The Ktunaxa–also known as Kootenai, Kutenai or Kootenay–are an indigenous people of North America. They are one of three tribes of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation in Montana, and they form the Ktunaxa Nation in British Columbia. There are also small populations in Idaho and Washington in the United States. The Flathead Reservation is home to the Bitterroot Salish and Pend d’Oreilles tribes as well.
Ktunaxa is the term that these tribes call themselves, which is pronounced Ta-na-ha, with a barely perceptible ‘k’ sound at the beginning of the word. Traditionally these people have been known as Kootenay in Canada and Kootenai in the United States. The latter terms are an anglicism of the Blackfoot word used to refer to the Ktunaxa.
Visit the Ktunaxa Nation’s official website at http://www.ktunaxa.org/