Blackfoot A closely related confederacy of North American tribes of Algonquian linguistic stock, who roamed the northern Plains region between the upper Missouri and Saskatchewan rivers. The confederacy is also called the Blackfoot Nation, and the tribes may individually identify themselves as Blackfeet. The southern Piegan of Montana are officially known as the Blackfeet. The Blackfoot consist of three distinct divisions: the Siksika, which in English means Blackfoot; the Kainah (Kainaiwa in the native language) or Blood; and the Piegan (Piikani in the native language). The name Blackfoot is likely derived from the groups' tradition of using ashes to stain their moccasins. Blood refers to the practice of dyeing faces and objects with red ochre. Originally from Saskatchewan, in the mid-18th century they drifted into the Montana area in search of buffalo. By the mid-19th century, at the peak of their power, they controlled a vast territory. -pic- The Blackfoot were expert horseback riders, noted buffalo hunters, and fierce warriors. They were feared by other aboriginal groups and were frequently at war with their neighbors, the Cree, Sioux, Crow, and other tribes. In times of war the three divisions united to defend their lands. The Blackfoot were a nomadic group, living in tepees in easily dismantled villages. Blackfoot tribes were divided into several bands, each led by a chief. The bands assembled in summer for social and religious ceremonies. Except for growing tobacco, the Blackfoot did no farming; their culture and economy were thus essentially typical of those of the Plains tribes. While the men made weapons and hunted, the women did household chores and gathered wild plants for food. The Blackfoot practiced polygamy; a prosperous warrior might have several wives. In 1990, 32,234 people identified themselves as members of the Blackfoot Nation. Several thousand of these people, the southern Piegan, lived on the large Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. Others lived on three reserves in Alberta, Canada: the Blood, Piegan, and Blackfoot Agencies. "Blackfoot," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Wyoming, History, Early Inhabitants Native Americans have lived in Wyoming for over 11,000 years. In 1975 archaeologists uncovered a site dating back 11,200 years in which the remains of prehistoric mammoths were found next to bone tools, projectiles, and knives. Another site shows evidence of prehistoric people mining quartzite, presumably to use for tools. The principal Native American groups of Wyoming were the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Sioux, Blackfoot, Crow, Shoshone, and Bannock. Many of these groups had similar lifestyles, based on the Great Plains culture. They were nomads, living in small groups of up to 100 people, hunting primarily Plains bison. In order to trap the animals, Native Americans built corrals made of brush and poles near steep bluffs or ravines. Then they drove bison herds toward the corral. When the bison entered the corral, men hiding behind the walls chased the bison over cliffs. In the middle of the 17th century, Native Americans of the Great Plains began to use horses. These animals provided the Native Americans greater mobility because they could carry more goods, and they could transport the young and the elderly with greater ease. Horses also became an important tool for bison hunting. A fast and well-trained group of horses could drive a herd of buffalo over a cliff so that the Native Americans did not have to build a corral. Native American groups with the most horses were often the most prosperous. Many Native American groups stole horses from one another to improve their hunting or to weaken their neighbors' claims on adjacent hunting grounds. During the 18th and 19th centuries, some Native Americans from the Eastern Woodlands began migrating west to the Great Plains as white settlers took their land. As the plains became more populated, rivalries intensified among different Native American groups. The Cheyenne and the Arapaho probably came into the Great Plains region in the 18th century from North Dakota or Minnesota. These traditional allies lived on the eastern plains of Wyoming. The Sioux, who relocated from Minnesota and Wisconsin, also hunted in the eastern plains of Wyoming. By the early l9th century the Crow people were based in the Bighorn Mountains. The Blackfoot, who were antagonistic toward the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Crow, and Sioux, occupied the Snake River country and the Three Forks of the Missouri River in Montana. In the mountains of western Wyoming roamed the Shoshone and Bannock. Other tribes who at one time hunted in the Wyoming country included the Ute, the Flathead, the Nez Perce, and the Kiowa. Access to the best buffalo lands was determined by warfare. from: "Wyoming (state)," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

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