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The Coeur d'Alene (also ''Skitswish''; natively ''Schi̲tsu'umsh'') are a Native American nation and one of five
federally recognized tribes This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...
in the state of
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 Wyom ...
. The Coeur d'Alene have sovereign control of their
Coeur d'Alene Reservation The Coeur d'Alene Reservation is a Native American reservation in northwestern Idaho, United States. It is home to the federally recognized Coeur d'Alene people, Coeur d'Alene, one of the five federally recognized tribes in the state. It is locat ...
, which includes a significant portion of
Lake Coeur d'Alene Lake Coeur d'Alene, officially Coeur d'Alene Lake ( ), is a natural dam-controlled lake in North Idaho, located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. At its northern end is the city of Coeur d'Alene. It spans in length and rang ...
and its submerged lands. In ''
Idaho v. United States ''Idaho v. United States'', 533 U.S. 262 (2001), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that the United States, not the state of Idaho, held title to lands submerged under Lake Coeur d'Alene and the St. Joe River, and that ...
'' (2001), the
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
ruled against the state's claim of the submerged lands of the lower third of Lake Coeur d'Alene and related waters of the St. Joe River. It said that the Coeur d'Alene were the traditional owners and that the Executive Branch and Congress had clearly included this area in their reservation, with compensation for ceded territory. This area was designated in 1983 by the
Environmental Protection Agency A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
as
Bunker Hill Mine and Smelting Complex The Bunker Hill Mine and Smelting Complex (colloquially the Bunker Hill smelter) was a large smelter located in Kellogg, Idaho, in the Coeur d'Alene Basin. When built, it was the largest smelting facility in the world.National Research Council, 2 ...
, the nation's second-largest
Superfund Superfund is a United States federal environmental remediation program established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The program is administered by the United States Environmental Pro ...
site for cleanup. Concerned at the slow pace of progress, in 1991 the tribe filed suit against mining companies for damages and cleanup costs, joined in 1996 by the United States and in 2011 by the state of Idaho. Settlements were reached with major defendants in 2008 and 2011, providing funds to be used in removal of hazardous wastes and restoration of habitat and natural resources. Historically the Coeur d'Alene occupied a territory of 3.5 million acres in present-day
northern Idaho The Idaho Panhandle—locally known as North Idaho—is a salient region of the U.S. state of Idaho encompassing the state's 10 northernmost counties: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, and Sho ...
,
eastern Washington Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the Hanfor ...
and
western Montana Western Montana is the western region of the U.S. state of Montana. The most restrictive definition limits western Montana only to the parts of the state west of the Continental Divide. Other common definitions add in the mountainous areas east ...
. They lived in villages along the Coeur d'Alene, St. Joe, Clark Fork, and
Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...
rivers, as well as sites on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene,
Lake Pend Oreille Lake Pend Oreille ( ) in the northern Idaho Panhandle is the largest lake in the U.S. state of Idaho and the 38th-largest lake by area in the United States, with a surface area of . It is long, and deep in some regions, making it the fifth-dee ...
, and
Hayden Lake Lake Hayden, also known as Hayden Lake, is a lake located Kootenai County, Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–Unit ...
. Their native language is Snchitsu'umshtsn, an
Interior Salish The Interior Salish languages are one of the two main branches of the Salishan language family, the other being Coast Salish. It can be further divided into Northern and Southern subbranches. The first Salishan people encountered by American exp ...
an language. They are one of the
Salish language The Salish or Séliš language , also known as Kalispel–Pend d'oreille, Kalispel–Spokane–Flathead, or Montana Salish to distinguish it from other Salishan languages, is a Salishan language spoken (as of 2005) by about 64 elders of the Fla ...
peoples, which tribes occupy areas of the inland plateau and the coastal areas of the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...
.


Name

The French name ''Cœur d'Alêne'' translates to "heart of an awl". The name is first recorded by the
Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...
(1805) and was later popularly said to have been given by French traders to one of the chiefs of the tribe noted for his stinginess. The alternative name ''Skitswish'' is recorded by
Alexander Henry the younger Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
in 1810 (as ''Skeetshue'') and by George Gibbs in '' Pacific Railroad Report'' vol. 1 (1853). This is an exonym used by the
Sahaptin The Sahaptin are a number of Native American tribes who speak dialects of the Sahaptin language. The Sahaptin tribes inhabited territory along the Columbia River and its tributaries in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Sahaptin-s ...
. The self-designation ''Schi̲tsu'umsh'' is reported from Coeur d'Alene phrasebooks since the 1970s. A modern speaker of Coeur d'Alene was reported as interpreting this name as "the discovered people".


