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Once, Flathead referred to a whole tribe including the Salish, Kootenai, Kalispell, Coeur d’ Alene, Shushawp, and the Colville people. Later, when food was scarce, the tribe divided which developed certain dialects of the same language). In 1855, the Hellgate Treaty made by the government Confederacy, crammed the tribes onto a reservation, they were divided into sub tribes-the Pend d’ Oreilles, Kalispells, Kootenai, and Salish. Soon, the reservation land they were given was divided up among Native American families, while the access was sold to white settlers(allotment) shrinking the reservation drastically.

The Fourth of July powwow has been happening for almost one hundred and five years. The Flathead tribe decided to tell the government it was their way of celebrating the Fourth of July, since there was a ban powwows.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs was asked to control the Indians cultural rituals as they were considered savage and evil; Pow Wows were forbidden. The tribe was successful at convincing them to celebrate the 4th of July and the government let them dance, sing, drum, and visit once every year on the Fourth of July weekend. It was much shorter than it would have been, but they were grateful to still be able to practice their traditions. Today, they are still having the powwow on the same weekend almost a decade and some years later.

Source: Personal Interview, Sally Buckley, 2003