Lifestyle of blackfoot - Essay Example

Buffalo hunting is their major hunting activity. “The Blackfoot Indian tribe displayed agility in hunting buffalo that outranked other tribes. Their nomadic lifestyle was aided by dogs and later horses. They seldom fought over land but were great warriors in their own right” (Blackfoot Indian Tribe). This paper analyses different aspects of Blackfoot’s life styles. Because of huge diversity in culture, the life styles of Blackfoot (Also known as Blackfeet) people are different. Different languages, clothing, hunting methods, worshipping methods, food habits and hobbies are prevailing among the Blackfoot community because of the differences in their ethnicity.

“Mi'kmaq, Cree, Ojibwa, Arapaho, Shawnee, Fox, Algonquin” etc are some of the major languages in the Blackfoot community (Tribal Lifestyle, Gender Roles, Elders). “The members of a Blackfoot Indian tribe spoke a language called Pikunii. This is language was lyrical and musical to the ear with complex word formations. The language was learned by word of mouth and there was no written language” (Blackfoot Indian Tribe). . In other words, inter-tribal marital relationship is also possible among some of the tribal groups of the Blackfoot community.

“There are three main clans in the Blackfoot community: The Kainai (Many Leaders, also called the Blood); The Piikani (Amsskaapipiikani in Montana and Apatohsipiikani in southern Alberta also called the Peigan ); The Siksika (Blackfoot, also called northern Blackfoot)” (Tribal Lifestyle, Gender Roles, Elders). Even though, these clans have lot of differences in their life styles, the elements of a common culture can be seen in the life styles of these people. “Each tribe in Blackfoot community consisted of a number of hunting bands, which were the primary political units of the tribe” (Hanes & Pifer).

Each hunting band may have two leaders; one for leading the group for hunting activities and the other for leading the group in other social and political activities. The hunting leader would be an expert hunter whereas the other leader would be a person with immense capabilities in solving the social problems. In case of any disputes occur, the final word comes from either the hunting leader or the civilian leader. During ancient period, arrows and lances were the major war weapons of the Blackfoot community.

Blackfoot community had no hesitation in engaging in war with other tribal groups. They were clever warriors and their fighting spirit and better war strategy helped them to expand their territories. The Blackfoot or Siksikas were one of the most famous of the northern tribes, largely due to the fact that they were among the first to encounter and form relationships with European fur traders. Through this contact, the people of the Siksika nation became familiar with the objects, inventions and animals brought by these