Blackfoot mythology facts for kids
The Blackfoot people are Native Americans and Aboriginal people who live in the Great Plains. Their lands include parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Montana. The Blackfoot have many amazing stories, myths, and legends. These tales are a big part of their daily life, their history, and their beliefs.
Only the elders of the Blackfoot tribes are allowed to share these special stories. It can be hard for outsiders to hear them because elders often prefer to tell them only to people from their own tribe. However, some people like George Bird Grinnell, John Maclean, D.C. Duvall, Clark Wissler, and James Willard Schultz were able to write down many of these tales.
The Story of Creation
The Blackfoot culture has several stories about how the world began. One important story features a character named Napi. Napi is a key figure in many Blackfoot myths.
In this story, Napi created the Earth. He used mud that a Turtle collected during a big flood. Napi didn't just make the land; he also created people, animals, and plants. He taught the Blackfoot people which plants were safe to eat and which animals to hunt. This included the buffalo, which was their main food source.
How the Wind Began
In Blackfoot stories, everything has an origin. Napi also appears in the legend about how the wind started.
In this tale, Napi found two bags. One held summer, and the other held winter. Napi wanted to get these bags so he could make both seasons last the same number of months. He tried to get the bags himself but couldn't. So, he sent a prairie chicken to do the job.
The prairie chicken successfully grabbed the summer bag. The bag's guardians chased the bird, which tried to hide in tall grass. As the guardians cut through the grass, they accidentally sliced open the bag. A strong wind burst out!
Later, Napi burned himself and wanted wind to cool his wound. He climbed a mountain and performed a special ceremony to call the wind. But the wind blew so hard it almost knocked him off the mountain! Napi managed to grab onto a birch tree. He held on so tightly that his fingers left marks, which is why birch trees have their unique pattern today.
Languages on a Mountain
In another story, Napi is called Old Man. After a huge flood covered the land, Old Man made the water different colors. He gathered all the people on top of a tall mountain. There, he gave them water of different colors to drink.
Old Man told the people to drink the water and then speak. When they did, everyone spoke a different language! However, those who drank the black water all spoke the same language. These people were the bands of the Blackfoot: the Piegan (Apatohsipikuni and Amskapipikuni), the Siksika, and the Blood (Kainai). This event is said to have happened on the highest mountain in the Montana reservation.
The Legend of Red Coulee
Red Coulee is a real place in Montana. It's located between McLeod and Fort Benton, near the Marias River.
The Snake First Nations, who lived in Montana at the time, told the Blackfoot First Nations about a special "medicine stone." Years later, a group of Blackfoot men went to find this stone. When they found it, their leader laughed. He said it was just a child's story and rolled the stone down a hill.
On their way back to their tribe, they were attacked. Everyone died except one man, who returned to tell the story. The Blackfoot people then called this place "Red Coulee." Whenever they traveled past Red Coulee, they would always leave offerings. This was to ensure their safety and protection on their journey.
