 Various indigenous peoples lived in the territory of the present-day state of Montana for thousands of years.Historic tribes encountered by Europeans and settlers from the United States included the Crow in the south-central area, the Cheyenne in the very southeast, the Blackfeet, Assiniboine, and Gros Ventres in the central and north-central area, and the Kootenai and Salish in the west.The smaller Pend d'Oreille and Kalispel tribes lived near Flathead Lake and the western mountains, respectively.