On the 125th anniversary of the forced removal of the Salish from the Bitterroot, a group of Salish people and supporters honored their ancestors with athree-day walk returning to their homeland.
The walkers followed in reverse the path their ancestors walked when they were forced from the Bitterroot Valley onto the Flathead Reservation.
They began Thursday morning, Oct. 13 at a church in Arlee, MT and finished the 55-mile walk in Stevensville, MT on Saturday, Oct. 15. Approximately 50 to 100 participants walked each day, some joining for only a few miles while a handful completed the entire journey.
The walk was not a celebration but a way for the Salish people to honor and understand the sacrifices their ancestors endured.
Video courtesy of Tailyr Irvine.