Great Falls tribune., 1922-04-16
rIERCEaT warriers Of gil
the prairie tribes Of In

H1SAlkS4 WAfE4gk1 91 SA1
the prairie tribes Of In
dians. and most feared by
other red nations over half Of
North America, the Blackfeet
confederacy Of . century ago
halted the white mems invasion
ef what the red men held to be
their exclusive hunting terri
tory, and dominated for halt a
century all that region Of the
west between the North Sas-
katchewan river in Alberta and
the Yellowstone river in Mon
tana, from the Rolky moun-
tains eastward to the present
western boundary Of the Dako-
tas. The pen sketch above de-
picts the slogan of old Indian
traders Of the west: "The
Blackfeet are welcome with
empty guns" and it was GUS
tonlary for the advance Of q
trading party Of this tribe to
shoot their rifles in the air as
they approached q post. Being
,uzzleloading weapons, they
could not recharge them as
they rode along to the gate Of
the prairie fort, and a few
were then allowed to enter and
await the coming of the main
body of the band, consisting Of
the squaws and pony-driven
tarvois, laden with furs and
buffalo hides for trade.
When white men first ap-
peared in the northwest the
Blackfeet nation comprised ap-
proximately forty thousand In
dians. These were split into
three divisions, the Blackfeet
proper, the Bloods and the Pie
gans, all Of whom sprang from
Algonquin stock. They spoke a
common language, recognized
their kinship one to another,
were usually united in war and
frequently intermarried, but in
their tribal governments had
three distinct councils and
chiefs, and each had it's own
Sun Dance ceremonial. Origin
ally, the confederation lived in
western Canada, and their
name came from the appear
ance of their moccasins as a
result Of the dark, fertile loan
over which they travelled.
Hence the name Sissikaua, or
Black Moccasins.
On Foet to Mexipe
OF all the Indian tribes in America |
they were the boldest and most adyen- |
turous. Before they had horses their !
war parties used to travel as far south !
Us Mexico. and it was from the Span |
iards in Texas and New Mexico that
they stole their first riding animals,
according to tribal traditions. Then |
In search Of the loot of primitive war, |
they rode eastward as far as the Mis- |
sissippi, southwark again into Old Mex |
leo and westward to the Pacific coast. |
They went usually in bands of from |
30 to 500, ever ready to ride hard |
and strike hard. Their war parties |
aometimes were gone for as long as
three years, and often they returned
laden with loot of many kinds, with |
stolen women and horses. The return |
of one Of these expeditions with the |
spells and prisoners, the warriors |
chanting the song Of victory, was an |
event whose celebration often lasted |
for many days. The chiefs encouraged
these celebrations, as they stimulated |
the young men to go out to fight for |
tribal glory and rlunder.
For rs Years Against Whites
During the fur trading period, from
1907 till the latter sos. the powerful
Hudson Bay company Of the north and
the American fur traders ale ag the
Missouri and its tributaries were con-
tinually at strife over the Blackfeet
trade The Bloods and North Black
feet had for many years sold their pei
tries to the British company, with
whose Scotch and French traders they
were on friendly terms. When the
the Hudson Bay company considered
its preserves by building trading post
an the Yellowstone river in 1907. the
Hudson Bay traders by various means
tnflamed the Rlackfeet against the new
comers to such an extent that nearly
10 years passed before the American
Fur company managed to gain foot
hold through the establishment Of Fort
Benton on the Missouri, in 1S46. Prior
to that time the Americans had made
Fort Union. at the mouth Of the yell
lewstone, their principal trading post,
and their dealings had been mostly
with the Crows, Gros Ventrcs and a
few other tribes The few posts they
built westward in the Rlackfeet country
previous to the establishment Of Fort
Benton had met with little success.
The Hudson Bay company. too, was
prompt to take advantage of an Incl
dent that occurred on the journey Of
Lewis and Clark through the upper
Missouri country In 1905. This was the
killing by Captain William Clark of a
Piegan horsethief on the Marias river
Tbe Blackfeet were quick to resent an +
affront, and as result OF this action
by the explorer they declared war
agajnst the American whites. There
sitter for three quarters of century,
their hands were ever against the Amer
leans and vet curiousIy enough. there