Who Are the Blackfeet?
The Blackfeet Nation (also Blackfoot) includes the federally recognized Blackfeet Tribe in Montana (~17,300 enrolled members) and three First Nations in Alberta, Canada: the Siksika, Kainai (Blood), and Piikani (Peigan), collectively the Blackfoot Confederacy with over 35,000 members total. Their name derives from their distinctive black-dyed moccasins. They speak Blackfoot (Siksiká'powahsin), an Algonquian language with approximately 3,000 speakers. The Blackfeet were among the most powerful Plains nations, dominating the northwestern Plains from the Missouri River to the Rocky Mountains until the late 19th century.
Buffalo Culture
The Blackfeet developed one of the most buffalo-dependent cultures on the Plains. Before horses arrived (~1730), they used buffalo jumps—cliffs where herds were driven to their deaths—including Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump in Alberta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Horses transformed Blackfeet society into mounted hunters ranging across vast territories. The buffalo provided everything: food, shelter (tipis), clothing, tools, and spiritual meaning. The deliberate destruction of buffalo herds (1870s-1880s) devastated Blackfeet society; the Starvation Winter of 1883-84 killed approximately 600 Blackfeet when government rations arrived too late.
Glacier National Park
The eastern portion of Glacier National Park comprises lands ceded by the Blackfeet in 1895 for $1.5 million—a sale made under duress as the tribe faced starvation. The mountains remain sacred to the Blackfeet; Chief Mountain (Ninaiistáko) holds particular spiritual significance. Unlike many parks, Glacier maintains some Blackfeet treaty rights—tribal members retain hunting and gathering rights in certain areas. The park's establishment (1910) displaced Blackfeet from traditional territories. Contemporary debates address how parks can honor indigenous connections while meeting conservation goals.
Contemporary Blackfeet
Modern Blackfeet face challenges common to reservation communities: high unemployment, health disparities, and infrastructure needs on their 1.5 million-acre Montana reservation. The tribe has invested in education, including Blackfeet Community College. Language preservation is active—approximately 3,000 speakers remain, more than many Plains languages, with immersion programs working to train new speakers. The annual North American Indian Days celebration draws thousands. Cross-border cooperation with Canadian Blackfoot nations addresses shared cultural heritage. How the Blackfeet balance economic development with cultural preservation shapes this powerful confederacy's future.
References
- Ewers, J. C. (1958). The Blackfeet: Raiders on the Northwestern Plains
- Hungry Wolf, A. (1977). The Blood People: A Division of the Blackfoot Confederacy
- Farr, W. E. (1984). The Reservation Blackfeet, 1882-1945