Tribes celebrate dam change with community event

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes invite the community to a event Saturday to commemorate the tribal acquisition of Kerr Dam near Polson.

The tribal community and general public are invited to the event, which includes a luncheon and commemorative gifts of T-shirts and posters. Traditional regalia is welcome and dancers in regalia are welcome to participate in the opening procession.

The community commemoration and luncheon will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in the Joe McDonald Gymnasium on the Salish Kootenai College campus at 58138 U.S. 93 in Pablo.

“This is a milestone for our community,” Tribal Council Chairman Vernon Finley said in a news release.  

“The construction of the Kerr Project in the 1930s marked a time of significant cultural and economic changes for our tribes. Today as we look to the future, we anticipate that the project, which once exemplified destruction to our way of life, may now help restore and revitalize our tribes as we continue the important work of protecting our reserved and aboriginal lands, caring for our people and preserving our cultural resources.”