The Creston Valley has been inhabited by the indigenous Kutenai people for at least 11,000 years. The Kutenai First Nation are known for their unique language, their distinctive sturgeon-nosed canoe construction, and sustenance traditions that blend a dependence on fish, small game, and waterfowl, with annual bison-hunting traditions of Plains nations. Kutenai members belong to the Lower Kootenay Band and reside in several local reserves. As of 2020, the Lower Kootenay Band is in Stage 4 of the British Columbia Treaty Process.