Remembering, Grandfather said, “Because the people were
short of horses, they were doing a lot of walking, and after walking
over burned prairies, their moccasins became black with ashes. This
is why they became known as Blackfeet.’



10

“The South Pikuni Band are now referred to as the Blackfeet of
Montana. A lot of our prople live on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation
in the northern part of Montana, east of the Rocky Mountains. Our
people say that when we were put on reservations, we were named
Blackfeet. So, our reservation became known as the Blackfeet
Reservation”

Grandfather continued, “According to the old people, South
Pikuni, rather than Blackfeet, is our proper name. Many Canadian
Indians still refer to the Montana Blackfeet Indians as South Pikuni”

The South Pikuni liked to camp near the mountains. Stories
told among our people say they roamed as far south as Mexico and far
north into Canada along the Old North Trail.

Snowbird, you will read about the Old North Trail in school.
Your grandmother’s people also used it.”


20

Stretching his arms, Grandfather told Snowbird, “Well my girl,
we must hurry because the school bus will be coming” Snowbird
asked, “Grandfather, what are we having for breakfast?” “Ah, we will
have deer steak and pancakes,” Snowbird smiled, “Oh great! It’s my
favorite,”

While eating breakfast Grandfather said, “Snowbird, some day
you will get married and have a daughter. I will give her your
grandmother’s name, Pretty Woman. Someday, as you watch the
sunrise, tell her the story of the warrior people. These four groups of
people lived independently of each other, but came together in time of
war and for religious ceremonies.”

Grandfather waved his arm through the air saying, “Before the
line between the United States and Canada was established, these
groups roamed freely. They traveled back and forth from the
Sasketchewan River in Alberta, Canada, to beyond the Yellowstone
area in southern Montana”


Weasel Necklace is returning home after hunting in the Rocky
Mountains for three days. He is riding his best horse, Drums. The
horse he is leading is called Majestic. Majestic is extremely tired. As
you can see, he is carrying a full grown buck deer.

Weasel Necklace is anxious to get home. He is very hungry and
anxious to see his beautiful granddaughter whose name is Snowbird.

Snowbird and Weasel Necklace belong to a band of Indians
called the South Pikuni. He has dreamed of telling Snowbird of the
glorious group of people to which they belong, the Warrior People.



“The Kainah live in Southern Alberta, Canada, near Cardston
on the Blood Indian Reserve. The word Kaniah means Many Chiefs.

It is said they were camped where the Belly and St. Mary’s
Rivers came together. They would camp there and trade where a
trading post had been established”



At the bus Grandfather told Snowbird, “I'll see you after school.
You can learn how to tan your hide and make your new buckskin
dress!”



Grandfather said, “I was told that one day a man from the South
Pikuni Band came to visit. He was standing up on a hill with a boy
from the Kainiah Band. Pointing at the camp, he asked the boy,
‘Whose camp is that?’ The boy replied, ‘It belongs to a chief? The man
asked the same question two or three times and the boy’s reply was
the same. So the South Pikuni man called the band Many Chiefs.
They are also referred to as Bloods. It was a custom among some
Indians to drink blood soup. As I said before, Snowbird, our people did

not waste”



“The North Pikuni now live in the northern part
of Alberta, Canada,” said Grandfather. “They were
also noted for the way they left rusty streaks on their
tanned hides. Before the line between the United
States and Canada was made, the North Pikuni and
South Pikuni made up one band. At the time the
United States and Canadian border was formed, they
were camped separately from one another. That is why
one group ended up in Montana and the other in
Alberta. Many immediate families were separated”



Weasel Necklace is tired from the hunt and Snowbird is tired
from helping her aunt pick berries all day. They have finished eating
and now they will get ready for a good night’s sleep. Weasel Necklace
told Snowbird, “Go to sleep for we must rise before the sun. We will do
this out of respect. Without the heat from the sun, nothing will grow
and we would have no light to see, or heat to keep us warm.”

——
—_—_—— By Mike Swims Under


i) THE INDIAN READING SERIES:
% Stories and Legends of the Northwest



Majestic and Drum’s ears perk up as they see Snowbird and the
corral that Weasel Necklace keeps clean for them. The horses know
they are friends of the Pikuni Indian people. They also know they will
have a fresh drink of water at the river and something good to eat.

ms
tarde, Willa sas Any nu enn, ll ance tle AMboromucc

War... er aul an om ne
—~ay se a ila


As Weasel Necklace approches his home, he sees Snowbird
running to meet him. She is happy to see her grandfather. He always
has good things for her to eat and interesting stories to tell.



“Where are the Blackfeet now, Grandfather?”, asked Snowbird.
“The group of people properly known as the Blackfeet now live in
Gleichen, Alberta, Canada. It is said that a prairie fire burned there.
The horses, probably looking for green grass, ran away and the people
were left on foot.’

yur, Wy Berrien, Seneee
OO acre on an

il We a i Wi gg Og Oe ee

15


ike

3
4y Mike §
ere z Under


= _ a _
—_— es = — - _
——-— —_——- ——
: = ———
¢
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———_, ———__—. i
—_—__- ——_ . -—— Se
a —— y on _
= _ . — ——. _.
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——————
~ [a2 8s ay 1 —_

— - 4 -
—_— —
-_ — : — —S
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21




Snowbird and her grandfather sat in front of the house. “Here
comes the sun. Isn’t it beautiful?” asked Snowbird. “Yes, it is
beautiful,” replied her grandfather. “We will watch the sun rise just as
our people have done countless generations before us. Snowbird,
respect is something our people have always shown for each other and
for the things in life which help them live. Don’t ever forget that”

2 =
oye a.
8 By Mike Sens Under =


“Good morning, Snowbird; says Weasel Necklace. “Good
morning, Grandfather,” replies Snowbird.

