The People And Culture Of The Blackfeet

Throughout the centuries, Native American tribes have populated North America. Each generation left a unique mark on the continent. Many nations formed thriving communities in coastal towns, on mountainsides, and in the valleys, hills, and forests. They had their own beliefs, religious practices, and rituals. One such tribe was the Blackfeet. This book explores the history of the Blackfeet, their culture, customs, and traditions, and describes the importance of the tribe today.

Blackfoot Ways of Knowing is a journey into the heart and soul of Blackfoot culture. In sharing her personal story of "coming home" to reclaim her identity within that culture, Betty Bastien offers us a gateway into traditional Blackfoot ways of understanding and experiencing the world.

Discusses the history, survival, religion, culture, social development, and modern world of the Blackfeet.

The Blackfoot people make up an international confederation of tribes from both the United States and Canada. Readers discover the deep history and rich traditions of the four tribes of the Blackfoot Confederacy in this engaging volume. They see the journey these people once took across North America as they hunted migratory buffalo as well as their struggles with the American and Canadian governments. The lively culture of the Blackfoot people is also detailed, examining their religion, social structure, and artistic endeavors. Historical artwork and captivating photographs highlight both the past and present of the Blackfoot Confederacy.

The Blackfoot people hail from Canada and the United States. Readers are invited to explore the rich history and culture of the Blackfoot through an examination of their struggles with North American governments and a way of life that sets them apart from other Native American groups. Remarkable illustrations and photography bring to life the religion, artwork, and social structures of the Blackfoot, truly immersing readers in Blackfoot culture past and present.

*Includes pictures *Includes accounts of the Blackfeet written by contemporaries *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents From the "Trail of Tears" to Wounded Knee and Little Bighorn, the narrative of American history is incomplete without the inclusion of the Native Americans that lived on the continent before European settlers arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the first contact between natives and settlers, tribes like the Sioux, Cherokee, and Navajo have both fascinated and perplexed outsiders with their history, language, and culture. In Charles River Editors' Native American Tribes series, readers can get caught up to speed on the history and culture of North America's most famous native tribes in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. They call themselves "Niitsitapi" ("Original People"), but in the United States, they are known as the Blackfeet. In Canada, they are known by their more particular band names, one of which is Blackfoot, but regardless of the name, they are a tribe of Native American peoples ("First Nations" in Canada) who, until the modern time period, lived in small, decentralized bands and hunted the bison on the northern Great Plains. Stories vary, but the name "Blackfeet" or "Blackfoot," applied to them by others, may have come originally from their practice of dying their moccasin soles black. That said, their use of an Algonquian language group may indicate that they were relatively recent newcomers to the region from somewhere in the Northeast. The territory of the Blackfeet, at its greatest extent, encompassed a vast area from the eastern Rocky Mountains of Alberta and Montana and extending several hundred miles out onto the Great Plains, around the upper reaches of the Saskatchewan River and its tributaries in Alberta and the upper reaches of the Missouri River and its tributaries in Montana. The area of the land most sacred to the Blackfeet is the Sweet Grass Hills, which are located just south of the Canadian border in the central part of Montana. These are a group of buttes forested with balsam firs rising several thousand feet above the surrounding plains and which can be seen for a considerable distance. This was also Napi's favorite resting place in the mythology of the Blackfeet. Young Blackfeet went up into the Hills on their vision quests and, as their predecessors had done for several thousands of years, left inscriptions and petroglyphs on the surface of the tall sandstone cliffs. Many of the stories told by the Blackfeet take place there. Native American Tribes: The History and Culture of the Blackfeet and Blackfoot Confederacy comprehensively covers the history and legacy of one of the Great Plains' most famous Native American groups. Along with pictures and a bibliography, you will learn about the Blackfeet like never before, in no time at all.

In 1886 Walter McClintock went to northwestern Montana as a member of a U.S. Forest Service expedition. He was adopted as a son by Chief Mad Dog, the high priest of the Sun Dance, and spent the next four years living on the Blackfoot Reservation. The Old North Trail, originally published in 1910, is a record of his experiences among the Blackfeet.

Written in collaboration with Blackfoot tribal historians and educators, Amskapi Pikuni: The Blackfeet People portrays a strong native nation fighting for two centuries against domination by Anglo invaders. The Blackfeet endured bungling, corrupt, and drunken agents; racist schoolteachers; and a federal Indian Bureau that failed to disburse millions of dollars owed to the tribe. Located on a reservation in Montana cut and cut again to give land to white ranchers, the Blackfeet adapted to complete loss of their staple food, bison—a collapse of what had been a sustainable economy throughout their history. Despite all of these challenges, the nation held to its values and continues to proudly preserve its culture.