Happy Indigenous Peoples Day! Traditionally falling on the second Monday of the month of October, we celebrate this day to honor Native American peoples and commemorate their histories and cultures. In Idaho, there are five federally recognized tribes: the Shoshone-Bannock, the Shoshone-Paiute, the Coeur d’Alene, the Kootenai, and the Nez Perce tribes.

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes occupied regions of land in present-day Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Canada. The Bannock tribe was previously known as the Northern Paiute tribe. When the Northern Paiutes left the Nevada and Utah regions for southern Idaho in the 1600s, they began to travel with the Shoshones in pursuit of buffalo, which is when they were referred to as the Bannock tribe. For more information, visit this link. http://www.sbtribes.com/about/

The Shoshone-Paiute tribes formerly occupied areas of what are now Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada. The Western Shoshone was placed on the Duck Valley Reservation in 1877. President Rutherford B. Hayes signed this executive order. For more information, visit this link. https://ballotpedia.org/Shoshone-Paiute_of_the_Duck_Valley_Indian_Reservation

The Coeur d’Alene tribe lived in what would become the Panhandle region of Idaho and spread through the areas of Washington and Montana. With so many water resources around, this provided excellent opportunities for fishing and hunting. For more information, visit this link. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeur_d%27Alene_people#Geography

The Kootenai people lived along the Kootenai River in Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia. On September 20, 1974, the 67 members of the Kootenai Tribe formally declared war on the United States, seeking federal recognition, and it was enacted by S. 634, and signed by President Gerald Ford in October. For more information, visit this link. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kootenai_Tribe_of_Idaho

For the Nex Perce tribe, the Nimiipuu people occupied an area that included parts of present-day Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. They are now headquartered in Lapwai, Idaho. For more information, visit this link. https://nezperce.org/about/

It is important to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day, especially with new generations. Native peoples have been in the Americas for a very long time, and have a rich history and culture. We can celebrate the diversity which makes Idaho an amazing place to live!