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For other uses, see Blackfoot (disambiguation).
Blackfoot
Bear Bull
Total population

32,000
Regions with significant populations
Canada (Alberta)
United States (Montana)
Languages
English, Blackfoot
Religions
Christianity, other
Related ethnic groups
other Algonquian peoples
Chief Aatsista-Mahkan
Chief Aatsista-Mahkan
Mehkskeme-Sukahs, Blackfoot chief (left) (Karl Bodmer)
Mehkskeme-Sukahs, Blackfoot chief (left) (Karl Bodmer)

The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi (meaning "original people"; c. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Montana ( is a state in the Western United States. One-third of the state in the western part contains numerous mountain ranges (approximately 77 named of the northern English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Blackfoot (also known as Siksika 639-3 Pikanii Blackfeet is the name of any of the Algonquian languages spoken by the Blackfoot tribe of Native Americans Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The Algonquian (also Algonkian, and pronounced both and) languages are a subfamily of Native American languages that includes most of the languages in the Algic Aatsista-Mahkan or Running Rabbit ( c 1833 &ndash probably 24 January 1911) was a chief of the Siksika Karl Bodmer (6 February 1809–30 October 1893 was a Swiss painter of the American West f. Ojibwe: Anishinaabeg and Quinnipiac: Eansketambawg) is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana. Anishinaabe or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek (which is the plural form of the word is a self-description often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe This article is about the Native American nation For the university see Quinnipiac University. First Nations is a term of Ethnicity that refers to the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis people Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States Tribal sovereignty refers to the inherent authority of indigenous tribes to govern themselves Montana ( is a state in the Western United States. One-third of the state in the western part contains numerous mountain ranges (approximately 77 named of the northern

The Blackfoot Confederacy consists of the North Peigan (Aapátohsipikáni), the Blackfeet or South Piegan (Aamsskáápipikani), the Kainai Nation (Káínaa: "Blood"), and the Siksika Nation ("Blackfoot") or more correctly Siksikáwa ("Blackfoot people"). The Northern Peigans or Aapátohsipikáni are a First Nation, part of the ''Niitsítapi'' (Blackfoot Confederacy. The Piegan Blackfeet ( Aamsskáápipikani (Southern Pikáni /Piegan or simply as Pikáni in Blackfoot) are a tribe of Native Americans The Kainai Nation (or Káínawa or Blood Tribe is a First Nation in southern Alberta, Canada with a population of 7437 members in 2005 and had a population The Siksika Nation is a First Nation in southern Alberta, Canada. The South Peigan are located in Montana, and the other three are located in Alberta. Together they call themselves the Niitsítapi (the "Original People"). These groups shared a common language and culture, had treaties of mutual defense, and freely intermarried. Blackfoot (also known as Siksika 639-3 Pikanii Blackfeet is the name of any of the Algonquian languages spoken by the Blackfoot tribe of Native Americans Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic

Contents

History and culture

The Blackfoot were fiercely independent and very successful warriors whose territory stretched from the North Saskatchewan River along what is now Edmonton, Alberta in Canada, to the Yellowstone River of Montana, and from the Rocky Mountains and along the Saskatchewan River past Regina. The North Saskatchewan River is a Glacier -fed River flowing east from the Canadian Rockies to central Saskatchewan. Edmonton (ˈɛdmɨntɨn is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Yellowstone River is a Tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 671 miles (1080 km long in the western United States. Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a Mountain range in western North America. The Saskatchewan River ( Cree: kisiskāciwani-sīpiy, "swift flowing river" is a major river in Canada, approximately 550 km (340 mi long

The basic social unit of the Blackfoot, above the family, was the band, varying from about 10 to 30 lodges, about 80 to 240 people. This size of group was large enough to defend against attack and to undertake small communal hunts, but was also small enough for flexibility. Each band consisted of a respected leader, possibly his brothers and parents, and others who need not be related. Since the band was defined by place of residence, rather than by kinship, a person was free to leave one band and join another, which tended to ameliorate leadership disputes. As well, should a band fall upon hard times, its members could split-up and join other bands. In practice, bands were constantly forming and breaking-up. The system maximized flexibility and was an ideal organization for a hunting people on the northwestern Great Plains. The Great Plains are the broad expanse of Prairie and Steppe which lie east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada

During the summer the people assembled for tribal gatherings. In these large assemblies, warrior societies played an important role. Membership into these societies was based on brave acts and deeds.