Geography

Historically, the Coeur d'Alene lived in what would become the Panhandle region of Idaho and neighboring areas of what is today eastern Washington and western Montana, occupying an area of more than 3.5 million acres (14,164 km2) of grass-covered hills, camas-prairie, forested mountains, lakes, marshes and river habitat. The territory extended from the southern end of Lake Pend Oreille in the north, running along the
Bitterroot Range The Bitterroot Range is a mountain range and a subrange of the Rocky Mountains that runs along the border of Montana and Idaho in the northwestern United States. The range spans an area of and is named after the bitterroot (''Lewisia rediviva' ...
of Montana in the east, to the
Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, prima ...
and North Fork of the Clearwater River in the south, to
Steptoe Butte Steptoe Butte is a quartzite island jutting out of the silty loess of the Palouse hills in Whitman County, Washington, in the northwest United States. The butte is preserved as Steptoe Butte State Park, a publicly owned recreation area located ...
and up to just east of
Spokane Falls Spokane Falls is the name of a waterfall and dam on the Spokane River, located in the central business district in downtown Spokane, Washington. The city of Spokane was also initially named "Spokane Falls". History The Native American name fo ...
in the west. At the center of this region was Lake Coeur d'Alene. The abundant natural resources included
trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...
,
salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...
, and whitefish. The tribe supplemented hunting and gathering activities by fishing the St. Joe and Spokane rivers. They used
gaff hook In fishing, a gaff is a handheld pole with a sharp hook or sideway spike on the distal end, which is used to swing and stab into the body of a large fish like a pickaxe, and then pull the fish out of the water like using a pike pole. Ideally, th ...
s, spears, nets, traps and angled for fish.


History

As one of the
Interior Salish The Interior Salish languages are one of the two main branches of the Salishan language family, the other being Coast Salish. It can be further divided into Northern and Southern subbranches. The first Salishan people encountered by American exp ...
peoples, the Coeur d'Alene people at the time of European contact (1793) subsisted on a combination of fishing, hunting, and gathering of plants, with seasonal migratory patterns and retreating to clustered semi-subterranean dwellings during the winter months. The prehistory of the Salish peoples isn't well known, but available evidence favours the possibility of a recent expansion from the coast to the interior, possibly related to an increase in coastal population about 600 to 900 years ago. The earliest written description of the Coeur d'Alene people comes from the journals of
Alexander Henry the younger Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
, a fur trader with the
North West Company The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what is present-day Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario. With great weal ...
. He and British explorer David Thompson traded and traveled in the area from 1810 to 1814. He wrote about the Coeur d'Alene:
The Skeetshue kitsuishor Pointed Hearts oeur d'AleneIndians dwell further southward Kallispell_or_Pend_d'Oreilles.html" "title="Kalispel_people.html" ;"title="han the Kalispel people">Kallispell or Pend d'Oreilles">Pend d'Oreille The Pend d'Oreille ( ), also known as the Kalispel (), are Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Plateau. Today many of them live in Montana and eastern Washington of the United States. The Kalispel peoples referred to their primary tribal range a ...
tribes], about Skeetshue oeur d'AleneLake and [Spokane] River; they are a distinct nation, and have a different language alishfrom the Flat Heads. They are very numerous, and have a vast number of horses, as their country is open and admits of breeding them in great abundance. Ross Cox, a clerk with the
Pacific Fur Company The Pacific Fur Company (PFC) was an American fur trade venture wholly owned and funded by John Jacob Astor that functioned from 1810 to 1813. It was based in the Pacific Northwest, an area contested over the decades between the United Kingdom o ...
and then the North West Company, spent considerable time at the trading post of
Spokane House Spokane House was a fur-trading post founded in 1810 by the British-Canadian North West Company, located on a peninsula where the Spokane River and Little Spokane River meet. When established, it was the North West Company's farthest outpost in ...
between 1812 and 1817:
The Pointed Hearts, or as the
rench The Rench is a right-hand tributary of the Rhine in the Ortenau ( Central Baden, Germany). It rises on the southern edge of the Northern Black Forest at Kniebis near Bad Griesbach im Schwarzwald. The source farthest from the mouth is that of the ...
Canadians call them, les Coeurs d' Alênes (Hearts of Awls), are a small tribe inhabiting the shores of a lake about fifty miles to the eastward of Spokan House. Their country is tolerably well stocked with beaver, deer, wild-fowl, &c.; and its vegetable productions are similar to those of Spokan. Some of this tribe occasionally visited our fort at the latter place with furs to barter, and we made a few excursions to their lands. We found them uniformly honest in their traffic; but they did not evince the same warmth of friendship for us as the Spokans, and expressed no desire for the establishment of a trading post among them.

