Montana oil and mining journal., 1941-04-12

feared by other red nations over
half Of North America, the Black
feet c0nfederacy Of century ago
halted the white mems invasion OF
what the red men held 70 De their
exclusive hunting territory and
dominated Tor half q century all
that region of the west between
the Norfh Saskatchewan river m
Alberta and the Yellowstone river
IN Montana. from the Rocky
mountains eastward to the present
western boundary Of the Dakoeas.
Old Indian traders OF the west nae
a slogan: The Blackfeet are welcome I
Svitn eYnptv guns" and 1t was Gus
tonarv for the advance Of Tadlng
party of this tribe to shoot their rifles
In the air as they approached q post.
Being nlzzle-l loading weapons, Jney
could not recharge them as they rooe
along to the gate Of the prairie 1ors,
and q few were then allowed 70 enter
and await the coming OF the man
i1odv of the hand. consisting OF the
solaws and pony-drawn travois, laoen
with fiIrs and buffalo hides Tor trade. ;
Nation Numbered 10000
When white men first appeared IN
the northwest the BlackfeeJ naIlob
comprised approximately 10000 IN
ciians. These were split into three Oh
visions, the Blackfeet proper, tne
Bloods and the Ptegans, all OF WnoLn whom
sDranQ from the Algonquin STOCK. Iney
sDoke a common language, recognlzeo
their kinship one to another, were
usually united In war and frequently
irfermarried. but In their tribal gov
ernments had three distinct councllS
and chiefs, and each had It's own sun
dance ceremonial. Originally the con-
federation lived In western Canaoa'
and their names came from Ine ap-
pearance of their moccasips as re-
s1Ilt of the dark, fertile loan over
which they travelled. Hence the name
Sissikaua, or Black Moccasins.
OF all Indian tribes in America they
were the boldest and most adventurous
Before they had horses their WaI paa-
ties used to travel as lar SouLn as
HEexico and it was from the Spaniards
in Texas and New Mexico that tney
stole their first riding animals, accoro-
inc to tribal traditions. Then, Ii
search of the loot of primitive wal,
they rode eastward as far as tne NILS
sissippi. southwark again INTO oio
Mexico and westward 10 u Tng hands pdsn Of
from so to 500, ever ready TO rloe
hard and strike hard.
Song of Victory
Their war parties sometimes were 1
GONE for as long as three years, ana
9ffen they returned laden with loot !
of many kinds, with stolen women
and horses. The return OF one OF Inese !
expeditions with the spolls ana prlson :
ers. the warriors chanting the song
of victory. was an event whose cele-
hration often lasted for many days.
THE chiefs encouraged these celebra-
tions as they stimulated the young Y
men to go out to fight for tribal glory
and plunder. e-ov,
1917 til the latter fifties, the powerful
H,ldson's BAY company Of the nortn
and the American fur traders along
fine Missouri and its tributaries were o
CONTINUALLY at strife over the Black- g
feet trade The Bloods and NorIn il
Blackfeet had for many years soiu
their pelts to the British company, tt
with whose Scotch and French traders g
t.heU were on friendly terms. When G
the American trader, Lisa, INVADED
what the HudSon's Bay company con- Ii
sidered its preserves by buildlng n
fradinQ post on the Yellowstone river II
ia 1907, the Hudson's Bay traders py e
various means inflamed the Black1eet is
against the newcomers 10 sucn a an v
extent that nearly 40 years passed e:
before the American Fur company o.
MANAGED to gain a foothold through "
fhe establishment of Fort Benton, on ST
the missouri. In 1886 Prior to that V
time the Americans had mace forI
Union, at the mouth OF the YenoW- u
stone. their principal post, and tneE Q,
dealings had been mostly s"s WIN ,t,.nr Sa % %
Crows, GroS VentreS and rev oLner nl
tribes. The few posts they built west II
ward in the Blackfeet country prevl- VI
ous 10 the establishment Of Fort Ben m
ton had met with little success.
Clark Killed Thief ~ 3,
T1ne Hudsons Bay company, too, was - -
prompt to take advantage OF an ncl- h
dent that occurred on the journey OF -
Lewis and Clark through the upper er
Missouri country IN 1905. This was the Ar
I<iIlin0 by Capt william Clark Of 81
Piepan horse thief on the Marias river, cc
The Blackfeet were quick 20 resent "
an affront and as q result OF TINS M
action by the explorer they declared =.
war against the American Wnltes- y
Thereafter, for three-quarterS OF q -
century, their hands were ever against -, ~
she Americans. and yet, curtously ~ ~
enough. there never was open warfare a.
the Blackfeet and the soldiers a. a.
of the United States although as the ~
years passed the treatment these IN ~ ~
iians received at the hands OF. the 81
white settlers in Montana was OF
xfnd to inflame them to acts OF vlo- of
ence and bloodshed Sn
In the end, it was disease, intro til
iuced by the whites, that humbled IN
his proud and warlike tribe. The Of
were at the zenith Of their
Itrength In the sixties, when smallpox nj
became epidemic among them and
Iwept through their bands with dis k,I
.strous results. Those taken with the he
ickness almost invariably died. Dur fTr
nR the winter Of 1859 the scoIrge an
Tas at its worst and thousands, the in,
lower of the nation, we're swept away.
When the disease had gubSided only
. pitifIl remnant of the tribe re- hi
nained. The following year occurred M,
ne OF the most shameful chapters IN tn
he story Of the west. ne
For several years preceding 1870 TO
ort Of guerilla warfare between the Sh
,lackfeet and the whites In Montana
lad existed. and this period was Ru
marked nv the utmost sayRurry ON SIN
9th sides. The Indians killed many rer
zhite settlers, while peaceful reds hr
znra haytrhered IN cold blood bv the cul