Winter Storytelling

Shirley Trahan is the senior translator and language adviser for the Séliš-QỈispé Culture Committee. She is one of the few first-language Séliš speakers left on the Flathead Indian Reservation. In a recent article for Native News, a special project by the University of Montana School of Journalism, Trahan recalled her school days, “All of the teachers were white and punished students for speaking Séliš. ‘That’s one of the reasons why our language started to fade away,’ she said. ‘It wasn’t allowed.’” Shirley has worked diligently with the Culture Committee to preserve and revitalize her language and culture for future generations. Admission is $5 per person.