Idaho display:
“Tules swell with rain and snow, providing great insulation in winter; likewise, they shrink in the summer, providing shade and allowing the air to circulate.”
The historic photo shown above shows a summer village with the Plains-type tipis which came into use after the acquisition of the horse. This was on display in the Museum of North Idaho.
According to the Museum of North Idaho display:
“The Coeur d’Alenes began using teepees after the acquisition of the horse by the 1730s. Horses made hunting easier, providing extra hides for making these dwellings. Later, when canvass became available through trade, it was used instead of hides. Teepees were used as temporary shelters for hunting, large social gathering and gathering forays.”
Clothing
With regard to women’s clothing, Josephine Paterek, in her book Encyclopedia of American Indian Costume, reports:
“The earliest attire was a simple wraparound skirt and poncho top, both of skin.”
With the fur trade in the early nineteenth century and the reservation era in the late nineteenth century, women’s clothing changed and dresses made from commercial fabrics became the norm.
Shown above is a beaded wool dress and a twined cylinder gathering bag. These were made by Coeur d’Alene artist Leanne Campbell and displayed in the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Washington.
Shown above is a beaded vest. This was on display in the Museum of North Idaho in Coeur d’Alene.
Shown above are a feather headdress and a breast plate. This was on display in the Museum of North Idaho in Coeur d’Alene.
Canoes
For most of the Plateau tribes, canoes were an important means of transportation, particularly before the coming of the horse.
Shown above is a sturgeon-nose canoe. This was on display in the Museum of North Idaho.
With regard to the unusual shape of the sturgeon-nose canoes, John Jennings, in his book Bark Canoes: The Art and Obsession of Tappan Adney, observes:
“They are, however, strikingly similar to the bark canoes of the Amur River of Asia, which forms the eastern boundary between China and Russia and flows into the Sea of Okhotsk.”
Spirituality
Spirituality was closely intertwined with all other aspects of life. In their chapter in the Handbook of North American Indians, Deward Walker and Helen Scchuster write:
“Dreams, vision, and associated spirit beliefs are probably the most ancient and fundamental forms of religious belief and practice in the Plateau.”
With regard to the Coeur d’Alene, a display in the Museum of North Idaho states:
“The religion was primarily animistic, that is, it looked on objects and animals as possessing a power which a human may gain, and it focused upon the deity of the sweat which was a single, benevolent force that created the order of the universe as well as humans, animals, plants, and spirits.”
Shown above is the exhibit on the spiritual world in the Museum of North Idaho.
One of the important elements in Plateau spirituality and healing is the sweatlodge.
The historic photo above shows the frame of a sweat lodge. This was on display in the Museum of North Idaho
According to the Museum of North Idaho display:
“The structure, although possessing sacred significance, was also used for secular activities which promoted socialization. In the sweat one could learn behaviors necessary for group cohesiveness, practical cleansing and fellowship.”
The sweat was an important part of hunting rituals. Before hunting, the hunters would sweat to cleanse themselves spiritually and mentally and to eliminate their human scent.
The Reservation
The Coeur d’Alene Reservation was created in 1873 by Presidential Order and included all of Lake Coeur d’Alene and the lower Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe Rivers. However, in 1891, the reservation was reduced to only 345,000 acres.
According to the Museum of North Idaho display:
“What’s not obvious by looking at this map is that by 1906 many Coeur d’Alene farmers had thousands of acres under cultivation, complete with modern homes, barns and outbuildings, but were stripped of some of these assets for sale to White settlers flooding into the area.”
Historic Photos
Shown below are some historic photos which were on display in the Museum of North Idaho.
Indians 101/201
Indians 201 is an expansion of an earlier essay: More tribal profiles from this series:
Indians 101: A Brief Overview of the Assiniboine Indians
Indians 201: A very short overview of the Chickasaw Indians
Indians 201: A short overview of the Duwamish Indians
Indians 101: A very short overview of the Havasupai Indians
Indians 101: A Short Overview of the Huron Indians
Indians 201: A very short overview of the Kiowa Indians
Indians 101: A Very Short Overview of the Mohave Indians
Indians 101: A very short overview of the Timucua Indians
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