Distinctly Montana Magazine

62 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 5 - 2 0 2 6 "The People's Center was an awe- some place. It was a place for us to tell our stories, for our three tribes to share who we are as Sqelixw-Aqlsmaknik. That's the Salish and Kootenai name for the people," she said. As the sun rose over the smoking ruins of the People's Center, Toro- sian and her staff feared the worst. Incredibly, the fire had spared the museum wing, as well as the ed- ucational section where cultural programs were held. Once the fire marshal determined it was safe, Torosian and her staff were al- lowed into the scorched building. The sense of loss was crushing, but as they moved through the mess, they be- gan to find reasons for hope. "We were devastated, yet surprised and tearful to see not only what was lost, but what was spared by the plexiglass displays. Smoke, water, heat and soot-dam- aged but intact. That alone gave us renewed strength to lead the way for all the volunteers to help remove each item carefully," she said. "Firefighters worked hard to try to save what they could. They got that hole in the wall and just started putting their hoses in there to douse everything. So it was like mud when we went in there and finally got in there and just started using the shovel to push things out the door the best we could." Several objects were burned be- yond repair, such as moccasins, bone and bead breastplates and eagle feather bustles. As workers pawed through the muck, they began to uncover some items like beaded vests that were coated in the ashy goop but not damaged. The Salish Kootenai College opened a large room in the Joe McDonald building where the surviving objects were laid out to dry. All items were photographed, catalogued and assessed for damage. The arsonist had apparently taken several large paint- ings off the wall in the repository and lined them up to burn, but somehow they were intact, albeit covered in Hundreds of photos were saved from burning, protected by albums. Other photos and negatives were painstak- ingly restored without destroying the emulsion. In the bank vault of the Pablo building, Three Chiefs Program Director Marie Torosian displays a framed photo of a tribal member. All of the paintings and large photos that were restored were fitted with new frames. EDNOR THERRIAULT (2)

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