In Northwestern Montana and across the Idaho line in the panhandle and over the border into Canada live a Nation of people who are called the Kootenai.  They are unique in that they were as at home on the Canadian and Montana plains as the Cedar forest fastness of that region.  The Kootenai hunted some buffalo but also fished for Salmon, which was an important part of their diet,  as well as hunting Elk and Deer.   There weren't too many of them and they did not own much of anything that would cause anyone to war on them.  They were treated badly by the US Government and refused to sign a treaty in 1855.  The government confiscated their ancestral lands through the Dawes Act which broke up their lands into allotments. The Tribe was awarded $425,000 in 1960 because of that action. However, they declared war on the United States in 1974.  They were non-violent and brought much publicity to the problem of Native Rights. From that action they were awarded 12.5 acres near and around the former mission at Bonners Ferry, Idaho.   A proud and strong people.