Kids learn to honor river, nature in outdoor event
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MOIESE — A time-honored tradition once again brought hundreds of children into a closer connection with the natural world last week. The annual River Honoring was held May 10-12 at the traditional site near Moiese.
Following an opening ceremony and community barbecue Monday evening, fourth- and fifth-grade students from around the Flathead Reservation spent Tuesday and Wednesday learning from volunteer instructors in fields including fisheries, wildlife, forestry, health, water and air quality and firefighting, to name a few. Groups of students rotated through 20 educational stations at 25-minute intervals, enjoying native games like shinny ball and run-and-scream, then guessing what fish are native or non-native to the Flathead River, then listening quietly as elders recounted stories of the past and emphasized the importance of the river in tribal history.
“You guys gotta respect our water because that’s the only thing that’s keeping us alive,” elder Clara Bourdon told a group of young people.
Historically, the Lower Flathead River has been much more than just a home to the Pend d’Oreille, Salish and Kootenai people. The river not only provides water and fish — bull trout, westslope cutthroat, longnose sucker, large-scale sucker, northern pikeminnow, and mountain whitefish — but also bitterroot and many other edible and medicinal plants that grow along the banks.
The importance of caring for the earth and the cultural significance of the river are just two things that organizers hope kids will take away from the River Honoring experience, said Germaine White, information and education specialist with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
