According to http://www.indians.org , the nation of the Blackfoot Indians actually consist of three different tribes. Siksika tribe, which is an Algonquain language spoken by 8,000 people in southern Alberta and northern Montana. Blood/Kainai tribe, which literally means “Many Chiefs”. According to http://www.angelfire.com a blackfoot entered a Kainai camp many years ago and asked for the chief. Everyone there replied with “I am”. Then the blackfoot said, “I will call you the tribe of many chiefs”. Pikuni/Peigan, a tribe of Native Americans, many of whom currently live in the Blackfeet Nation, in northwestern Montana with population centered in Browning. Situated mostly in the Northwest United States and in Canada after migrating from the Great Lakes region, the Blackfoot Indians have a rich history and culture. They were legendary buffalo hunters and lived a mostly mobile life following the buffalo herds. The Indians lived off the buffalo and land. By trading buffalo and hides and other goods with other Indians they make a living. After the buffalo in the late 1800’s were nearly wiped out by unlimited white settlers, the Blackfoot Indians’ numbers were decreased a lot due to starvation and mass killing of American troops. The Blackfoot Indians were a friendly tribe but were victims of an overzealous campaign to punish all Indians for the alleged offences of a few warring tribes. Despite the campaign against the Indian tribes in the nineteenth century, the Blackfoot Indians are a strong tribe with keen sense of their history and respect for their honored traditions. A lot of Blackfoot Indians leaders hold have seminars and conferences to teach the younger tribe members about the old ways of the Blackfoot tribe to give them a sense of pride in their heritage and to give them a chance to learn traditional Blackfoot Indians beliefs. The conferences and seminars are also open to non-Indian people who would like to learn more about the culture and history of the Blackfoot Indian. A few of the honored traditions and beliefs of the Blackfoot Indians include the belief that nobody is born evil. Truth and honesty are the basis of leading an honorable life. All people deserve respect whatever their age or rank. And that a good sense of humor is a key if one wants to live to the fullest. They believed we should all live by these words. The Blackfoot Indian tribe mostly ate buffalo, deer, moose, and mountain sheep. They fished and caught a lot of salmon. The tribes descends still reside in Montana and other places they migrated. The buffalo that the Blackfoot hunted was used in a variety of ways traditionally used by the tribe. Buffalo meat was used for food frequently boiled, roasted, or dried. The good part about the meat from the buffalo was its ability to last long without spoiling which made it ideal for winter and traveling because it could be stored for time. http://blackfoottradition.blogspot.com/ says the winters were long, harsh, and cold because the lack of trees on the land, so they were forced to save up and store the meat as much as they could while they had the chance. As a ritual, the hunters would often eat the buffalo heart meat a few moments after they killed the buffalo as part of their culture. The skin from the buffalo was also used and it provided a great covering that would make up the tepee. The tepee is made up of log poles with skin draped around it. It worked as an excellent insulation keeping the inside warm in the winter and cool during the summer. The buffalo skin worked great against the wind. The skin also went toward making warm clothes such as robes and moccasins in the winter because of the insulation provided. The soap used came from the fat. The bones were used for tools and utensils for sewing, eating, and other various items. The
