Blackfeet Nation: History, Culture, and Modern Challenges

Introduction

The Blackfeet Indians are a Native American tribe living in Northern Montana. They have a history rich in traditions and rituals. There is some controversy surrounding how they became known as "Blackfeet," but many believe it is because of the black moccasins they wore. How these moccasins became black is uncertain, though two common explanations are that the Indians painted them or that they were darkened by prairie fires (www.blackfeetnation.com).

The Beginnings and Early Lifestyle

The original home of the Blackfeet is believed to have been in the eastern woodlands "north of the Great Lakes" (www.blackfeetnation.com). More than three hundred years ago, they began their move westward, first along the Saskatchewan River and then into the northern plains. The Blackfeet spoke in the Algonquian tongue, a language rooted in their native eastern region.

Over time, the Blackfeet transitioned from a hunting and gathering tribe into nomads who hunted buffalo. They used every part of the buffalo: the flesh for food, the hide for clothing and shelter, and the horns and bones for utensils and tools. The Blackfeet also crafted pottery and bowls made from wood.

War, Migration, and Tribal Formation

In the early 1500s, tribes in the east held greater power because they had access to more weapons obtained through trade with the French. Competition for the fur trade sparked fighting that forced the Blackfeet Indians to move westward. During this migration, three independent tribes were formed: the Peigan, the Bloods, and the North Blackfeet.

As trade with European settlers increased, the Blackfeet found that guns and horses were valuable assets in both hunting and warfare. The Blackfeet became skilled horsemen who soon discovered they were formidable opponents against their old enemies. By the early 1800s, they found themselves at war with most of the tribes in their region (www.blackfeetnation.com).

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, two separate smallpox epidemics wiped out over two-thirds of the Blackfeet Nation. In the late 1800s, the buffalo herds disappeared from the northern plains, causing widespread starvation and leading to the tribe's increasing dependence on the federal government.

Art, Economy, and Reservation Life

Although artwork was an important part of Indian life, the Blackfeet did not have a specific word for "art" in their language. They created artwork for philosophical and spiritual reasons, while European settlers viewed art as something requiring a separate place and purpose. An example of their ethnographic use of art is the Sunburst design used for a war bonnet (Young Man).

Today, the 1.5-million-acre Blackfeet Nation Indian Reservation is located in Northern Montana, south of Glacier National Park. More than 8,500 Indians live on the reservation and continually face economic hardship. Approximately 50% of residents live in poverty, and the unemployment rate stands at 69%. In an effort to address these challenges, the tribe sanctioned the United States' only offshore bank, Glacier International Depository, hoping to attract foreign depositors to fund projects that would create new jobs. The Blackfeet are dependent on the federal government and view this banking initiative as a way to meet needs the government has failed to address. They are in desperate need of new housing and schools, and foreign investors have acknowledged this (Ritter).

Education, Health, and Social Challenges

Unemployment is not the only problem the Blackfeet face. Nearly half of all children will not graduate from high school, despite a 1979 Montana requirement that all public school teachers working on or near reservations have a background in Native American Studies (www.blackfeetnation.com). The number of single-parent households is particularly alarming, running at twice the national average. The Indians are six times more likely to die from alcoholism than the average American (Ritter).

Obesity is another significant healthcare concern, with over one-third of all Indians classified as overweight. This trend is largely attributed to a shift in eating habits over the past thirty years. Native Americans may also carry a genetic predisposition to diabetes and are more likely to develop the disease than any other racial group in the world (Broussard).

Works Cited

Origins and Early History of the Blackfeet (accessed 10-01-2002) http://www.blackfeetnation.com

Ritter, John. "Blackfeet plan USA's only offshore bank." USA Today. 03 April 2000.

Nijhuis, Michelle. "Tribal immersion schools rescue language and culture." The Christian Science Monitor. 11 June 2002.

Wilkinson, Todd. "A Blackfeet's crusade to settle accounts with US." The Christian Science Monitor. 20 March 2002.

Young Man, Alfred. "Visions of the People: A Pictorial History of Plains Indian Life (book reviews)." The American Indian Quarterly. 01 January 1994.

Broussard, Brenda A. "A return to tradition (looking to the past to create a better future) (Native Americans) (Cover Story)." Diabetes Forecast. 01 January 1994.

Lopach, James J. "Blackfeet: Their Own Government to Help Them." Tribal Government Today: Politics on Montana Indian Reservations. 1990, p. 41.