Hunting-Wildlife Species

A wide variety of wildlife species were traditionally used by Sinixt People as their territory held a wealth of diverse wildlife “resources”. According to Prentiss and Kujit in ‘Complex Hunter-Gatherers’, “although a variety of other protein sources, such as resident fish, birds, and small mammals, was important to aboriginal populations, ungulate resources were nearly as important as, and in some cases more important than, salmon.” Important ungulate species included elk, moose, caribou, mule deer, white-tailed deer, big horn sheep, and mountain goat.

Although buffalo did not exist within traditional Sinixt territory, it has been documented as part of the Sinixt diet. Kettle Falls was a major center for trading, and southern tribes in the US would trade dried buffalo meat and hides in exchange for salmon. In the north (Canada), the arrival of the horse took the most skilled hunters and warriors to Blackfoot territory on the Plains (historical enemies) to hunt for buffalo.