Distinctly Montana Magazine

71 w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m Alberta to central Wyoming, the map identifies 14 major trib- utaries of the Missouri River, from the Milk River in the north to the Bighorn River in the south, and includes the location of prominent island mountain ranges interspersed between the rivers. Also listed in the notes is the estimated number of nights travel between each river, which provides the more specific in- formation needed to make the map relevant for exploration. He estimated that traveling the distance on horse from the Milk River to the Bighorn would take approximately 30 nights, or one moon. Just as impressive as its scale was the map's utilitarian de- sign. Its tidy and simple structure provided a reliable context for navigation, and the other descriptive details allowed for a more in-depth understanding of the actual terrain and culture of the region. Feathers's map emphasized the concept of the Con- tinental Divide by drawing two parallel lines that separate the map from top to bottom, showing the Missouri and its tributaries on one side and the Snake and Columbia Rivers on the other. Then, after marking the lay of the land, Ako Mic Mi filled in the ethnographic details by naming 32 different Tribal communities positioned along the rivers, the number of lodges in each vil- lage, and the name of the head chief in each tribe. Ako Mic Mi's knowledge and ability to recall it was built upon a sophisticated network of communication that was hundreds of generations in the making. Long before Montana became a state and its modern borders were drawn, Native people recog- nized the place as a central and pivotal zone unto itself, where the rivers of the earth started and flowed in opposite directions. The state's broad and diverse landscapes contain vibrant eco- systems that made it a bastion for the Plains Indian way of life. Over the course of the past 13,000 years, the archaeological record shows an ebb and flow of people over time, but the last 2,000 years brought dozens of diverse Tribal nations here, and many stayed and continue to maintain their presence on their homelands. Prior to when colonial forces began to dramatically shift the populations of people and wildlife in the 19th century, Mon- tana's Indigenous communities represented a hinterland for some of the largest language families in North America. To the north, the Blackfeet and Cree speak an Algonquin dialect that comes from the Great Lakes. In the east, the Apsáalooke and Lakota have Siouan languages from the Mississippi Valley. Down south, the Shoshone speak a form of Uto-Aztecan, which is centered in Mesoamerica. Out west of the divide, the Bitter- root Salish trace their dialect to the Columbia River and Pacific Coast. Remarkably, the Kootenai language is the only tongue isolated to Montana, although Native people understand their relationships to their homelands as being one of continuity and reciprocity since time immemorial. Montana's ancient character as a blessed but at times hostile land has always kept civilization at bay, and that holds true into the 21st century, with the winter of 2022-23 setting records for cold and snow and even wild animals perishing in large num- bers. Mesoamerican farming and agricultural traditions that Montana's ancient character as a blessed but at times hostile land HAS ALWAYS KEPT CIVILIZATION AT BAY, AND THAT HOLDS TRUE INTO THE 21 ST CENTURY... Sunset along the Red Deer River

• Cover