
- They lived in the American Great Plains region in the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota
- Tribal Territories: North Dakota and South Dakota
- Land: Grass covered prairies with some streams and rivers
- Climate: Hot summers and cold winters
Where did Blackfoot tribe originally come from?
They came from Asia by following herds and in search of more. During their travels, some decided to stop and settle down, hence the many different tribes. The Blackfoot occupied the region of modern-day Alberta in Canada, and Montana in the U.S.
What foods did the Blackfoot Indians eat?
- The American Great Plains region mainly extended across states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota
- Tribal Territories: North Dakota and South Dakota
- Land: Grass covered prairies with some streams and rivers
- Climate: Hot summers and cold winters
- Fish: Various fish including sturgeon, crayfish and mussels
What region did the Blackfoot Indians live in?
The Blackfoot, who are also called Blackfeet, Indians were originally a nomadic American Indian tribe that migrated from the Great Lakes region to the Northwestern United States. They lived in the Northern Great Plains, specifically in Montana and Idaho as well as Alberta Canada. What was the geography of the Blackfoot tribe?
Where did the Blackfoot Sioux live in the 1700-1800s?
In the early 18th century they were pedestrian buffalo hunters living in the Saskatchewan valley about 400 miles (645 km) east of the Rocky Mountains. They acquired horses and firearms before 1750. Driving weaker tribes before them, the Blackfoot pushed westward to the Rockies and southward into what is now Montana.
Where did the Blackfoot live?
Who were the Blackfoot?
What did the Blackfoot do after the Treaty of 1855?
About this website

What did the Blackfoot nation live in?
The Blackfoot lived in teepees made from bison hides and wooden poles. Teepees were easy to break down and set back up. This made them perfect for the nomadic lifestyle of the Blackfoot.
What was the Blackfoot tribes religion?
Blackfoot Religion and Ceremonies The Blackfoot religion was very complex. Their main god was the sun, but they also believed in a supernatural being named Napi, which means 'Old Man. ' The Blackfoot tribe also had complicated beliefs about supernatural powers in connection with nature.
Where do Blackfoot tribe live now?
Where do the Blackfeet Indians live? The Blackfeet Indians are original residents of the northern Plains, particularly Montana, Idaho, and Alberta, Canada. Most Blackfoot people still live in this region today.
How do you say God in Blackfoot?
Apistotoke was used as a translation for "God" in Blackfoot translations of the Bible, and today many Blackfoot people consider the Creator and the Christian God to be one and the same.
Where did Blackfoot Indian tribe originated?
Originally the Blackfeet lived in the Saskatchewan River Valley of Saskatchewan, Canada, and the upper plains of the United States. By 1850 the tribe had moved to the Rocky Mountains and Missouri River areas.
How do I know if I'm Blackfoot Indian?
For the past 50 years, the question of whether an individual is eligible to enroll as a member of the Blackfeet Tribe has been determined by their “blood quantum.” As written within the Blackfeet Tribe's constitution, any child born on or after August 30, 1962, having at least one-fourth degree of Blackfeet Indian ...
What language do the Blackfoot speak?
Siksikáí'powahsin (commonly referred to as the Blackfoot language) is an Algonquian language spoken by four Blackfoot nations: the Siksiká (Blackfoot), Aapátohsipikani (North Piikani), Aamsskáápipikani (South Piikani) and Kainai (Blood).
Which is correct Blackfoot or Blackfeet?
Blackfoot or Blackfeet – “All Blackfeet are Blackfoot, but not all Blackfoot are Blackfeet. Historically, the Blackfoot Confederacy consisted of four bands.
The Blackfoot Indians – “Real” People of Montana – Legends of ...
The Blackfoot Confederacy is the name given to four Native American tribes in the Northwestern Plains, including the North Piegan, the South Piegan, the Blood, and the Siksika tribes. They initially occupied a large territory stretching from the North Saskatchewan River in Canada to the Missouri River in Montana.The four groups, sharing a common language and culture, had mutual defense ...
Where are the Blackfoot tribes?
Today, three First Nation band governments (the Siksika Nation, Kainai Nation, and Piikani Nation) reside in Canada in the provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia, and the Blackfeet Nation is a federally recognized Native American tribe in Montana, United States .
Who was the first person to meet the Blackfoot?
First contact with Europeans and the fur trade. Anthony Henday of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) met a large Blackfoot group in 1754 in what is now Alberta. The Blackfoot had established dealings with traders connected to the Canadian and English fur trade before meeting the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1806.
What are the four nations of the Blackfoot Confederacy?
