The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-02-07
ORIGIN OF THE
WORD BLACKFOOT'
Land of Colored Moe
casins and Blending
Friendship

y
and glad of it. The name is shock
ing, but the country is fine. The
CO ntry takes its name from the
Blackfoot river and the river was
named from the Blackfeet Indians.
This name was applied to them by
white men 100 years ago because
their moccasins and leggings were SO
black in summer from walking thru
the country that had been burned
over and was blackened.
The town was established in con-
sequence of the Utah-Northern rail-
wy. In the winter of 1879, the road
had been completed as far as the
present town Of Blackfoot, and ware
houses, shacks, tents and the like
were established for business and
habitats. Established in brush and
dust, the town has grown into paved
streets and beautiful homes. The
saloon has vanished for the drug
store, and the livery stable has been
replaced by grocery. The long
freight outfit is replaced by the
motor truck.
The country originally belonged to
the Indians, but by mutual agree
ment, the white people have the land
north of the Blackfoot river and the
red race have that part lying between
the Blackfoot river and the Portneuf.
The Indians and whites used to fuss
more or less when they misunder-
stood each other, in the days when
they talked thru an interpreter, but
. ntW they understand each other we'll
and get along nicely together. The
Shoshones and Bannocks number
1865 people, about equally divided
as to sex and increasing slightly in
number. There are about an equal
number of boys and girls and about
an equar number of boys and girls
bern each year. Just about half of
these Indians speak English and read
and write. About one-third of them
live in houses, while 800 families live
in tents or tepees.
indians are about like other peo-
pie: they have mixed religions, mixed
politics and they mix in matrimony.
They send their children to mixed
schools. On the reservation there
are forty-nine Indian voters; forty
- citizens and 1898 of the Indians
are full-blood. There are forty-three
Indians on the reservation having
patented land and there are ninty--
five having certificates of competency
which means that they are able to
look after their own business without
any advice from the government
Blackfoot is little county seat
town in the Indian country, yet 1t is
just of the reservation. It has a
c lation of 5000 people, has few
Indians In it's schools and is proud of
them. Most Of the Indian boys and
girls attend school at Fort Hall,
special Indian school or are sent
away to such special government
schools as Carlisle, Pa, Chemawa,
Ore and Serman Institure at River
side, Calf.
The government is just little bit
arbitrary in trying to tell the Indians
what to believe or what to think and
do in the way of religious obser-
vance. The Indians are little bit
stubborn like other Americans and
they have good deal of the feeling
that it is their privilege to think and
believe what they want to and wor-
ship as they please. Lo and Uncle
Sam have had a little trouble over
the matter of just what dances he
may indulge in. While the white !
people have been fussing among
themselves about the popular dances
of today, the attire or lack of attire
for the dances and the movements of
the body that are allowable or other