About twenty years before our arrival ence in the early 1790s the Spokans and Pointed Hearts were at war, caused by a kind of Trojan origin. A party of the former pokane Indianshad been on a hunting visit to the land of the latter oeur d'Alene and were hospitably received. One day, a young Spokan discovered the wife of a Pointed Heart alone, some distance from the village, and violated her. Although she might have born this in silence from one of her own tribe, she was not as equally forbearing with regard to a stranger, and immediately informed her husband of the outrage. He lost no time in seeking revenge, and shot the Spokan as he entered the village. The others fled to their own lands, and prepared for war. A succession of sanguinary conflicts followed, in the course of which the greatest warriors of both side were nearly destroyed. At the end of a year, however, hostilities ceased; since which period they have been at peace. The two nations now intermarry, and appear to be on the best terms of friendship.

Many of the tribe were converted to
Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
in 1842 by Fr.
Pierre-Jean De Smet Pierre-Jean De Smet, SJ ( ; 30 January 1801 – 23 May 1873), also known as Pieter-Jan De Smet, was a Flemish Catholic priest and member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He is known primarily for his widespread missionary work in the mid-19th ...
, a Belgian
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
missionary from
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
, who was active throughout the Northwest. The twin towns of De Smet and Tensed (originally Temsed), Idaho, are named for him. The United States acquired this territory in 1846 by treaty with Great Britain. European-American settlers and other immigrants began to move from the United States into parts of the territory in the 1840s. After the Indian defeat in the Skitswish War of May–September 1858, many more speculators were attracted after the discovery of silver in 1863 in the north Panhandle near the city of Coeur d'Alene. Mining and development revealed this to be an area of the second-largest silver deposits in the United States. In 1873 the Coeur d'Alene lands were reduced to approximately when President
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
established the
Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation The Coeur d'Alene Reservation is a Native American reservation in northwestern Idaho, United States. It is home to the federally recognized Coeur d'Alene, one of the five federally recognized tribes in the state. It is located in parts of Bene ...
by executive order. Chief Peter Moctelme traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with the President to discuss his disagreement of allotments. Upon ratification, Chief Peter Moctelme's land was reduced by 1/3 and sold to white settlers. The US agreement with the tribe "expressly included part of the St. Joe River (then called the St. Joseph), and all of Lake Coeur d'Alene except a sliver cut off by the northern boundary." As of 1885, Congress had neither ratified the 1873 agreement nor compensated the Tribe. This inaction prompted the Tribe to petition the Government again, to "make with us a proper treaty of peace and friendship ... by which your petitioners may be properly and fully compensated for such portion of their lands not now reserved to them; ndthat their present reserve may be confirmed to them." Successive government acts put a reservation boundary across Lake Coeur d'Alene, rather than following customary practice of using the high water line, and reduced the size of the reservation to near Plummer, south of the town of Coeur d'Alene.


