The Blackfeet, sometimes called the Blackfoot, are one of the largest
Algonquian tribes and one of the most powerful on the northwest Plains
region. They are called "Siksikawa" (pronounced "sick-sick-uh"), which
literally means "black foot". There are two beliefs on how the name
came to be; the first refers to the blackening of their moccasins by
walking near prarie fires, and the second refers to the black painting
on some of their people's moccasins long ago.
The Blackfeet are made up of three tribes; the Siksika, the Blood, and the Piikani (whose name was later corrupted to Piegan). The Piikani are mainly based in Montana now, while the other two tribes are in the Alberta area of Canada.
One of the main figures in a lot of the Blackfeet legends is Napi,
or Old Man. Napi serves two purposes; he is revered, and is the one that
many people pray to, and he is also a trickster of sorts. In some of
the legends, he is downright dangerous, and rightly so! He is supposed
to be the son of the Sun and the Moon, and in some stories, is also one
of the people who brought the Sun Dance to the people.
But now, on to the legends...
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2004.
Page last updated on September 22nd, 2004.
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