Among the An-Ko-Me-Nums, or Flathead Tribes of Indians of the Pacific Coast

A rare, firsthand account of the Flathead tribes of the Pacific Northwest, recorded in 1907 by missionary Thomas Crosby. Crosby arrived among the An-Ko-Me-Nums seeking to bring Christianity to communities already in flux, tribes whose first encounters with European traders had sparked a desperate search for the 'Book of Heaven,' the white man's scripture they believed might hold answers to their changing world. The narrative traces the complicated dance between missionary ambition and indigenous desire, as native leaders reached toward foreign gods while grappling with the cultural upheaval already underway. This is not an ethnographic study from a distance; it's a document written from within the encounter, capturing both the missionary's earnest conviction and the profound misunderstandings that shaped it. For readers interested in primary sources on Native American history, the Lewis and Clark era, or the complex legacy of Christian missions in the American West, this book offers an unfiltered window into a pivotal moment of cultural contact.