AIRWAY HEIGHTS, WA – Throughout the month of November, the Kalispel Tribe and Northern Quest Resort & Casino will be celebrating Native American Heritage Month with cultural events, performances, vendors, and a host of other activities – all open for the public to enjoy.
“Native American Heritage Month is a time to reflect not only on the victories of our people, but also on the adversity we’ve overcome throughout the years,” said Kalispel Tribal Council Member and Northern Quest Resort & Casino General Manager Nick Pierre. “This event continues to grow each year, and we’re thrilled to share our tribal culture and traditions with the community.”
La Rive Spa will feature a Lavender and Sage Gel-Ohh! Pedicure, drawing inspiration from the herbs often used in medicine bags to heal physical and spiritual ailments. Masselow’s Steakhouse, EPIC, East Pan Asian Cuisine and Neon pizza will offer culinary specials with tribally inspired menu items featuring popular Pacific Northwest ingredients.
This year, a newly added sporting event includes a partnership between Eastern Washington University Football and the Kalispel Tribe. The EWU football team brought awareness to Native American Heritage Month and honored the tribe by wearing “uł pql̓qeyn” (oo-th p-kill-cane), the word for “Eagles” in Salish, the native language of the Kalispel Tribe, on their helmets during the game against Montana State University. The Salish National Anthem was sung by Oakley Bluff, an 11-year-old Kalispel descendant and sixth grade student at Cusick Junior/Senior High School. The halftime performance featured a traditional tribal Jingle Dance performed by Miss Qlispé, Feather Auld, an 18-year-old Kalispel descendant and enrolled Salish Kootenai tribal member who is currently a senior at North Central High School.
Northern Quest is hosting a variety of free and ticketed events throughout November, all of which are open for the public to attend. Tickets and more details about the events listed below can be found at www.northernquest.com/native-american-heritage-month.
Also, visitors to Northern Quest can explore traditional Kalispel tribal culture and learn more about the history of the tribe. In the late 1800s, the Kalispels were in desperate need of protection and security. In 1887, the Kalispel Tribe was pressured by the United States government to move away from their homeland to another reservation in Montana. Chief Masselow remained steadfast in his refusal to leave the area, even though the tribal population had dwindled from 1,600 tribal members to approximately 100 in 1911. In 1914, the tribe was granted its own reservation by executive order on their ancestral homeland in Usk, WA, located 55 miles north of Spokane. In the last 135 years, the Kalispel Tribe has faced many challenges associated with life in remote rural areas – including unemployment, inadequate housing, substance abuse, limited economic opportunities, and prejudice. With most of the land on the small reservation unsuitable for development, the tribe was forced to develop innovative ways to create opportunity for tribal members.
One of those ideas was to purchase additional land away from the small reservation and build a casino where tribal members could count on gainful employment. In 1996, the tribe secured approximately 300 acres of land in Airway Heights, including 40 acres of Reservation Trust Land designated for gaming. Since the opening of Northern Quest Resort & Casino in 2000, tribal health and social service programs have increased the quality and life expectancy for tribal members and those who live in surrounding communities. Today, the Kalispel Tribe has nearly 500 members. Approximately 35 percent of those members are under the age of 18. The smallest percentage of members are tribal elders. The tribe now maintains several successful businesses, provides more than 2,300 jobs, and has donated more than $24 million to regional and non-profit organizations in Spokane and Pend Oreille Counties.