Well-worn paths traversed the Pend Oreille River Valley long before the first explorers passed through it.  The trails provided the Kalispel people (Qlispélixʷ) with important links to seasonal food sources, community relations, and trade.

The trail to the buffalo, a long and winding route through canyons and over mountain passes, was among the most important of these Kalispel thoroughfares. Following the introduction of the horse (snč̓łc̓aʔsqáx̣eʔ) to the region in the 1700s, Kalispel hunting parties, often consisting of entire families, traveled the 350-mile route.  The hunting expeditions departed the Pend Oreille River Valley in mid-July and followed the Pend Oreille and Clark Fork rivers before crossing the continental divide and reaching the plains where American Bison—commonly known as buffalo (q̓ʷyq̓ʷay)-lived in abundance.

The Kalispel buffalo hunts lasted three to four weeks before the hunting parties would begin their long journey home, packing with them as much buffalo meat and as many hides (q̓tq̓ett) as they could carry.

Jesuit missionaries (q̓ʷaylqs) introduced agriculture among the Kalispel in the 1840’s, which lessened Kalispel dependence on the seasonal buffalo hunts, but the expeditions remained a part of Kalispel culture until the decimation of the herds by the late 1800’s.

Buffalo returned to prominence for the Kalispel Tribe in 1974, with the tribe acquiring 12 buffalo from the National Park Service out of the herd at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  Several years later, the tribe’s herd doubled with animals acquired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In 1984, the Kalispel Tribe received a Catholic Campaign for Human Development grant to further expand the herd.  Today, the Kalispel buffalo herd numbers over 100 head, roaming over a 600-acre expanse of pasture on the Kalispel Reservation. For tribal members, buffalo not only hold cultural value, but they provide a source of food for the community and employment for the individuals who maintain them.  Furthermore, each year at the annual Kalispel Powwow (esyapqéyn̓iʔ), an animal is selected and butchered to provide a feast for attendees.

In 2013, the buffalo lunch was served for over 2,400 people at the tribal powwow.  The powwow takes place each year in early August at the Kalispel Tribal PowWow grounds in Usk, Washington.

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