Narcisse Blood, coordinator of Kainah studies at
Red Crow Community College in Standoff, Alberta, speaks about the
world of the Blackfeet, and the connectedness of all life.
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In this Culture Section you will be introduced to the world of
the Nitsitapi, also known as the Blackfeet People. If you slow
down and absorb the stories, you will begin to understand a very different
perspective on history and culture from the one taught in schools.
The stories of the Nitsitapi go back to a time when the people
crossed a great ice sheet, when little horses still roamed the land. Put
into this context of millennia, the Lewis and Clark crew were just one
of many groups of white traders and explorers who came into contact with
the Blackfeet not so many generations ago.
As you tour through the Culture section you will learn about
the Aboriginal Culture before the arrival of the first white traders,
about
trade and travel, family life and the life of all things. Stories of
the many changes that followed the arrival of traders and trappers,
including
the Long Knives, are told within "Relationships with Whites" in the U.S.
section. Contemporary Culture, in the Native American section,
will acquaint you with the Blackfeet tribes today.
We encourage you to think about the story from the point of view of
the Blackfeet people. How did their lives change after the arrival of
traders,
trappers, missionaries, treaty commissioners and agents, miners, cattle
ranchers, and the American military? Despite the devastation brought
by
these various groups, whether intentionally or due to uncontrollable
circumstances, the Nitsitapi have survived.
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