20th century to present

Due to extensive mining and smelting operations in the Panhandle during the 19th and 20th centuries, there was hazardous waste in water discharges and pollution in air emissions. The mining industry "left several thousand acres of land and tributaries, connected to the Coeur d'Alene Basin, contaminated with heavy metals." These mining operations have contributed "an estimated 100 million tons of mine waste to the river system." In the early 21st century, the federally recognized Tribe has approximately 2,000 enrolled citizens. The Tribe manages the sovereign
Coeur d'Alene Reservation The Coeur d'Alene Reservation is a Native American reservation in northwestern Idaho, United States. It is home to the federally recognized Coeur d'Alene people, Coeur d'Alene, one of the five federally recognized tribes in the state. It is locat ...
, which includes the lower third of Lake Coeur d'Alene and the Saint Joe River, and their submerged lands. Members of the tribe reside in such area cities as DeSmet,
Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places In Australia: * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin In Canada: * Inukjuak, Quebec, or " ...
, Parkline, Plummer, St. Maries (part on the reservation, population 734), Tensed, and
Worley Worley may refer to: Places * Worley, Idaho, United States * Worley, Kentucky, United States * Worley, West Virginia, United States * Worley Point, Antarctica People * Worley (surname), people with the surname ''Worley'' * Worley baronets * ...
. In 1935, Ignace Garry was one of a group of chiefs who managed the tribe. In 1949 he was selected as the last traditional chief of the Coeur d'Alene; he served until his death in 1965. During this period the tribe worked to restore its government under the
Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of June 18, 1934, or the Wheeler–Howard Act, was U.S. federal legislation that dealt with the status of American Indians in the United States. It was the centerpiece of what has been often called the "Indian ...
. It gained approval of a written constitution in 1949 and elected representatives to the Tribal Council. In the 1950s, the tribe was one of several that came under termination pressure by the United States Congress. It helped found the
Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Affiliation or affiliate may refer to: * Affiliate (commerce), a legal form of entity relationship used in Business Law * Affiliation (family law), a legal form of family relationship * Affiliate marketing * Affiliate network or affiliation platfo ...
, an organization to represent the Salish peoples in both Coastal and Plateau tribes, and resisted termination of its federal status. Within Idaho, in the late 20th century the Coeur d'Alene organized with the four other federally recognized tribes in the state to form the Five Tribes Council, including the
Kootenai Tribe of Idaho The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho (Kutenai language: ʔaq̓anqmi) is a federally recognized tribe of Lower Kootenai people, sometimes called the Idaho Ksanka. The Ktunaxa ( ; Kutenai pron. ), also known as Kutenai (), Kootenay (predominant spelling in ...
,
Nez Perce The Nez Percé (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning "we, the people") are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who are presumed to have lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest region for at least 11,500 years.Ames, K ...
,
Shoshone-Bannock The Fort Hall Reservation is a Native American reservation of the federally recognized Shoshone- Bannock Tribes (Shoshoni language: Pohoko’ikkateeCrum, B., Crum, E., & Dayley, J. P. (2001). Newe Hupia: Shoshoni Poetry Songs. University Press ...
, and Shoshone-Paiute. The peoples work together for mutual benefit, for instance, in applying for grants or negotiating with the state government on Native American affairs.


Government

The tribe reorganized under a written constitution approved by the
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...
,
United States Department of Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the man ...
, on September 2, 1949, and amended in 1961. The constitution provides for an elected Tribal Council to serve as the legislature and governing body of the Tribe. It defined all tribal members of voting age as the General Council. At the time, the Tribe was still governed by Ignace Garry, the last traditional chief. The seven members of the tribal council are elected by citizens of the tribe to 3-year terms; with staggered expiration years. The elected head of the tribe is the chairman. Since 2005, the chairman has been Chief James Allan ("Chief" is his given first name). Born in 1972 in
Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...
, Allan grew up in Idaho on the Coeur d'Alene Reservation and graduated from Eastern Washington University in Cheney. He served in administrative and elected positions in the tribe and with the
National Congress of American Indians The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is an American Indian and Alaska Native rights organization. It was founded in 1944 to represent the tribes and resist federal government pressure for termination of tribal rights and assimilati ...
in Washington, DC before being elected as chairman."Tribal Council: Chief Bio"
, Coeur d'Alene Tribe website Joseph Garry, son of Chief Ignace, was the first Native American to be elected to the Idaho state legislature. He also served as chairman of the tribe for 10 years. In 1984 his niece,
Jeanne Givens Jeanne Givens (born 1951/1952) is an American politician who served in the Idaho House of Representatives from the 4th district as a member of the Democratic Party. She is a member of the Coeur d'Alene tribe and was the first Native American ...
, was the first Native American woman to be elected to the Idaho state legislature, serving two terms.Maureen Dolan, "The last traditional chief"
''CDA Press,'' 10 November 2010; accessed 30 May 2016 The Coeur d'Alene Tribe operates a health care facility, th
Benewah Medical Center
which opened in 1998. The center was recognized as a national model for Indian Health Care and rural health care. The clinic provides comprehensive primary care services including dental, mental health services, and community health outreach services to both the Native American population and general community.


