The Blackfoot People

Abstract
This paper takes a look at the Blackfoot Indians cultural and religious practices in contemporary America and the influences of Christianity and Westernization on their religion and culture. I argue that the intolerance of Christianity had a profound impact on the way Blackfoot Indians practice their religion. My findings found that Christianity has changed the way Blackfoot Indians practice their religion, but that there is a movement to convert back to the traditional ways of their ancestors. The purpose of this article is to provide a better understanding of the intrusiveness of a religion upon another and what long term affects it may have.

Modern day Blackfoot Indian culture has struggled to survive for over 150 years since the first white settlers found their way to modern day Canada and the United States. The Blackfoot people have fought and struggled to preserve the traditions of the past and incorporate what were once their forefather’s beliefs with European influences and traditions. Today most of the Blackfoot people live on reservations in Alberta and Montana; there they find a unique balance that allows them to live modern day lives and preserve traditions of the past. Blackfoot Indians have developed into agricultural people, abandoning their seasonal nomadic ways. In this paper I will examine how the Blackfoot people function and live in the present day; focusing on how religion and culture intertwine to form contemporary life for the Blackfoot people. The intrusiveness of Christianity will be of particular importance; specifically it’s intolerance of the Blackfoot religion. The role that the buffalo once played to the Blackfoot people completely defined them and was very important in religious ceremonies, today with the scarcity of buffalo I will examine how the Blackfoot people have coped and adapted to the loss of this once sought after treasure. The traditional Sun Dance (Okan) was of particular distain to the Christian missionaries, this traditional ceremony will be examined along with its present day role. Medicine bundles and their evolving role and meaning to the present day Blackfoot people will also be discussed, along with sweat lodges and vision quests. The goal of this paper is to educate the reader about present day Blackfoot culture and religion; much of what the average person knows about the Blackfoot people only concerns the past. This paper will give the reader a look into the present day lives of one of the most influential people to roam the Americas.
Present day Blackfoot people live lives not that much different from that of the past, the family and tribe are of upmost importance. Many of members have sought lives as ranchers, some raising buffalo and others in the agricultural field. “The traditional values represented in the Blackfoot’s concern for the land are also evident in the tribe’s ongoing concern over the preservation of their culture” (Hanes and Pifer 2000:5). Although their diet is varied they adhere to their past cultural beliefs and abstain from eating fish. This belief comes from the story of the Suyitapis, which were a group of underwater people with special powers. It is believed that the Suyitapis people are the source of power for the medicine bundles. As a result the Blackfoot people avoid eating fish and using canoes.
With the introduction of Christianity in the late 1800s the Blackfeet people began to see their culture and religion slowly become part of the past. This was and still is a major issue in contemporary Blackfoot culture. And although many still practice Christianity they also practice their traditional religion. Their basic fundamentals between Christianity and traditional Blackfoot religion are similar; respect your elders and similar values to that of the Ten Commandments (Ewers 1958:158). Much like in Christianity, Blackfoot religion stresses a personal relationship with the Creator (Nah-doo-si). Four important teachings prevail in contemporary Blackfoot religion. The creator comes first and is of most importance. Second, the “red road” leading to the creator is curved and dangerous and only by living a good life can you reach him. Third, participating in religious ceremonies will strengthen the individual and help them is their journeys. And finally anything else comes last to the above statements (Ewers 1958:158). According to McFee, “All of the Blackfeet universe was invested with a pervasive supernatural power that could be met within the natural environment” (1974:209). The relationship between the Blackfoot people and their land and environment was one of equality; they belong to it more than it belongs to them. The main teachings of the Blackfoot people stressed tolerance more than Christianity does (Juneau 2007: 85). The missionaries of the past believed that only when the Blackfeet people had forgotten their traditions were they able to receive salvation (Juneau 2007:84-85). Today the Blackfoot Indian “does not ask one to believe his belief or recommend what he perceives as salvation. He knows him (the Creator) and only he is responsible for his behavior on earth” (Juneau 2007:85).
