Tipi at Chief Mountain, Montana Photo Print

"Tipi at Chief Mountain, Glacier National Park, Montana" by Catherine Sherman. A tipi stands in a clearing in Montana, with Chief Mountain towering on the horizon beyond. Chief Mountain (Blackfoot: Ninaistako) (9,085 feet (2,769 m)) is located in the U.S. state of Montana on the eastern border of Glacier National Park and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The mountain is one of the most prominent peaks and rock formations along the Rocky Mountain Front, a 200 mile (320 km) long overthrust fault, known as the Lewis Overthrust, which extends from central Montana into southern Alberta, Canada. The peak is easily seen from Montana and Alberta due to the rapid 5,000-foot (1,500 m) altitude gain over the Great Plains which are immediately east of the mountain. Chief Mountain has been a sacred mountain to Native American tribes for hundreds of years. The Blackfoot name for the mountain is Nínaiistáko.The mountain was seen by white explorers in the late 18th century and was known as "Kings Peak" on maps produced in the United Kingdom in 1795. The name was changed in the late 19th century in reflection of Blackfeet naming of the mountain which was "Great Chief". When Glacier National Park was created in 1910, the summit and most prominent eastern slopes of the mountain were located within the park, leaving only the lower slopes within Blackfeet jurisdiction. Chief Mountain remains sacred to many First Nations peoples from both the U.S. and Canada. Natives from all over North America travel to the base of the mountain for sweet grass ceremonies, placing of prayer flags and other religious rites.