Note 145 — Chapter XXI

Franchère here mentions the three great Indian stocks of the Upper Columbian waters. For the Snake or Shoshoni, see Bradbury’s Travels, vol. v of our series, note 123.

The Pierced-Noses (Nez Percés) belong to the Shahaptian family, of which the Chopunnish, the principal tribe, usually goes by the name of Nez Percé. Lewis and Clark named eight bands of this tribe whom they met or heard of in the mountains and on the waters of the Snake or Lewis River (whose Indian name was Shahaptin). Kindred tribes were the Umatilla, Wallawalla, and Klikitat. There are at present about one thousand five hundred Nez Percés (Chopunnish) at their agency in Idaho, and about one hundred and twenty-five at the Coville Agency in Washington.

Flathead is the generic name applied to the great Salishan family, which occupied most of the coast north of the Columbia, in Northwestern Washington, a large part of Vancouver Island and British Columbia, and spreading to the Northern branches of the Columbia and Clark’s River. The Flatheads proper (sometimes called Tushepaw) lived upon the upper waters of the Columbia north of the Shoshoni, and the northwestern tributaries of the Missouri. There are at present upon the Flathead reservation in Montana over one thousand five hundred of these Indians, from different allied tribes.—Ed.