An integral part of the Blackfoot religious life is the practice of the Sun Dance (Okan), or Medicine Lodge Ceremony. This is an annual ceremony that is initiated in midsummer and originally was a sacred celebration of the sun and, much like many ceremonies and rituals of the Blackfoot people the buffalo was an integral part of the Sun Dance. The Sun Dance was outlawed by catholic missionaries in the late 1800s because the acts performed in the ceremony were considered barbaric and uncivilized (Hanes & Pifer 2000:4); such as piercing of the body. Today the Sun Dance has been revived and is practiced among the Blackfoot people in elaborate ceremonies very similar to the past, it is considered a way for the Blackfeet people link to the past and share views, beliefs, and celebrate their heritage (Hanes & Pifer 2000:5). Very much thought and preparation is done in order to successfully conduct the Sun Dance.
Medicine bundles continue to play an important role in Blackfoot religious ceremonies and contemporary life. According to Carlson, “The owner opened and renewed the bundle and manipulated its contents according to definite rites at auspicious times for communal and individual good and well-being” (1998:118). These bundles essentially contained objects, such as tobacco, pipes, knifes etc., that were needed to perform a particular ceremony or ritual. A ritual is defined as being “a secular or sacred, formal, solemn, observance, or procedure in accordance with prescribed rules or customs” (Moro et al 2005:491). In dealing with religion, rituals are used to show ones faith and commitment. Rituals in religion are action in showing ones faith, the “cutting edge of a tool” (Wallace 1966:102). Rituals can be used to ease on anxiety about the things they cannot control; the “action” in rituals is seen as their control. In the case of the Blackfoot people and the use of bundles, elaborate rituals are used to evoke the powers of the bundles. These rituals are used as places of fellowship and strengthening their commitment to their faith. In the present day, just like the past, each bundle represents as particular society, Beaver Society, Medicine Pipe Society, etc… Today these bundles are of particular importance and as Burns states, “What they represent, really, is the survival of the Blackfeet” (2009:1). The medicine bundles have evolved from their past use and seem to have taken on the role of not only being the center of ceremonies, but also being the chiefs and leaders of the Blackfoot people. This role has evolved from the need for something sacred and directly linked to the past. These bundles are the foremost authority and encompass knowledge, power, survival, history, respect etc… These bundles garner the same respect that one would give to their grandfather or grandmother (Burns 2009: 3). Present day Blackfoot people look for guidance and seek the religion that guided their ancestors to help them with their lives in the present. “They are the ones that keep us well emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally” (Burns 2009:3). Today the protectors of the bundles are both men and women, because both the male and female point of view must be preserved; in Blackfoot culture women are seen as having superior spiritual powers and often times the initiators of ceremonies, i.e. Sun Dance (Kehoe 1995:116). When people seek advice for their problems they go to the bundles, not the keepers of the bundles. This can happen at any time and not just at the time of ceremonies (Burns 2009:3-4). Today’s Blackfoot people find themselves seeking advice and guidance for common problems that most Americans face, i.e. financial, illness, work etc… (Burns 2009:4). This evolution of the bundles has been brought along by the change of present day circumstances that the Blackfoot people face in their daily lives.
Presently because of the scarcity of them, buffalo have taken on a much lesser role in Blackfoot life. The buffalo once defined who the Blackfoot people were and was their link to survival; instead of following the buffalo with the seasons Blackfoot people now live stationary, agricultural lives (Hanes 2000:5). All of the parts of the buffalo were used and important to the Blackfoot people. Up to 20 buffalo hides would be used to make Blackfoot tipis, they were also used to make traditional robes and rattles used for ceremonies. Today, instead of making traditional tipis or clothing out of buffalo hides the Blackfoot Indians use heavy cloth as a replacement. In an analysis of McFee’s work, Hanes and Pifer found two periods that were of particular importance because they showed evolving relationship between that Blackfeet people and the buffalo. They first began in 1884 and lasted until 1935, this period was characterized by “the onset of famine caused by the near extermination of the buffalo” (Hanes & Pifer 2000:6). This period saw the Blackfoot people depend on the government for survival, this also brought on “a massive cultural change due to the new lifestyle” (Hanes & Pifer 2000:6). To this day this cultural change is still affecting the Blackfoot people. The white settler’s intrusion and extermination of the buffalo has not allowed the present day Blackfoot people to fully practice their traditional religion. The second period came in the mid 1930s and saw the Blackfoot people reach a level of “self-sufficiency and self-government which the Indian Reorganization Act encouraged” (Hanes & Pifer 2000:6).