Government. The Blackfoot nation is made up of four nations. These nations include the Piegan Blackfeet, Siksika, Piikani Nation, and Kainai or Blood Indians. The four nations come together to make up what is known as the Blackfoot Confederacy, meaning that they have banded together to help one another.
What is the Blackfoot Confederacy?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. "Blackfoot" redirects here. For other uses, see Blackfoot (disambiguation). The Blackfoot Confederacy, Niitsitapi or Siksikaitsitapi ( ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people" ), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot ...
What is a blackfoot war bonnet made of?
The typical war bonnet was made from eagle feathers, because the bird was considered powerful. It was worn by prestigious warriors and chiefs (including war-chiefs) of the Blackfoot. The straight-up headdress is a uniquely Blackfoot headdress that, like the war bonnet, is made with eagle feathers.
How did the Blackfoot Indians value their family?
For traveling, they also split into bands of 20-30 people, but would come together for times of celebration. They valued leadership skills and chose the chiefs who would run their settlements wisely. During times of peace, the people would elect a peace chief, meaning someone who could lead the people and improve relations with other tribes. The title of war chief could not be gained through election and needed to be earned by successfully performing various acts of bravery including touching a living enemy. Blackfoot bands often had minor chiefs in addition to an appointed head chief.
Why did the Blackfoot band split up?
The Blackfoot did not follow immediately, for fear of late blizzards. As dried food or game became depleted, the bands would split up and begin to hunt the buffalo.
What region did the Blackfoot Indians live in?
The Blackfoot Indians Tribe were mainly in what we know as the Great Lakes Region. The Cree Indians sworn enemies of the Blackfoot pushed the tribe westward, which made them the first tribe to move westward. As they moved westward they began to call the northern plains area home from the Saskatchewan all the way to the Rocky Mountains home.
What did the Blackfoot tribe have in common?
All the Blackfoot tribe, which included all four tribes had a similar culture, a common language, and treaties . They even joined together for various ceremonial rituals and could marry another from any of the four tribes.
What tribes were Blackfoot Indians?
These included the Siksika, the Blood, the South Piegan, and the North Piegan.
Why were the Blackfoot Indians elected?
Blackfoot Indians elected their leader and family was very important. During traveling, there were around 25 individuals in the band which would choose their leader. While the tribe was at peace, a peace Chief would be chosen that would aid in improving relationships with other tribes. On the other hand, a war chief was not elected but had to be earned via their own acts of bravery.
What was the vision quest called in the tribe of the savages?
The tribe had diverse societies such as if young men wanted to be in a certain society, he had to go on a vision quest that started with a cleansing of the spirit in what was called a sweat lodge. The idea was that the young brave would see a vision that would show his future.
What did the tribes wear?
The majority of cases, the males did not wear shirts but wore a buffalo robe across their shoulders with long leggings that reached their hips, a loincloth along with a belt.
How did the Indian brave show her father he was a good mate?
The Indian brave had to show her father that he was a good mate by impressing the father, at which time both the male and female traded gifts of clothing and horses which finished the marriage. In the majority of cases, the couple lived in their own tipi or in other cases, lived with the husband’s family.
What tribes were in the Blackfoot Indian tribe?
The Blackfoot Indian tribe actually consisted of the North Peigan, the South Peigan, the Kainai Nation, and the Siksika Nation. Only one of the tribes, the South Peigan, were located in North America. They lived in Montana while the three other tribes were located in Alberta, Canada. Like the Apache, the Blackfoot Indian tribe was known ...
What did the Blackfoot Indian tribes do in the winter?
During the winter, the Blackfoot Indian tribes lived close to a river valley, only leaving if food for the band or animals ran out. When Spring came, the bands would hunt the buffalo that had started to move out into the grasslands.
When did bison go extinct?
Once bison became extinct in 1881, the Blackfoot Indian tribes had to change their lifestyles. They were given a reservation in 1851, but adapting to their new lives proved hard on the bands.
How many Blackfoot are there?
In the face of these adversities, the Blackfoot have not lost their culture or their language. Today, there are approximately 25,000 Blackfoot members. The Piegan Blackfoot are located on the Blackfoot Nation in northwestern Montana near Browning. The other three tribes are primarily located in Alberta, Canada.
How many people did the Blackfoot have in the winter?
During the winter, the Blackfoot separated into bands near wooded areas of approximately 10 to 20 lodges, each encompassing somewhere between 100 and 200 people .
What tribes were part of the Blackfoot Confederacy?
