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Spokane/Kalispel/Flathead Salish Language

Spokane, Kalispel (Pend d'Oreille), and Flathead (Salish proper) are three Salishan languages of the northwestern United States, so closely related to each other that most linguists consider them dialects of a single Salish language. There are around 200 speakers of the three Salish dialects on reservations in Montana and Washington state. Most speakers are elders now, especially among the Spokane, but some younger Salish people are working to keep their ancestral language alive.

˜Salish Language

Salish language samples and resources.

˜Flathead Salish Culture and History

Information and links about the Flathead Salish tribe past and present.

˜Kalispel Culture and History

Information and links about the Kalispel/Pend d'Oreille tribe past and present.

˜Spokane Culture and History

Information and links about the Spokane tribe past and present.

˜Salish Legends

Introduction to Salish mythology.

˜Salish Language Resources –

Our Online Salish Materials

Salish Vocabulary
Our list of vocabulary words in the Spokane, Kalispel, and Flathead Salish languages, with comparison to words in other Salishan languages.

Salish Language Lessons and Linguistic Descriptions

Kalispel Language
Scanned-in images from a Kalispel dictionary, grammar, and texts.

Lord's Prayer in Kalispel

Language Museum: Flathead-Kalispel:
Christian prayers translated into the Salish language.

Salish Placenames:
Pacific Northwest place names in Spokane, Lushootseed, Shuswap, Straits Salish, Bella Coola, and Coeur d'Alene.

Kalispel-Pend D'oreille Language

Spokane Langauge
Demographic information about the Spokane/Flathead Salish language from the Ethnologue of Languages.

Links, References, and Additional Information

Lengua Flathead-Kalispel:
Information on the Salish language in Spanish.
Salish Language:
Salish links.

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