Economy

Tribal businesses include the Coeur d'Alene Casino, Hotel, and
Circling Raven Golf Club Circling Raven Golf Club is an 18-hole championship golf course in the northwest United States, located in northern Idaho near Worley. It was rated the third best public course in Idaho by '' Golf Digest'' in August 2015. Owned and operated by t ...
in southwestern
Kootenai County Kootenai County ( ) is located in the U.S. state of Idaho. In 2020, the United States Census Bureau estimated the county's population at 171,362, making it the third-most populous county in Idaho and by far the largest in North Idaho, the coun ...
, about three miles (5 km) northwest of
Worley Worley may refer to: Places * Worley, Idaho, United States * Worley, Kentucky, United States * Worley, West Virginia, United States * Worley Point, Antarctica People * Worley (surname), people with the surname ''Worley'' * Worley baronets * ...
and thirty miles (50 km) south of the city of Coeur d'Alene, via
U.S. Route 95 US Route 95 (US 95) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highways, US Highway in the western United States. It travels through the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho, staying inland from the Pacific Coast ...
. Tribal gaming employs about 500 and generates about $20 million in profits annually, funding programs, contributing to economic development. The tribe also operates the Benewah Automotive Center, the Benewah Market, the first three floors of the Coeur d'Alene Resort, and Ace Hardware, which are located a few miles south of Worley at Plummer, in northwestern Benewah County. The tribe has invested in two businesses, a manufacturing plant (BERG Integrated Systems), and a bakery (HearthBread Bakery), in both of which the tribe owns a majority share. The tribal farm covers about . It produces
wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
,
barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...
,
pea The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the flowering plant species ''Pisum sativum''. Each pod contains several peas, which can be green or yellow. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and d ...
s,
lentil The lentil (''Lens culinaris'' or ''Lens esculenta'') is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food crop, the largest pro ...
s, and
canola Close-up of canola blooms Canola flower Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several cultivars of the plant family Brassicaceae. Historically, ...
. It also harvests
timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
among its natural resources.


Culture

Tribal traditions include a respect and reverence for natural law, and for responsible environmental stewardship. The tribe is active in the protection, conservation and enhancement of fish and wildlife resources; as well as conservation issues that impact tribal land and water resources. Traditionally the tribe had a flexible kinship system with both paternal and maternal lines recognized within the extended family. People may claim ancestors on either side, and address all cousins the same. This enabled them to have a flexible society, as they would live in differently sized groups during different seasons, in order to adapt to the environment.


Environmental suit, land claim and compensation

In 1991, the Coeur d'Alene Tribe began the Coeur d'Alene Basin Restoration Project. That year tribal leaders, including Henry SiJohn, Lawrence Aripa, and Richard Mullen, decided to file a lawsuit against the mining companies, as they were concerned that cleanup progress by EPA and the state was too slow in the Basin and at the
Bunker Hill Mine and Smelting Complex The Bunker Hill Mine and Smelting Complex (colloquially the Bunker Hill smelter) was a large smelter located in Kellogg, Idaho, in the Coeur d'Alene Basin. When built, it was the largest smelting facility in the world.National Research Council, 2 ...