The Blackfoot Confederacy is the name given to four Native American tribes in the Northwestern Plains, which include the North Piegan the South Piegan, the Blood, and the Siksika tribes. In the beginning, they occupied a large territory stretching from the North Saskatchewan River in Canada to the Missouri River in Montana .
What did the Blackfoot do in the summer?
During the summer, the Blackfoot lived in large tribal camps, hunting buffalo and engaging in ceremonial rituals. In mid-summer, the people grouped for a major tribal ceremony, the Sun Dance. The assembly provided for ceremonial rituals, social purposes, and warrior societies based on brave acts and deeds.. Large buffalo hunts provided food and ...
What tribes did the Indians trade with?
Though they continued to trade buffalo hides, horses and guns with the encroaching settlers, they primarily obtained their horses through trade with the Flathead, Kutenai and Nez Perce tribes. January 23, 1870, one of the worse slaughters of Indians by American troops occurred, since known as the Marias Massacre.
Why were the Blackfoot pleased when Europeans began to arrive?
However, their sentiments changed quickly as smallpox epidemics ravaged their population in the mid-1800s.
Who wrote the Blackfoot Teepee?
Blackfoot Teepee by Edward S. Curtis. As the refugees made their way to Fort Benton, Montana, some ninety miles away, many of them froze to death. In the meantime, Mountain Chief and his people had escaped across the border into Canada. The Blackfoot maintained their traditions and culture right up until the time that the white settlers had made ...
Where did the Blackfoot live?
In the early 18th century they were pedestrian buffalo hunters living in the Saskatchewan valley about 400 miles (645 km) east of the Rocky Mountains. They acquired horses and firearms before 1750. Driving weaker tribes before them, the Blackfoot pushed westward to the Rockies and southward into what is now Montana.
Who were the Blackfoot?
1910. Courtesy of the Edward E. Ayer Collection, The Newberry Library, Chicago. The Blackfoot were known as one of the strongest and most-aggressive military powers on the northwestern Plains.
What did the Blackfoot do after the Treaty of 1855?
For three decades after their first treaty with the United States in 1855, the Blackfoot declined to forsake hunting in favour of farming. When the buffalo were almost exterminated in the early 1880s, nearly one-quarter of the Piegan died of starvation. Thereafter the Blackfoot took up farming and ranching.

Overview
History
The Confederacy had a territory that stretched from the North Saskatchewan River (called Ponoká'sisaahta) along what is now Edmonton, Alberta, in Canada, to the Yellowstone River (called Otahkoiitahtayi) of Montana in the United States, and from the Rocky Mountains (called Miistakistsi) and along the South Saskatchewan River to the present Alberta-Saskatchewan border (called Kaayi…
Government
The four Blackfoot nations come together to make up what is known as the Blackfoot Confederacy, meaning that they have banded together to help one another. The nations have their own separate governments ruled by a head chief, but regularly come together for religious and social celebrations.
Originally the Blackfoot/Plains Confederacy consisted of three peoples ("nation", "tribes", "tribal n…
Culture
Family was highly valued by the Blackfoot Indians. For traveling, they also split into bands of 20-30 people, but would come together for times of celebration. They valued leadership skills and chose the chiefs who would run their settlements wisely. During times of peace, the people would elect a peace chief, meaning someone who could lead the people and improve relations with othe…
People
The largest ethnic group in the Confederacy is the Piegan, also spelled Peigan or Pikuni. Their name derives from the Blackfoot term Piikáni. They are divided into the Piikani Nation (Aapátohsipikáni ("the companion up there") or simply Piikáni) in present-day Alberta, and the South Peigan or Piegan Blackfeet (Aamsskáápipikani) in Montana, United States. A once large and mighty divisi…
Notable Blackfoot people
• Elouise Cobell, banker and activist who led the 20th-century lawsuit that forced the US Government to reform individual Indian trusts
• Byron Chief-Moon, performer and choreographer
• Crowfoot (ISAPO-MUXIKA – "Crow Indian's Big Foot", also known in French as Pied de Corbeau), Chief of the Big Pipes band (later renamed Moccasin band, a splinter band of the Biters band), Head Chief …
Representation in other media
• Hergé's Tintin in America (1932) featured Blackfoot people.
• Jimmy P (2013) is a Franco-American film exploring the psychoanalysis of a Blackfoot, Jimmy Picard, in the post-World War II period at a veterans' hospital by a Hungarian-French ethnologist and psychoanalyst, George Devereux. The screenplay was adapted from his book about this process, published in 1951.
See also
• Blackfeet music
• Blackfoot language
• List of Native American peoples in the United States
• Palliser Region