Present day Blackfoot Indians still practice the tradition of sweat lodges, “For a sweat bath one went nearly naked into a tiny, sauna like hut made of hides draped over a willow-branch frame” (Carlson 1998:116). Inside there may be several people, men or women; cold water is poured over hot rocks and the idea is to have visions. In the past women were not allowed to partake in the sweat lodges, but today the Blackfoot culture has seen a shift in equality for women of their culture (Carlson 1998:114-115). The sweat lodges also serve as means to completing a vision quest. Today these vision quests are still practiced, and still serve as a rite of passage for young boys (Carlson 1998:85). A Rite of Passage can be defined as being rituals that are associated with stages and role changes in the individual’s life such as “birth, puberty, marriage, and death” (Moro et al 2005:93). Rites of passages are not physical changes in the individuals; rather they are a change in status among their group. They are used to symbolize the person’s entry into a new stage in life. A boy becomes a man or a girl becomes a woman; in the case of the Blackfoot Indians these vision quests are used to send a young boy into a new stage in their life, adulthood, which has “new rights, responsibilities, and privileges” (Moro et al 2005:94). It is important to note that these vision quests are a decision by the individual, which can be brought on by a dream, and are obeyed and adhered to by the authority of the tradition (Turner 1964:100).
Blackfoot history from the past and present are discussed in Malcolm McFee’s book. McFee discusses Blackfoot culture and how it has changed due to the involvement of white settlers and government. Mcfee focuses on the changing culture of the Blackfeet Indians after the disappearance of buffalo. The significant periods that McFee believes are of significant importance first involves the Blackfoot dependency on the government for food and the change to an agricultural society, then a period in which the Blackfoot people saw themselves become self-sufficient and self-governing. The Blackfoot Indians authors Richard C. Hanes and Matthew Pifer provides an overview of the Blackfoot people and their history. They provide excerpts from notable Blackfoot authors and tribes members, which provide an excellent firsthand experience. The stories told involve the daily lives of the Blackfoot people as they went through massive change and adapted to their situations. The “Plains Indians” by Carlson describes specific ceremonies and religious practices of the Blackfoot people such as the Sun Dance, vision quests, and coming of age rites. Carlson details cultural change, he states that the Blackfeet took these changes and adapted them into their culture. Author Charlene Burns, a former Christian, offers her insights on the history of medicine bundles and their purpose in the present day Blackfoot culture. Being a Blackfoot Indian, who was once a Christian, offers unique perspective and opinions on how she and her people view their religion, both past and present. John C. Ewers describes the Blackfoot people and their ways pre-horse period. Ewer’s offers firsthand knowledge from tribal elders who describe their lives as youth growing up. Juneau “examines the range of Blackfoot political, social, economic structures, spiritual beliefs, and practices that were in place in the time of Euro-American contact” (Juneau 2007:2). She states that the Blackfoot people have been forced to change due to uncontrollable outside sources such as “disease, warfare, and other natural phenomena” (Juneau 2007:2).
The Blackfoot people have adapted to their ever changing environment; the past was one of turmoil and distress. Their religion and culture have survived an elaborate attempt to eradicate it, yet still to this day the Blackfoot people have persevered and are thriving. Christianity was a driving force in what almost destroyed the Blackfoot religion. The basic principles of Christianity are similar to that of the Blackfoot religion, yet the Blackfoot religion was still considered barbaric and unacceptable by the U.S government. This cultural upheaval has led to the Blackfoot people adapting and integrating aspects from the past and present to suit their daily lives. The evolving roles of bundles are of particular importance, in the past they were used to assist in ceremonies and those would seek them for the powers they contained. Today the bundles are seen as keepers of the past and have taken on the role of chief and leaders of the Blackfoot people. The bundles and the Blackfeet have evolved and special and unique relationship. They offer wisdom and keep the Blackfoot people spiritually and emotionally sound on a daily basis.

Works Cited

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