Background

The Blackfoot are one of the six main Plains Indians tribes. They were called Blackfoot by the white settlers who noticed the bottoms of the tribe’s moccasins were charred black (from walking across burnt prairie). It makes their soles more durable. That’s one of the reasons why they are advanced hunters.

The people of the Blackfoot Confederacy are called Niitsítapi (original peoples) and are mainly in Canada. They consist of the North Peigan. The members of the Blackfeet Nation are called Pikáni and are mainly in Montana. They consist of the South Peigan. They both call themselves Siksikáíkoan (a Blackfoot person) and they both speak Blackfoot. They are in essence, the same tribe, but in different locations, and with only slightly different histories.

It’s arguable whether the tribe is called “Blackfoot “or “Blackfeet”. Their original name was "Blackfoot” and a lot of them are annoyed by the plural “Blackfeet”, which is an Anglicization. Nowadays they are known as “Blackfoot” in Canada and “Blackfeet” in America.

Society and Government

The Blackfoot are divided into four tribes. Three of them live in Canada (approximately 15 000 people) and one Blackfoot tribe lives in America (approximately 10 000 people). All of the tribes are politically independent. They have their own government and some common laws.

In the past, a council of chiefs was on the top of the hierarchy. The council led the nation. One person from each tribe participated in the council. They followed the principle of consensus, meaning that the agreement of each chef is required in order for the decision to be taken.

Roles of Men and Women

Compared to the other Plain's Indians tribes, Blackfoot women had the most rights. They were in charge of the home and their job was not only cleaning and cooking. A Blackfoot woman built her family's house and dragged the heavy posts with her whenever the tribe moved. Women in the Blackfoot tribes owned the houses and that was their main responsibility. The Blackfoot culture allowed warriors of both gender. Other than warriors, men were hunters and their responsibility was to satisfy the family’s needs. The chiefs and other people on top of the hierarchy were male. Both genders took part in storytelling, artwork and music.

Lifestyle

The Blackfoot were the most powerful tribe of the Northern Plains. They acquired their triumph position through battles with their enemies. The Blackfeet were using arrows and lances in the times before the horses and firearms. They frequently aligned with their neighbors - the Gros Ventre and the Sarcee, in battles. Blackfoot belongings were carried by domesticated dogs while pulling a loaded travois consisting of two long poles attached to the dog's sides. They acquired horses and firearms by the mid nineteenth century.

The Blackfoot were nomads and it was typical for their lifestyle to move frequently from place to place, following buffalo herds. Hence they lived in a type of houses (called tipis) that were designed to set up and break down quickly. It was like a modern tent. An entire Blackfoot village could be packed up and ready to move within an hour.
Today the situation is different. Most Blackfoot people live in modern houses and apartment buildings. They may only put up a tepee for fun or to connect with their heritage.

Blackfoot dresses and war shirts were fringed and often decorated with elk teeth. The women wore long deerskin dresses, while men wore buckskin tunics and breech cloths with leggings. Both Blackfeet women and men wore moccasins on their feet and buffalo-hide robes in cold weather. Blackfeet people used to paint their faces for special occasions, using different patterns for war paint or religious ceremonies.

Nowadays the Blackfoot people are still wearing moccasins and buckskin shirts, but they normally wear modern clothes. They only put feathers is their hair on special occasions, like performing traditional dances.

Important Figures

Among the important and famous figures of the Blackfoot tribe was the Indian chief Crowfoot. He led the tribe in Canada during the late 19th century. Crowfoot was an accomplished warrior and a gifted diplomat.

He was known for negotiating peace between the Blackfoot Nation and the Canadian government. His people remembered him for fighting alcoholism among the Blackfoot. During Crowfoot’s reign his tribe became allies with the Sioux leader Sitting Bull. He was acknowledged as the most successful leader of the Blackfeet.

Intercultural Interactions

Introducing the horse had a big impact on the lifestyle of the Blackfeet. They became known as far-rangers, because of their frequent interaction with other tribes of Montana and the Northern Plains, particularly the Gros Ventre, Shoshone, Crow, and Cree. The Blackfeet used the Plains Indians Sign Language to communicate with the other tribes.

Sometimes the Blackfoot benefited from their interactions a lot. They accomplished trading goods between tribes and intermarrying. Intermarrying was essential because it formed allies for times of war.

Influence on America

The first non-Indian to provide an extensive written record of the Blackfoot was David Thompson, an agent for the Hudson's Bay Company. He traveled into Blackfoot territory in 1787. From this date until the near extermination of buffalo in 1883, the relationship between the trading companies and the Blackfoot was important to the Blackfoot's economic and social lives. It introduced them to new technologies, such as guns. However, it also brought new, unfamiliar to the Blackfoot diseases. The Blackfeet population suffered from epidemics during 1781, 1837, and 1869.

