Blackfoot information
By Molly Noble
Where do they live?
How did they hunt?
The main food eaten by Blackfoot tribe was Buffalo. They used buffalo for many other things as well as food. Blackfoot hunters usually hunted by chasing the buffalo off cliffs or they may have shot them with arrows from long bows after stalking them. Traditionally most hunters were men.
What did they hunt ?
shelter
The tipis were usually made from 8 to 20 buffalo hides and 19 pine poles.
The women would drag the tipi were ever the tribe was going.
Traditional games.
Blackfoot Indians used to hunt, fish and did arts and crafts for fun. Storytelling was also a very important thing that the Blackfoot tribe would do because it was a way to pass down stories and legends from generation to generation. The stories would normally have a moral to them. Another fun game was the hoop and pole, The hoop is rolled across the ground and the players have to throw their pole through the hoop. Here is a picture of it.
Head smashed in buffalo jump.
Head smash in buffalo jump was used for 5,500 years by the Blackfoot tribes, they went there to kill buffalo by driving them off the cliff. Before the introduction of horses by the Europeans , the Blackfoot tribe drove the buffalo from a grazing area in the Porcupine hills about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) west of the site to the "drive lane"s, where they were led to the cliffs where they would fall from unbearable heights. Then the buffalo would break their legs and not be able to move The cliff itself is about 300 metres (1000 feet) long, and at its highest point drops 10 metres into the valley below. After falling off the cliff, the buffalo carcasses were processed at a nearby camp. The camp at the bottom of the cliffs provided the people with everything they needed to process a buffalo carcass, including fresh water. Most of the buffalo carcass was used for a variety of purposes, from tools made from the bone, to the hide used to make dwellings and clothing. The importance of the site goes beyond just providing food and supplies. After a successful hunt, the amount of food allowed the people to enjoy relax with their family and play games.
How were their clothes made?
Blackfoot women wore long deerskin dresses. Men wore buckskin tunics and breechcloths with leggings. Blackfoot dresses and war shirts were fringed and often decorated with porcupine quills, beads, and elk teeth. Both Blackfeet women and men wore moccasins on their feet that were normally black some people think that's why they're called Blackfeet. They wore buffalo-hide robes in cold weather.
Blackfeet chiefs wore tall feather headdresses. The men wore their hair in three braids with a topknot or high pompadour, and the women wore their hair loose or in two thicker braids. Blackfeet people painted their faces for special occasions. They used different patterns for war paint, religious ceremonies, and festive decoration.
Blackfoot translations.
I found a native translation page that had shown words, colours, seasons, numbers, days of the week , and months. Here are some of my favorites. Words: #1 oo poo ta means it’s snowing . #2 ah siks ka no to ni which means good morning. Colours: #1 oots koi na tsi is blue. #2 ii in a tsi is pink. Here are some seasons. #1 nip o wa is summer. #2 is to yi wa which is winter. Numbers: #1 iih ki tsi ka is seven. #2 phik so which is nine. Days of the week. #1 ii na ka to yiks tsi ko is saturday.#2 ta tsi kis tsi no pi is friday. Months: #1 Nis taai kisom is December. #2 ii ta wa ko ka tsu pi is June.
Blackfoot legends.
Old man
Old man is the culture hero of the Blackfoot tribe sometimes they would also call him a transformer. He was a trickster, a troublemaker, and sometimes a foolish person, but he is also responsible for shaping and caring of the world the Blackfeet tribes lived in and he was always there to help if he was needed. He is assisted in these tasks by his wife the old lady.
The legend of the Horned snake
The Blackfoot people believed in the horned snake which is a Big Water Snake, Omachi-soyuz-ksiksinai or Omahksoyisksiksina. A fearsome water-monster that lurks in lakes and rivers and eats people by drowning them. Blackfoot people often blamed Horned Snakes for drowning people.Blackfoot religion
Another God-like figure for the Blackfeet tribe is the Sun. The Sun grew to become just as important as the Old Man, perhaps even more important in their religion. There is even some evidence to suggest that the Old Man and the Sun are the same person. However, the Sun was kinder than the Old Man. The Sun has a very big part in the Blackfoot religion, being seen as the source of all good fortune in life. To worship the Sun the Blackfeet do the Sun Dance every midsummer.