Pend d'Oreille is also unofficially the name of the valley between Nelway and Waneta. The name literally means “earloop” or “hangs from ears” in French and was given by voyageurs after members of the Kalispel Tribe who wore dangling shell or bone earrings.

How did Lake Pend Oreille get its name?

The lake (the name of which is derived from the French name [Pend d'Oreille] for the Kalispel Indians, who wore ear pendants) receives the Clark Fork River, which becomes the Pend Oreille River when it leaves the lake.

What do the Pend d'Oreille call themselves?

The Pend d'Oreille are known in their own language as Q'lispé which is anglicized as “Kalispel.” They were once organized in several bands in British Columbia, Plains, Montana and west along the Clark Fork River, Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho, and the Pend Oreille River in Eastern Washington.