Blackfoot

Introduction -(SLL-JaredM)
The Blackfoot indians are the oldest indians in the plains. They arrived in about 1578. They got the name Blackfoot because when the traveled it would turn the bottom s of their moccasins black, hence the name Blackfoot or Blackfeet. Many of the Blackfoot people today still speak the native langauge. The Blackfoot langauge is a musical langauge it has many complicated verbs and nouns one word is Oki which means hello. Thier goverment was just like it is today how we elect the pe ople in charge of our counrty. The only thing different is the council ran the tribe.

Habitat/Homes - (SLL-JaredM)
The Blackfoot live in the northern plains. The climate was very dry; but when they did get rain, they got a lot. They had snow in the winter because they were in the north and a little in Canada.

The Blackfoot painted their tipis. No other tribe has done that. They had a tree called the lodgepole pine, which they stripped the bark and used it for extra support for the tipis poles. The blackfoot women were in charge of the tipi. She built and moved the tipi wherever they went. The tipi was designed to be like a modern day tent so they can take it down and put it up very fast.

Most of the plants were grasses, berries and wild flowers. The berries were called currants and the flowers were called the gloriosa daisy. Some other plants were the spinifex, corkwood, honey grevilled and some scattered shrubs. The Blackfoots habitat always changed because they had to follow the buffalo to survive. The terrain was very flat and some rocks. There was also the North Dakota mountains and rolling hills and many lakes and rivers.

Most of the animals were buffalo and smaller mammals and reptiles. A small mammal is the praire dog one of the smallest mammals in the plains.
 * [[image:http://www.bigorrin.org/black1.jpg]]
 * //[|Blackfoot tepees]//** ||

Dress - (SLL-NatashaR)
The Blackfoot tribe is not any different than any other tribe in the plains. The men wore buckskin leggings that were worn with a belt that hung down in the front. As the women wore full length dresses that were sleeveless, buckskin which were knotted at the shoulder. Both men and women wore buffalo skin robes. For their feet they wore moccasins, they turned the moccasins inside out for warmth. The women made formal clothing made of antelope or sheepskin. The formal clothing was decorated with porcupine quills, beads, and paint. Although the Blackfoot Indians everyday clothes weren’t always decorated their war and ceremonial clothing was. Plants were also used for clothing as in dye.

Food - (OSL-Emmanuel)
The black foot tribe hunts for there food by riding their horses up a cliff and use a bow and arrow and used everything they hunted. They lived in Montana in the great plains. The kind of food they eat is squirrels, nuts, berries, steamed commas roots and buffalo. They only cut down or hunted what they needed.

Customs - (SLL-NatashaR)
Most native americans were serious. Not the blackfoot. The blackfoot tribe was a free spirited,merry, and talkative people. Until the buffalo wore out then the stopped being gidy. But the children still played. They played with dolls, toys,and hoop games

Tool and Weapons -(OSL-Emmanuel)
Blackfoot Indians used tools and weapons, such as bow and arrow, axe, knife and lots of other things. They made knives out of flint, axes out of wood and rocks and maybe bone. They also made pipes with carved figures of animals for special ceremonys. Before they made tools and weapons they only grab or hunt what they needed.



Miscellaneous Facts - (all group members)

 * A famous blackfoot member was a leader named Crowfoot. Chief Crowfoot was a great leader and warrior. He was also a diplomat famous for negotiating between the Blackfoot and Canada. He also fought against alcoholism in the tribe.
 * The blackfoot are the oldest plains people, 4000 years before the white man. [[image:http://www.american-native-art.com/publication/siksika_blackfeet/foto/blackfeet-flag1.jpg width="200" height="121"]]


 * A fact about the Blackfoot Indians is about their chief. He was a great leader he accomplished lots of thins and was a peace maker.
 * One other fact about Blackfoot Indians is that they make dolls, cradleboards and hoop games.