The Blackfoot Indigenous People: Pre-Colonial, Colonial, and Current Situations

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Pre-colonial Life
Colonial History
Current Situation
Reflection
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The Blackfoot indigenous people comprise the Kainai, Piikani, and Siksika communities. The traditional residency of the Blackfoot people was in Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada and in the northern parts of Montana in the United States. This indigenous group of people refers to themselves as Niitsitapi, meaning the real people, or Siksikaitsitapi, meaning Blackfoot-speaking real people (OShea et al., 2021). The Black nation was initially nomad hunters and fishermen who operated from the great plains of Alberta, in Canada, to the Yellowstone River, Montana, United States of America. In 2016, the census showed that 22,490 people were identified to have Blackfoot ancestry (OShea et al., 2021). The census report showed that 5,565 people still speak the Blackfoot language and makeup about 98.7% of the total number of people in Alberta.

Pre-colonial Life

The Blackfoot nation lived freely on their lands before the 18th century. They participated in nomadic hunting and sheltered in camps known as the tipis. The social units comprised families with about 10 to 30 shelters, making about 80 to 240 individuals. Each unit was referred to as a band and was headed by a respected leader. The people were organized in communal life, sharing buffalo hunts prepared by the women in the bands (Stevenson et al., 2018). Most hunting was done during the summer and stored for winter, where hunting was minimal. The Blackfoot people believed in a superior being known as Old Man who created all life forms. They participated in celebration activities within the band, and members were allowed to move from one band to another.

Colonial History

The first encounter with the European traders was in the 18th century when they traded horses. Traders from Cree and Assiniboine also supplied them with firearms during the same period. The Blackfoot nation fought with American traders until 1870, which caused the death of about 220 Piikani people. The population of the Blackfoot nation comprised about 20,000 people in 1833 and dropped significantly to about 6,350 after the smallpox pandemic (Stevenson et al., 2018). In 1855 and 1877, the Blackfoot confederacy signed a treaty with the US government and the Canadian government (Stevenson et al., 2018). The Piikani people settled in Montana, while the Kainai and Siksika settled in Alberta, Canada.

Current Situation

Communities of the Blackfoot nation have retained much of their traditional cultures and ways of life. The communities have emphasized education, healing and wellness programs, and essential aspects of their daily lives. Nowadays, the majority of the indigenous communities participate in farming, own ranches, and are business people (OShea et al., 2021). The majority of the people in the indigenous communities face unemployment due to the limited resources in their rural areas. Consequently, the lack of employment opportunities has resulted in the rural-urban migration of people. Additionally, the leadership of the community allowed the extraction of natural gas and other resources over the years.

In the political scene, the people are represented by elected chiefs and council members. Over the years, members of the confederation have achieved victories by being elected into the federal and provincial governments (OShea et al., 2018). This information was obtained from the Red Crow Community College in Alberta, which was opened in 1989. The School had a cultural center that allowed people to learn about the Siksika Blackfoot nation.

Reflection

The knowledge about the Blackfoot has given me a profound understanding of the indigenous community in my area. I have been able to gather new information from internet sources as well as at the cultural center. The Blackfoot community is mainly divided into three central communities, and most of the settlers are in the area around Alberta. What interested me the most was learning about the traditional practices and cultures of the Blackfoot nation. I was surprised to learn that the previous main economic activity was nomadic hunting. The communities valued their festivals and celebrations back then, and they still do that up to date.

Being a nurse, there was a deep interest in knowing the history of medical practices of the Blackfoot people. I was surprised to learn that the communities had a medicine man referred to as Ni-namp-skan. The communities used medicine pipes which were stems that were thought to heal diseases. The medicine man offered prayers, and those who would be in favor of their god would be healed. Disease conditions were believed to be caused by evil spirits, and those healed were considered favored.

Colonization of the Blackfoot indigenous people led to the trading of various products where they acquired horses and firearms. During that period, there was an outbreak of smallpox that caused the death of more than half of the Blackfoot population. Colonization led to treaties where the communities were influenced to sell vast land to the US and the Canadian governments. Colonization led to industrialization that impacted a change in the traditional way of life. To my surprise, colonization had more negative than positive impacts, including erosion of their beautiful culture.

Conclusion

The knowledge of the Blackfoot people has given me an insight into the historical background of my community and some of their cultural practices. I aim to improve patient experiences by being culturally competent while executing my nursing duties. Cultural competence encourages nurses and other healthcare professionals to acknowledge and accept differences in the behavior and culture of their colleagues and patients (Nair & Adetayo, 2019). Additionally, competence ensures care is not provided based on cultural identity. As a nurse, I have learned to appreciate other peoples cultures and always seek their approval before providing nursing care.

References

Nair, L., & Adetayo, O. A. (2019). Cultural competence and ethnic diversity in healthcare.Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Global Open, 7(5), e2219. Web.

OShea, M., Kohli, P., & Neilson, H. (2021). Watching the skies: An overview of indigenous astronomy curricula for Canadian K-12 Teachers. Web.

Stevenson, S., Peterson, E., & Miller, J. (2018). The Blackfoot Confederacy in Canada.Interdisciplinary Dialogue Proceedings, 2(1). Web.

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