Kootenaian

The Kootenaian language is considered an isolate by linguists. The Ktunaxa (Kutenai) dialect is not related to the neighbouring Salishian languages. The origin of the Kootenay speakers is unclear, therefore.

The Kootenaian peoples created a fundamentally egalitarian society in that the communal effort required for hunting and gathering did not favour one gender over the other. It was believed that the elder women had a greater wealth of knowledge. Each village had a hereditary leader supported by a council of elders. A special chief was elected both for the annual buffalo hunt across the foothills and for the times the Kootenaian were at war, particularly with the Blackfoot.

The sweat bath ritual purified the body and the spirit. A sweat lodge was constructed from a willow branch frame and was covered by cedar boughs. Lava stones were heated and hot water was poured over them to create steam. Four steam phases were part of the ritual, which involved a period of time in the sweat lodge, then a plunge into the cold water of a nearby river. The sweats were also performed with fasts, and for medicinal and spiritual purposes. Among the Kootenay, shamans often turned to bloodletting as a remedy for illness. The Kootenay followed many of the spiritual customs of the Plains, including the Sun Dance and reverence for the medicine bundle.