Superfund site. They filed suit against
Hecla Mining Hecla Mining is a gold, silver and other precious metals mining company based in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Founded in 1891, is the second-largest mining company that produces silver in the country. This area is known as the Silver Valley (Idaho) ...
Company,
ASARCO Asarco LLC (American Smelting and Refining Company) is a mining, smelting, and refining company based in Tucson, Arizona, which mines and processes primarily copper. The company has been a subsidiary of Grupo México since 1999. Its three la ...
and other companies for damages and recovery of cleanup costs of the site. In 1996 their suit was joined by the United States. In 2001 the United States and the Coeur d'Alene litigated a 78-day trial against Hecla and ASARCO over liability issues. In 2008, ASARCO LLC, reached a settlement of $452 million with the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and United States for the Bunker Hill siteBecky Kramer, "Hecla Mining Co. settles Superfund cleanup lawsuit"
''The Spokesman,'' 14 June 2011; accessed 31 May 2016 after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy."Hecla Mining Company to Pay $263 Million in Settlement to Resolve Idaho Superfund Site Litigation and Foster Cooperation"
Press release, US Department of Justice, 13 June 2011; accessed 31 May 2016 In 2011 the government, the Coeur d'Alene, and the state of Idaho (which joined the suit that year) reached settlement with the Hecla Mining Company to resolve one of the largest cases ever filed under
CERCLA Superfund is a United States federal environmental remediation program established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The program is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency ...
, the Superfund statute. Hecla Mining Company will pay $263.4 million plus interest to the United States and other parties to "resolve claims stemming from releases of wastes from its mining operations. Settlement funds will be dedicated to restoration and remediation of natural resources in the Coeur d'Alene Basin." The trustees intend to restore habitat for fish, birds and other natural resources, for stewardship while working for economic progress in the region. This was one of the top 10 settlement cash awards in Superfund history. In a related case, at the turn of the 21st century, U.S. courts ruled in ''
Idaho v. United States ''Idaho v. United States'', 533 U.S. 262 (2001), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that the United States, not the state of Idaho, held title to lands submerged under Lake Coeur d'Alene and the St. Joe River, and that ...
'' (2001) that the Coeur d'Alene tribe has legal jurisdiction over the submerged land of the lower third of
Lake Coeur d'Alene Lake Coeur d'Alene, officially Coeur d'Alene Lake ( ), is a natural dam-controlled lake in North Idaho, located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. At its northern end is the city of Coeur d'Alene. It spans in length and rang ...
, which the US holds in trust for the tribe, as well as under a related of the St. Joe River.''Idaho v. United States'' 533 U.S. 262 (2001)
JUSTIA: US Supreme Court, accessed 30 May 2016 The case was initiated by the US government to "quiet title" with the state, and the Tribe entered to assert its interest. The State of Idaho had appealed a lower court decision but that was upheld by the
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
. The tribe has worked with the US Department of Justice in filing suit also against the
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
over contamination of the lake and related lands.Dennis Zotigh, "Meet Native America: Paulette E. Jordan, Idaho House Representative"
Blog, National Museum of the American Indian, 19 December 2014; accessed 30 May 2016