The Lame Bull's Treaty was signed by the powerful Piegan chief during 1855. It was the first treaty of the Blackfoot and it ceded most of the 26 million acre composing traditional Blackfoot territory within U.S. borders. A reserve was left for their exclusive use. More recent treaties signed during 1865 and 1868 significantly decreased the size of their territory along the southern boundary.

Bibliography

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Blackfeet Nation Location

Blackfoot Confederacy Location

By: Martin Todorov

Background Information

The ancestors of the Sioux came from Asia to North America around 30 000 years ago. The name Sioux means "little snake" or “enemy” and it was given to them by the Chippewa Indians. They lived in the great plains, in between the Misouri river and the Rocky Mountains. That is now Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota.

Lifestyle

Sioux was a nomad tribe that followed the migration of the buffalo. This was because the buffalo was a very useful resource. It could be used make clothing, teepees and it was also a source of food. They lived in teepees which were 12 feet tall but once the horses were introduced to them in 1750, they started making teepees twice the size.

Society and Government

The basic organization of society was the family and each family belonged to a different clan. Marriage was only only between different clans because of inbreeding. The Sioux was a huge nation with seven tribes, the Mdewakanton, the Sisseton, the Teton, the Wahpekute, the Wahpeton, the Yankton and the Yanktonai. This 7 tribes were peaceful and the most powerful of all the tribes was the Teton. Each tribe had a chief which was usually an old wise person but he did not choose everything by himself, he also had a council of men of the tribe. To take part in this council the men had to be brave, strong, generous and merciful.

Roles of Men and Women

Men were hunters, fighters and they were the ones that took the decisions of the tribe. They were also the only ones that could be part of the council. A man could have more than one wife. Divorcing was also allowed.

The women took care of the children and the village. The women were also gatherers and they made clothes and shoes for the tribe. When a woman got married, she would not take the last name of the husband and the children would be part of the women’s clan

Religion

The Sioux did not really have a religion with a god, they thought that nature was the essence of everything. Their legends said that men had come out of the womb of Mother Earth, as well as the buffalo. They explained all the events that happen in the world thanks to the spiritual essence of Wakan Tanka. They had many religious rituals in which dancing was very important. The balance between humankind and other forms of life were very important for the Sioux because they were all part of Wakan Tanka. This is why they respected nature so much.

Each tribe had their own shaman which had the most contact with the spirits. The shaman was a very respected person in the tribe. He was in charge of the ceremonies, predicted the future and he also gave the leader advice. He was also the doctor of the tribe.

History

Although the Sioux had lived in North America for a very long time, it was in the 17th century when two French traders found out about them. The French traders were allied with the Chippewa tribe who were the enemies of the Sioux. It is thought that the Sioux of the Great Plains was the first tribe to use horses around 1750. At this time, there were around 30 000 Sioux Indians.

The Sioux supported the British when they were fighting the French and they also supported them against the US colonie that wanted to be independent. But at the end the Sioux signed a treaty with the USA for peace. They also signed another treaty which made them own a huge territory.

Half way through the 19th century, the Sioux and the white colonizers started fighting for territory. In 1866 another treaty was signed which gave them the land of the Black Mountains to keep forever, which were sacred mountains for the Sioux. But 10 years later, when the gold rush appeared, the white americans took over the mountains because it had a lot of gold. That started a war between the Sioux and the white americans. The Sioux had a big victory in 1876, in the battle of Little Big Horn were Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, which were two very respected tribe chiefs, killed General Custer and 298 soldiers. The last resistance of the Sioux were killed in 1890 in the Wounded Knee battle, were 200 men, women and children were killed. After this loss, they lost all their good land and were sent to reservations. These were in Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

This new life in the reservations made the SIoux change their way of live. They stopped being nomads and hunters. Many were killed because of the diseases the white americans had given them.

Modern Sioux

Currently there is only about 20 000 Sioux in the reservations of Dakota. The Sioux, as well as other indian tribes, are some of the poorest people in the USA and life in the reservations is very difficult and it should be improved.

Bibliography

  • "Chief Grey Eagle." Chief Grey Eagle. Confederate Legion. Web. 15 May 2014.
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  • "Native American Headdresses: Facts for Kids." Native American Headdresses: Feather and Horned Warbonnets, Porcupine Roaches, Beaded Headbands, Basket Hats and Other American Indian Headdress. Web. 16 May 2014.
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Gallery

Bibliography (for the gallery)

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  • "Native War Bonnet 01 - Blue Back Shower Curtain on CafePress.com." CafePress.com. Web. 21 May 2014.
  • "Premium Buffalo Hides, Robes Garment Soft Fur." Premium Buffalo Hides, Robes Garment Soft Fur. Web. 21 May 2014.
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Blackfoot Medicine Song

Sioux Traditional Song