Superintendent Micah Hill and district leaders opened the Big Sky High School commencement with a land acknowledgment recognizing the Indigenous peoples who are the original stewards of the Missoula and Bitterroot valleys.

“We acknowledge that we are gathered on indigenous territory. The Missoula and Bitterroot Valleys are the original homelands of the Salish and the Pend d’Oreille (Kalispel) people who inhabited this land since time immemorial,” the superintendent said. The acknowledgment also named other tribes cited in the ceremony record: the Kootenai, Blackfeet, Shoshone and Crow.

Following the acknowledgment, the Missoula County Public Schools Native American Student Services drum group, led by Shawn Whitegrass and Brittney Hunter, performed a Native American honor song for graduates.

The principal opened the ceremony by explaining the district’s gratitude and the decision to include the honor song as part of the commencement program. The land acknowledgment and the honor song are customary elements in public events intended to recognize Indigenous communities and local history; the district explicitly linked the inclusion to respect for original stewards and their descendants who continue to live and teach in the community.

Note on transcript text: the record contains the phrase “Pendre Kalispel,” which appears to be a transcription variation; this article uses the more common spelling Pend d’Oreille (Kalispel) to reflect local usage and tribal names. The transcript also lists several tribes; the article reports those named during the ceremony.