Representation in other media

* ''Smoke Signals'' (1998) is an independent film that was set in the Coeur d'Alene Reservation. It was based on the short story, "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona", collected in the book '' The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven'' (1993) by
Sherman Alexie Sherman Joseph Alexie Jr. (born October 7, 1966) is a Spokane- Coeur d'Alene-Native American novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker. His writings draw on his experiences as an Indigenous American with ancestry from se ...
(
Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...
-Coeur d'Alene). Alexie wrote the screenplay and served as film producer. The film focuses on a personal quest journey of two young men from the Coeur d'Alene Reservation. It was an all-Native American production.


Notable people

*
Peter Moctelme Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...
(Chief, Coeur d'Alene Band 1907–1932) *
Sherman Alexie Sherman Joseph Alexie Jr. (born October 7, 1966) is a Spokane- Coeur d'Alene-Native American novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker. His writings draw on his experiences as an Indigenous American with ancestry from se ...
(
Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...
-Coeur d'Alene), author and filmmaker * Lawrence Aripa, one of three leaders who brought the 1991 tribal lawsuit against mining companies for environmental cleanup; vice chairman 1990 to 1998"Lawrence Aripa, 72, CDA tribal elder"
''Lewiston Tribune,'' 14 October 1998; accessed 31 May 2016 *
Mildred Bailey Mildred Bailey (born Mildred Rinker; February 27, 1907 – December 12, 1951) was a Native American jazz singer during the 1930s, known as "The Queen of Swing", "The Rockin' Chair Lady" and "Mrs. Swing". She recorded the songs " For Sentimenta ...
(1907–1951), popular jazz singer and recording artist of the 1930s and 1940s, performed with
Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, ...
and
Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...
, became known as "Mrs. Swing". * Ignace Garry, last traditional chief of the Coeur d'Alene, serving with a group from 1935 to 1948, and as chief from 1949 until his death in 1965. Since then chairmen have been elected democratically. * Joseph Garry, son of Ignace, politician and the first Native American elected to the Idaho State House; also elected as Chairman of the Coeur d'Alene, serving for 10 years. *
Jeanne Givens Jeanne Givens (born 1951/1952) is an American politician who served in the Idaho House of Representatives from the 4th district as a member of the Democratic Party. She is a member of the Coeur d'Alene tribe and was the first Native American ...
, politician; in 1984 she was the first Native American woman elected to the Idaho State House, where she served as representative for four years. She is granddaughter of Ignace Garry and niece of Joseph Garry. She was chair of the North Idaho College Board of Trustees; appointed by President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
to the Board of Directors of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M.,"Jeanne Givens Receives Presidential Appointment"
''The Spokesman-Review,'' 21 November 1997; accessed 30 May 2016 where she served as chair for several years; and served on Board of Directors of Americans for Indian Opportunity
official website *
Janet Campbell Hale Janet Campbell Hale (January 11, 1946 – November 23, 2021) was a Native American writer and professor. She was Coeur d'Alene and of Ktunaxa and Cree descent. In a sparse style that has been compared to Hemingway, Hale's work often explored is ...
, writer *
Paulette Jordan Paulette E. Jordan (born December 7, 1979) is an American politician who served in the Idaho House of Representatives as a member of the Idaho Democratic Party from December 1, 2014 until February 14, 2018. She previously served on the Coeur d†...
, Democratic candidate for
governor of Idaho A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
in 2018 and former member of the
Idaho House of Representatives The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms. The state is divided into 35 districts, each of which elects two representatives to separate se ...
from 2014 to 2018; at her reelection in 2016, she was the only Democrat in state office north of Boise. * Richard Mullen, historian, one of three leaders who brought the 1991 tribal lawsuit against the mining companies for environmental cleanup; also on Tribal Council and served as vice chairman *
Henry SiJohn Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
, Tribal Council, one of three leaders who brought the 1991 tribal lawsuit against the mining companies for environmental cleanup; vice chairman from October 1998 to his death in February 1999AP, "Henry Sijohn, Coeur D'alene Leader"
''Seattle Times,'' 16 February 1999; accessed 31 May 2016 *
Al Rinker Al Rinker (December 20, 1907 – June 11, 1982) was an American musician who began his career as a teen performing with Bing Crosby in the early 1920s in Spokane, Washington. In 1925 the pair moved to Los Angeles, eventually forming the Rhythm ...
, musician and younger brother of Mildred Bailey, grew up on the reservation. Member of the popular trio "The Rhythm Boys" with Bing Crosby and Harry Barris through 1931. *
Charles Rinker Charles Rinker (January 14, 1911 – December 28, 1989) was an American lyricist who worked frequently with Gene de Paul and Bob Rothberg, among others. His older brother, Al Rinker, was one of the famous Rhythm Boys with Bing Crosby in the lat ...
, lyricist and younger brother of Mildred Bailey, grew up on the reservation. Active in Los Angeles.


See also

Neighboring tribes: *
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation is the federally recognized tribe that controls the Colville Indian Reservation, which is located in northeastern Washington, United States. It is the government for its people. The Confederate Tr ...
* Kootenai-Salish (Flatheads) *
Nez Perce The Nez Percé (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning "we, the people") are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who are presumed to have lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest region for at least 11,500 years.Ames, K ...
*
Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...


