1960-01-01 Char-Koosta News

              CHAR-KOOSTA
PUBLISHED »Y CONFEDERATED SAUSH AND KOOTENAI TRIBES, FLATHEAD AGENCY, MONT. Vol. 4 — No. 1 January 1960
Pend d'Oreilles Once Roamed Throughout State
This picture commemorates the Pend-d'Oreille Indians that once occupied the Ronan area.
At the time of the white intrusion, the Pend d'Oreille had been driven westward across the Rocky Mountains, no doubt by the Blackfoot after the acquisition of horses, and were occupying the region near Flathead Lake and the Mission mountains in western Montana. Legends among the Pend d'Oreille supplement the findings of present day archaeologists, archcological findings indicate that at one time the Pend d'Oreilles had penetrated into the center of the plains area of Montana.
With the arrival of the whites, the Pend d'Oreille were a larger Tribe than their closely related and allied neighbors, the Flathead Salish, whose territory Jay to the south of them. Apparently at one time, perhaps at the time one group went to the plains, the Pend d'-Onille separated, with one group becoming known as the lower Pend d'Oreille because of their habitat in Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington.   Repre-
sentatives of the Montana group have been designated the Upper Pend d'Oreille.
Altho' some of the old time Indians claim that the Lower Pend d'Oreille should be called the Kalispell, for they too, speak very much or nearly the same language as the Upper Pend d'Oreille, although the meanings and words in some instances are quite different.
In 1854, the Jesuits built St. Ignatius mission in the center of the Upper Pend-d'Oreille territory because it seemed to the priests that from that location better service could be given to more Lndians. When in 1855, Governor Stevens arrived in western Montana to conclude a treaty with the Indians of this region, he insisted that the Flathead Salish leave their home and move into a reservation to be created on Pend d'Oreille land, one of the reasons stemmed from the fact that the Pend d'Oreille were the larger Tribe, hence dislocation would result if the Salish moved.
Unfortunately, over the years the Pend d'Oreille have lost their identity
Health Offices Moved to St. Ignatius
On January 11, the Indian Health office moved from the Agency at Dixon to the old Health Clinic building on old Highway US 93 near the St. Ignatius Mission in St. Ignatius, Montana.
The purpose of the move, according to Dr. Charles S. McCammon, Billings Area Medical Office, USPHS, Division of Indian Health, is to locate the office nearer the center of Indian population.
Telephone number for the Indian Health Office is SH 5-2442; for the Dental Clinic SH 5-2457; mailing address is P. O. Box 797, St. Ignatius.
According to Dr McCammon the old clinic building has been completely renovated providing space not only for the business office and a modern dental clinic but also examining rooms and a nurses workroom. The examining rooms will be used by the District Health Department, Poison, for well child and immunization clinic.
Dr. McCammon also announced that Dr. James K. Harrower, Dental Officer for the Flathead Health Unit, has been designated as the Officer in Charge at the PHS unit. He further explained that Mr. Arnold Dupuis would continue to have the primary responsibility for the contract patient care program. "We had hoped to have a medical officer assigned to the Flathead Unit," he said, "¦but we have been unsuccessful in efforts to recruit a medical doctor. The designation of Dr. Harrower as Officer in Charge was made because he is the ranking employee and a professional staff member."
New Procedures for Authorization
Dr. McCammon pointed out that because of the continuing rising cost of the Flathead medical care program it had become necessary to insist on strict compliance with regulation regarding eligibility. "It has become necessary to reduce the cost of the operation of this program by at least 25 percent of last year's costs," he said.
Dr. McCammon outlined the following procedures to be followed in obtaining medical and hospital care:
1. Must complete Social Economic Form before authorization.
2. Authorization must be obtained before PHS will pay for care.
3. Emergency care first priority.
4. Procedure on emergencies.
5. Outpatient care.
6. Expectant Mothers.
7. Elective Care—elective drugs.
as a different group and through intermarriage have fused and become known only as the Flathead. Only a very few old timers still cling to their own Tribal distinction.
Pend d'Oreilles shown abouve, sitting, left to right Louie Durgeloh, Larry Parker and Bill Durgeloh. Standing, Mrs De-lores Durgeloh, Pat Adams and Mrs Adeline Adams.
These persons and other members of the Pend d'Oreille. have formed their own dance troup and are" available for celebrations or programs-.-Pat Adams is acting as manager for the group.