“Snowbird, I miss your grandmother very much. Her name was
Pretty Woman and she belonged to a group of Indians called
Hunkpapa Sioux. They live east of here in Montana, and others live in
South Dakota. She was a cousin to the great Hunkpapa chief whose
name was Sitting Bull. You will learn more about this great man
when you go to school and study history. Well, Granddaughter, we must
not wait any longer for the sun is beginning to rise” “Grandfather, was
my grandmother as beautiful as I remember my mother?” asked
Snowbird. “Yes Snowbird, just as you will grow up to be. Now come!”



After the horses were taken care of, Weasel Necklace proceeded
to prepare the deer for food. He will not waste any part of the deer. He
realizes the deer gave his life so that he and Snowbird could have
something to eat. The deer’s hide will be used to make a new buckskin
dress for Snowbird. The hair will be used on a roach for Weasel
Necklace. The other parts will be used as decorations.

When Weasel Necklace finished preparing the deer, he took the
kidneys inside the house.

Weasel Necklace and Snowbird sat down at the table. He told
Snowbird, “Kidneys are considered a delicacy by our people. The meat
will help you grow into a healthy Pikuni girl.”






This work has not as yet been published and is afforded all
protections under the U.S. Copyright Law (PL. 94-553) effective
January 1, 1978.

Copyright in the published edition will be held by and in the name of
the Blackfeet Tribe.

No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transcribed, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written
permission of the author agency identified below.

The project presented or reported herein was performed
pursuant to a grant from the National Institute of Education,
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. However, the
opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the
position or policy of the National Institute of Education,

and no official endorsement by the National Institute of
Education should be inferred.

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
710 S.W. Second Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97204




“The North Pikuni differed from the South Pikuni in that the
North Pikuni liked to camp farther away from the mountains on the
prairie”



THE INDIAN READING SERIES:
Stories and Legends of the Northwest

Warrior People
Series IV

Developed by the Blackfeet Indians
Written by:

Carmen Marceau

Doris Old Person

June Tatsey

Patricia Tatsey

Patricia Tatsey Bachaun

Illustrated by Mike Swims Under

Joseph Coburn, Director
Pacific Northwest Indian Program
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory



“Hurry now! Here comes the school bus! Let’s go!” prodded
Grandfather.

“I hope you go to school and learn to write well. And when Pretty
Woman learns to read, she will read your story of the Warrior People.
She will know that our people were noted for their skill in war and the
bravery they showed in maintaining their territory”

Snowbird, reluctant to leave, asked, “Grandfather, would you
walk with me?” Grandfather answered, “Yes, now let’s hurry, you
don’t want to miss the bus. You must get your education and do well
because our people are proud. Don’t ever forget the way of your people,
but you must learn new ways in order to survive. It will not be easy,
but always remember to show respect and you will do just fine”



THE INDIAN READING SERIES: Stories and Legends of the
Northwest is a collection of authentic material cooperatively devel-
oped by Indian people from twelve reservations. Development ac-
tivities are guided by a Policy Board which represents the Indian
community of the Pacific Northwest. The Pacific Northwest Indian
Reading and Language Development Program Policy Board mem-
bers are:

* Warren Clements — Warm Springs
Chairman

+ Clement Azure — Devils Lake Sioux

+ Walter Moffett — Nez Perce

+ Emmett Oliver — Quinault

+ Bob Parsley — Chippewa

+ Lloyd Smith — Warm Springs

+ Max Snow

+ Jeanne Thomas — Yakima


Booklets available in the Level IV sequence are listed below. Numbers refer to the Planned Sequence of use
in the Teacher’s Manual. Materials developed by these tribes and others in the Northwest are included in
the Levels I, II and III sequences.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Warm Springs Animal Stories
The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon

Snail Women at Sq*a’le

The Suquamish Tribe of the Port Madison
Reservation

Blue Jay — Star Child/Basket Woman
Muckleshoot Tribe

Assiniboine Woman Making Grease
Assiniboine Tribe of the Fort Peck Reservation
Coyote

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon

6. How the Summer Season Came

7.

Assiniboine Tribe of the Fort Belknap
Reservation
Little Weasel’s Dream

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

8. Fort Hall Stories

9.

10.

ll.

Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall
Reservation

The Bear Tepee

Northern Cheyenne Tribe

Sioux Stories and Legends

Sioux Tribe of the Fort Peck Reservation
Kootenai Stories

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

12.

13.

14,

15.

16.

Chief Mountain’s Medicine
Gros Ventre Tribe from the Fort Belknap
Reservation

Coyote the Trickster
Burns Paiute Reservation

Running Free
Shoalwater Bay

Salish Coyote Stories
Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

Coyote and the Cowboys
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall
Reservation

17. Napi’s Journey

18.

19.

Blackfeet Tribe

Warm Springs Stories

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon

Tepee Making

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

20. Baskets and Canoes

21.

Skokomish Tribe

Warrior People
Blackfeet Tribe


Looking across the land before him, Grandfather said, “Our
people, the Pikuni, have cousins, the Blackfeet, Siksika, and Kainah.
Our cousins live in Canada. First, I will tell you of the South Pikuni,
which is the name of our band of people”



Grandfather explained, “The word, Pikuni, means, rusty
streaks in their hides. The women of this group were noted for the way
they left rust-like streaks on their tanned hides”

12