Boozhoo, indinawemaaganidog! Aaniin! That is to say hello, all of my relatives! Welcome to the SECOND EVER PAID SUBSCRIBER ONLY EDITION! of An Irritable Métis. Maybe you aren’t a paid subscriber and you’re wondering why you’re seeing this? It’s because the way it’s set up you’ll get to see it … up to a point. To see the rest, you have to become a paid subscriber. Frankly, I’m not sure how I feel about this but it’s worth a try. And if you’re someone who really digs this newsletter but just can’t add more expense to your existence, I get it. Just message me and let me know, no questions asked, and I’ll hook you up. I want a community here, not customers.
I’ve been visiting the Flathead Reservation almost my entire life. When I was young, my grandparents lived just north of it and we had to drive through to visit them. I lived on the rez from ‘97 – ‘02, in Ronan. In the last few years, though, I’ve become very attached to it, likely the result of my time teaching poetry there to elementary students. My Little Shell tribe doesn’t have a reservation but many of us live there and our relationships are deeply entwined. I refer to the reservation then as my “step” reservation.
Everything you need to know about how the U.S. government mistreated Native people and reneged on their agreements may be revealed in just a short time studying the interactions they had with the people of this reservation. It is a tragic and rage-making story. But discussing this is something for another day. The purpose of this post, this “photo essay,” is to simply share some of the beauty of the vast landscapes one may find here. It was difficult settling on even this many images (it was hard to not just post pictures of buffalo), especially as I would remember images from other trips that I failed to consider. Perhaps another time.
Most of these images are fairly recent, though a few are several years old. There is no rhyme or reason to the order in which they appear because I’m lazy and didn’t want to think too hard about it. I just hope you like them and find a moment to appreciate the glory of this magnificent place.
