Amelia "Amy" Cutsack Trice (April 26, 1936 – July 21, 2011) was a Native American leader from

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

. Born in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Trice was the chairwoman of the

Kootenai The Kutenai ( ), also known as the Ktunaxa ( ; ), Ksanka ( ), Kootenay (in Canada) and Kootenai (in the United States), are an indigenous people of Canada and the United States. Kutenai bands live in southeastern British Columbia, northern ...

Tribal Council. In 1974, while chairman, the Kootenai tribe declared war on the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

In the 1930s, the Kootenai Indians lived in
tipis A tipi , often called a lodge in English, is a conical tent, historically made of animal hides or pelts, and in more recent generations of canvas, stretched on a framework of wooden poles. The word is Siouan, and in use in Dakhótiyapi, Lakȟó ...
near Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Their allotment lands had been dissipated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. A local physician managed to persuade the government to build eighteen houses. These had running water, but no bathing facilities, which were provided in a
community center Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...
. By the 1970s nothing had changed. The Bureau of Indian Affairs asserted that the tribe had too small an enrollment to qualify for any assistance. Amy Trice decided to do something about it.

Declared on Sept. 20, 1974, the Kootenai War began when

... tribal members set up informational pickets and asked for 10-cent tolls on U.S. Highway 95 on the north and south sides of Bonners Ferry ... "The state police came with Mace and sawed-off shotguns," Trice said at the time. "The closest thing we had to a weapon in our tribal office was a
fly swatter A fly-killing device is used for pest control of flying insects, such as houseflies, wasps, moths, gnats, and mosquitoes. Flyswatter A flyswatter (or fly-swat, fly swatter) usually consists of a small rectangular or round sheet of some acros ...
." Trice had an ace in the hole. She said she was prepared to call the
American Indian Movement The American Indian Movement (AIM) is a Native American grassroots movement which was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in July 1968, initially centered in urban areas in order to address systemic issues of poverty, discrimination, and police br ...
for help, the same organization that had gotten into an armed standoff at Wounded Knee, S.D., a year earlier.

Within a few weeks, the tribe was able to get a concession and land grant from the federal government. Trice was also known for her efforts to preserve traditional Kutenai culture and beliefs. She was fond of playing stick game, and took up

water aerobics Water aerobics (waterobics, aquarobics, aquatic fitness, aquafitness, aquafit) is the performance of aerobic exercise in water such as in a swimming pool. It is done mostly vertically and without swimming typically in waist deep or deeper water. W ...

in her 60s. "She was a founding member of Upper Columbia United Tribes (UCUT), received the Women of Color Alliance Breaking Barriers for Women of Color in Idaho Award and the Chairman's Award from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes."

Notes

External links

Idaho's Forgotten War
documentary {{DEFAULTSORT:Trice, Amelia 1936 births 2011 deaths 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native Americans Female Native American leaders Ktunaxa people People from Bonners Ferry, Idaho Women in Idaho politics 20th-century Native American women 21st-century Native American women