Embarking – Kutenai, 1910

Description

Plate 250 from Portfolio 7, titled *“Embarking,”* features a striking image of a woman in a canoe, pulled up to a rocky shoreline, with another woman standing on the shore. Edward Curtis captured this photograph near the southern end of Flathead Lake in Montana, where the Kutenai tribe traditionally lived along the Kootenay River. Today, Kutenai bands reside in southeastern British Columbia, northern Idaho, and western Montana. The Kutenai language is classified as a language isolate, meaning it has no known relationship to other language families. The Kutenai are believed to be descendants of an ancient Blackfeet group that migrated westward from the Great Plains. Their homeland, rich in streams, lakes, and abundant rainfall, provided ample fish and game, making it one of the most resourceful areas of the plateau.