Tribe reflects on anniversary of war declaration
<p>Kootenai Tribal Office on First Street, 1974 – Edgar B. Stephenson Collection. (Photo courtesy BOUNDARY COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM)</p>
BONNERS FERRY — Kootenai Tribe of Idaho chair Gary Aitken Jr. comes from a long line of strong leaders.
His grandmother, Amy Trice, was chairwoman of the tribe in 1974 when, on Sept. 20, the tribe declared war on the United States.
Now, 40 years later to the day, Aitken and the tribe commemorated Saturday anniversary of this symbolic war-of-the-pen, with a showing of Sonja Rosario’s documentary, “Idaho’s Forgotten War: A Lost Tale of Courage”.
“All the good we enjoy, we owe to these leaders,” Aitken said. “They went through the tough decisions and hard times to pave the way for us. Through hardship and sacrifice, they blazed a trail and forged new ground for a better life.”
Aitken says the tribe has prospered since around 60 members of the tribe that were left in 1974 boarded up the tribal office in Bonners Ferry and began drumming and singing, while armed and nervous police officers surrounded the building.
“It was a time when we had to stand up for ourselves to make things right,” Aitken says. “We had to believe in ourselves, and believe that we were important enough to stand up for.”
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