The Ktunaxa also known as Kootenai, Kutenai or Kootenay ˈkuːtəneɪ, are an indigenous people of North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

. They are one of three tribes of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation are the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai and Pend d'Oreilles Tribes. The Flatheads lived between the Cascade Mountains and Rocky Mountains. The Salish initially lived entirely east of the Continental Divide but established their...

 in Montana

Montana

Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...

, and they form the Ktunaxa Nation in British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

. There are also small populations in Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

 and Washington in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, where they are known as the Kootenai. The Flathead Reservation

Flathead Indian Reservation

The Flathead Indian Reservation, located in western Montana on the Flathead River, is home to the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreilles Tribes - also known as theConfederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation...

 is home to the Bitterroot Salish

Bitterroot Salish (tribe)

The Bitterroot Salish are one of three tribes of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation in Montana. The Flathead Reservation is home to the Kootenai and Pend d'Oreilles tribes also.-Language:...

 and Pend d'Oreilles

Pend d'Oreilles (tribe)

The Pend d'Oreilles, also known as the Kalispel, are a tribe of Native Americans who lived around Lake Pend Oreille, as well as the Pend Oreille River, and Priest Lake although some of them live spread throughout Montana and eastern Washington...

 tribes as well.

The Ktunaxa language is an isolate, unrelated to the languages of neighbouring peoples.
There are 4 bands in south-eastern British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, 1 band in northern Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

, and 1 band in north-western Montana

Montana

Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...

, all members of the same tribal council

Tribal Council

A Tribal Council is either: an association of Native American bands in the United States or First Nations governments in Canada, or the governing body for certain tribes within the United States or elsewhere...

, which spans the international border as does Ktunaxa territory:
British Columbia:

• Lower Kootenay First Nation
  Lower Kootenay First Nation
  The Lower Kootenay First Nation are a First Nation based in the Kootenay District of British Columbia. In the British Columbia Treaty Process They are part of the Ktunaxa Kinbasket Tribal Council....
  
   aka Lower Kootenay Indian Band – Ya·qannu·ki, Creston
  Creston, British Columbia
  Creston is a town of 4,826 people in the Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada. The town is located just a few kilometers north of the Porthill, Idaho border crossing into the United States and about a three-hour drive north from Spokane, Washington. It is about a one-hour drive...
  
  
• ?Akisq'nuk First Nation, aka Columbia Lake Indian Band – A·kisq̓nuknik̓, Windermere
  Windermere, British Columbia
  Windermere is a community and designated place located south of Invermere on Windermere Lake in the Regional District of East Kootenay.-Demographics:*Population : 1,259*Population : 1,060*Growth Rate: 18.8%. -External links:*...
  
  
• St. Mary's First Nation
  St. Mary's First Nation
  St. Mary's Band or St. Mary's First Nation is one of six Wolastoqiyik or Maliseet Nations on the Saint John River in Canada.The St. Mary's Band lands comprise two reserves . The Saint Mary's reserve, established in 1867, lies on the northeast bank of the Saint John River, opposite downtown...
  
   – ʔaq̓amniʔk, Cranbrook
  Cranbrook, British Columbia
  Cranbrook, British Columbia is a city in southeast British Columbia, located on the west side of the Kootenay River at its confluence with the St. Mary's River, It is the largest urban centre in the region known as the East Kootenay. As of 2006, Cranbrook's population is 18,267, and the...
  
  
• Tobacco Plains First Nation aka Tobacco Plains Indian Band – ʔa·kanuxunik̓ Grasmere
  Grasmere, British Columbia
  Grasmere, British Columbia, Canada, elevation 869m, is a tiny hamlet in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia within the Regional District of East Kootenay, British Columbia...
  
   (see also Tobacco Plains)
  • The Shuswap Indian Band
    Shuswap Indian Band
    The Shuswap Indian Band is a member government of the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council and also of the Ktunaxa Kinbasket Tribal Council, located in the East Kootenay region of the Canadian province of British Columbia...
    
     (Kisamni in Ktunaxa) are a Secwepemc
    Secwepemc
    The Secwepemc , known in English as the Shuswap people, are a First Nations people residing in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Their traditional territory ranges from the eastern Chilcotin Plateau and the Cariboo Plateau southeast through the Thompson Country to Kamloops and the Shuswap...
    
     group historically allied to the Ktuanxa and are members of the Ktunaxa Kinbasket Treaty Council, as well as the Ktunaxa Kinbasket Tribal Council
    Ktunaxa Kinbasket Tribal Council
    The Ktunaxa Kinbasket Tribal Council, formerly the Kootenay Indian Area Council and also known as the Ktunaxa Nation Council, is a First Nations tribal council government composed of bands in the East Kootenay area of the Canadian province of British Columbia and adjoining parts of the U.S...
    
     Ktunaxa Nation Council Society, and also of the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council
    Shuswap Nation Tribal Council
    The Shuswap Nation Tribal Council is a First Nations Tribal Council in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Based in the Thompson and Shuswap Districts of the Central Interior, although including one band on the upper Columbia River in the East Kootenay region...
    
    , one of the two tribal councils of the Secwepemc peoples.

Idaho:

• Idaho Ktunaxa – ʔa·kaq̓ⱡahaⱡxu, Bonners Ferry
  Bonners Ferry, Idaho
  Bonners Ferry is a city in and the county seat of Boundary County, Idaho, United States. The population was 2,543 at the 2010 census.-History:...
  
  

Montana:

• Montana Ktunaxa – Ksanka, Elmo
  Elmo, Montana
  Elmo is a census-designated place in Lake County, Montana, United States. The population was 143 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elmo is located at ....
  
  

The Ktunaxa people today live in southeastern British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, Washington State, Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

, and Montana

Montana

Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...

.