Notes


Further reading

* Chalfant, Stuart A; Bischoff, William N. ''Historical Material Relative to Coeur d'Alene Indian Aboriginal Distribution''. New York: Garland Pub. Inc, 1974 * Cody, Edmund R. ''History of the Coeur d'Alene Mission of the Sacred Heart: Old Mission, Cataldo, Idaho : on the Union Pacific between Spokane and Wallace and on the Yellowstone Trail between Coeur d'Alene and Kellogg''. Caldwell, Idaho : Caxton Printers, 1930
"Coeur d’Alene"
''Idaho Encyclopedia'' * ''The Coeur D'Alene Indian Reservation.'' Fairfield, Wash.: Ye Galleon Press, 1970. * Diomedi, Alexander. ''Sketches of Modern Indian Life.'' Woodstock, Md., 1894 (A photocopy of the original is available for viewing in Manuscripts Archives and Special Collections,
Washington State University Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant unive ...
in Pullman, WA.) * Fahey, John. ''Saving the Reservation: Joe Garry and the Battle to Be Indian.'' Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2001. * Fortier, Ted. ''Religion and Resistance in the Encounter between the Coeur d'Alene Indians and Jesuit Missionaries.'' Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin Mellen Press, 2002. * Frey, Rodney, edited. ''Stories that Make the World: Oral Literature of the Indian Peoples of the Inland Northwest as told by Lawrence Aripa, Tom Yellowtail and other Elders.'' Norman and London: University of Oklahoma Press, 1995. * Frey, Rodney, in collaboration with the Schitsu'umsh. ''Landscape Traveled by Coyote and Crane: The World of the Schitsu'umsh (Coeur d'Alene Indians).'' Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 2001. * Hale, Janet Campbell. ''Bloodlines: Odyssey of a Native Daughter.'' New York: Random House, 1993. * Hart, E. Richard, "The Coeur D'Alene Tribe's Claim to Lake Coeur D'Alene," ''American Indian Culture and Research Journal,'' 24:1) (2000):183–188. * Johnson, Lawrence and Peterson, Jacqueline. ''The People today – Closing the circle.'' Pullman, Wash.: Washington State Univ., c1993. (This is a video recording by Lawrence Johnson Productions and the De Smet Project "Sacred Encounters.") * Johnson, Robert Erik. ''The Role of Phonetic Detail in Coeur d'Alene Phonology.'' Pullman, Washington: Washington State University, 1975. Thesis (Ph.D.) * Kowrach, Edward and Thomas Connolly, edited. ''Saga of the Coeur d'Alene Indians: An Account of Chief Joseph Seltice.'' Fairfield, Washington: Ye Galleon Press, 1990. * ''Mainstream'' (video recording). Spokane School District #81. Spokane, Wash.: KSPS-TV ; distributed by GPN Films, 1977. (From an essay "Beyond Mainstream America" by Janet Campbell-Hale. Featuring Diana Abrahamson, Torry Abrahamson, Lorena Abrahamson, Cecilia Abrahamson, Louie Andrews, Dave Edinger, Tillie Mommee. This segment explores the resurgence of pride in tribal values and identities and explores the life-styles, culture and lore of the Colville, Flathead, Coeur d'Alene, Kalispel, Kootenai, Nez Perce, and Spokane Indians.) * Manring, Benjamin Franklin. ''The Conquest of the Coeur d'Alenes, Spokanes and Palouses – the expeditions of Colonels E.J. Steptoe and George Wright against the "northern Indians" in 1858.'' Spokane, Wash.: Printed by Inland Printing Company, 1912. * Nicodemus, Lawrence G. ''Snchitsuumshtsn : the Coeur d'Alene Language : A Modern Course.'' Plummer, Idaho : Coeur d'Alene Tribe, 1975. * ''The Old Mission Church of the Coeur d'Alene Indians.'' Spokane: Gonzaga College Press. * Palladino, Lawrence B. ''The Coeur d'Alene Reservation and Our friends the Coeur d'Aleine Indians.'' Fairfield, Wash.: Galleon Press, 1967. * Peterson, Jacqueline. ''Sacred Encounters: Father DeSmet and the Indians of the Rocky Mountain West.'' Pullman: The DeSmet Project, Washington State University in association with the Norman and London: University of Oklahoma Press, 1993. * Peltier, Jerome. ''Manners and Customs of the Coeur d'Alene Indians.'' Spokane: Peltier: Publications, 1975. * Peltier, Jerome. ''A Brief History of the Coeur d'Alene Indians: 1806–1909''. Fairfield, Washington: Ye Galleon Press, 1981. * Point, Nicolas, ''Wilderness Kingdom. Indian Life in the Rocky Mountains: 1840–1847; The Journal and Paintings of Nicolas Point. S.J. Translated by Joseph Donnelly.'' New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1967. * Ray, Verne. ''Cultural Relations in the Plateau of Northwestern America''. Los Angeles: Publications of the Frederick Webb Hodge Anniversary Publication Fund, Vol. 3., 1939. * Reichard, Gladys. ''An Analysis of Coeur d'Alene Indian Myths.'' Philadelphia: American Folklore Society, 1947. New York: Kraus Reprint, 1969. * Teit, James and Franz Boas. ''Coeur d'Alene, Flathead and Okanogan Indians.'' Fairfield, Washington: Ye Galleon Press, 1985. (Originally published in 1930 as part of the Forty-Fifth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology.) * Teit, James and Franz Boas. ''Folk-Tales of Salish and Sahaptin Tribes.'' Lancaster, Pennsylvania: American Folklore Society, 1917
Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection


External links

*
Coeur d’Alene CasinoIdaho v. US

Trail of the Coeur d’AlenesCoeur d’Alene Tribal SchoolPlummer Wind Energy ProjectHome Page of the Cherokees of Idaho
- University of Washington Digital Collection


Language


Hnqwa̱'qwe'elm language




{{authority control Indigenous languages of the North American Plateau Native American tribes in Idaho Native American tribes in Montana Native American tribes in Washington (state) Interior Salish Federally recognized tribes in the United States