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Movie reveals untold story of the National Bison Range

MISSOULA – A free showing of the film “In the Spirit of ʔAtatíc̓eʔ: The Untold Story of the National Bison Range,” which was sponsored and produced by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, will screen at the Wilma at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15.

The event is sponsored by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana, the Wilderness Society and the National Wildlife Federation in support of the tribes.

The film shares the true story of the foundation of Montana’s National Bison Range long told by tribal elders but not widely shared until now.



In the 19th century, bison had been slaughtered to the edge of extinction and began to fade from the landscape until a Ql̓ispé (Pend d ’Oreille) man named ʔAtatíc̓eʔ and his son helped the bison survive by bringing buffalo calves over the Continental Divide and starting a herd on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

The film depicts the Salish, Ql̓ispé and Kootenai peoples’ ongoing struggles against the backdrop of seismic disruptions to their communities and cultures to prevail in their efforts to care for the buffalo.



Using a cross-section of tribal members to reveal their history, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and filmmaker Daniel Glick produced the 30-minute film to unveil a narrative that continues to reverberate today.

UM’s Mansfield Center promotes ethics in public affairs and global mutual understanding in the spirit of Sen. Mike Mansfield (1903-2001) and his wife and life partner, Maureen Hayes Mansfield. The center houses programs that support these core interests and hallmarks of Sen. Mansfield’s career.

–Univerity of Montana