"What I Know About the Old Ways" : The Life and Wisdom of a Flathead Indian Reservation Elder

Agnes Vanderburg was a widely respected Salish elder on the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana.

She was born at the dawn of the twentieth century when horses provided transport.

Her elders taught her many of the traditional ways of the Salish people.

With her knowledge of Salish culture and language, she was an invaluable source of knowledge for the younger generation of tribal members. As a young woman Vanderburg competed in horse races and traveled around the country sharing the Salish culture and language.

Working with her husband Jerome, and later by herself, she created a cultural camp on the reservation to share her knowledge with young tribal members, students of tribal culture, and visitors from around the world. Vanderburg shared her life story and wisdom in interviews during her later years. “What I Know About the Old Ways” is a compilation of a few of these interviews which allows her to speak to tribal members and others in the twenty-first century.

Her message of the importance of preserving Salish culture and language is especially important for tribal members and all Americans today.