Blackfoot people were nomadic, following the buffalo herds. Nomadic people, (from the νομάδες nomádes, "those who let pasture herds" also known as nomads, are communities of people that The American bison ( Bison bison) is a Bovine Mammal, also commonly known as the American buffalo. For almost half the year in the long northern winter, the Blackfoot people lived in their winter camps along a wooded river valley perhaps a day's march apart, not moving camp unless food for the people and horses or firewood became depleted. Where there was adequate wood and game resources, some bands would camp together. During this part of the year, buffalo wintered in wooded areas where they were partially sheltered from storms and snow, which hampered their movements, making them easier prey. In spring the buffalo moved out onto the grasslands to forage on new spring growth. The Blackfoot did not follow immediately, for fear of late blizzards, but eventually resources such as dried food or game became depleted, and the bands would split up and begin to hunt the buffalo.

In mid-summer, when the Saskatoon berries ripened, the people regrouped for their major tribal ceremony, the Sun Dance. Amelanchier alnifolia ( Saskatoonberry, Saskatoon, Serviceberry or Juneberry) is native to North America from Alaska across The Sun Dance is a Ceremony practiced by a number of Native Americans This was the only time of year when the entire tribe would assemble, and it served the social purpose of reinforcing the bonds between the various groups and reidentifying the individuals with the tribe. Communal buffalo hunts provided food and offerings of the bulls' tongues (a delicacy) for the ceremonies. After the Sun Dance, the people again separated to follow the buffalo.

In the fall, the people would gradually shift to their wintering areas and prepare the buffalo jumps and pounds. Several groups of people might join together at particularly good sites, such as Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is a Buffalo jump located where the Foothills of the Rocky Mountains begin to rise from the Prairie 18 km northwest As the buffalo were naturally driven into the area by the gradual late summer drying off of the open grasslands, the Blackfoot would carry out great communal buffalo kills and prepare dry meat and pemmican to last them through winter and other times when hunting was poor. Pemmican is a concentrated mixture of Fat and Protein used as a nutritious emergency foodstuff At the end of the fall, the Blackfoot would move to their winter camps.

The Blackfoot maintained this traditional way of life based on hunting bison, until the near extinction of the bison by 1881 forced them to adapt their ways of life in response to the effects of the European settlers and their descendants. In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa. The start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492 although there was at least one earlier colonization effort In the United States, they were restricted to land assigned in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 and were later given a distinct reservation in the Sweetgrass Hills Treaty of 1887. The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 was signed on September 17 between United States treaty commissioners and representatives of the Sioux, Cheyenne In 1877, the Canadian Blackfoot signed Treaty 7 and settled on reserves in southern Alberta. Treaty 7 was an agreement between Queen Victoria and several mainly Blackfoot First Nations tribes in what is today the southern portion of Alberta For the vast tract created by the Royal Proclamation of 1763 in Canada and the United States see Indian Reserve (1763 In Canada

Blackfoot gathering, Alberta. 1973
Blackfoot gathering, Alberta. Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 1973
Blackfoot teepees, Glacier National Park, 1933
Blackfoot teepees, Glacier National Park, 1933

This began a period of great struggle and economic hardship; the Blackfoot had to try to adapt to a completely new way of life, as well as suffer exposure to many diseases their people had not previously encountered. A tipi' (also teepee, tepee) is a conical Tent originally made of animal skins or birch bark and popularized by the Native Americans A disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions and can be deadly

Eventually, they established a viable economy based on farming, ranching, and light industry, and their population has increased to about 16,000 in Canada and 15,000 in the U. S. today. With their new economic stability, the Blackfoot have been free to adapt their culture and traditions to their new circumstances, renewing their connection to their ancient roots.


Enemies

The Blackfoot were enemies of the Crow and Sioux (Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota) on the Great Plains; and the Shoshone, Flathead, and Kootenai in the mountain country to their west. Blackfoot war parties would ride hundreds of miles on raids. A boy on his first war party was given a silly or derogatory name. But after he had stolen his first horse or killed an enemy, he was given a name to honor him.

Notable Blackfoot descendants

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Barnes, Corey (1999). Blackfoot music is the Music of the Blackfoot tribes (best translated in the Blackfoot language as nitsínixki - "I sing" from The Piegan Blackfeet ( Aamsskáápipikani (Southern Pikáni /Piegan or simply as Pikáni in Blackfoot) are a tribe of Native Americans Backstreet Brother: Aaron Carter. New York: Random House, 88. ISBN0-375-80193-6.  

External links

Dictionary

Blackfoot

-proper noun

  1. a Native American confederacy of several tribes
  2. a member of these tribes
  3. the Algonquian language of these people
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