Blackfeet Nation



Alternate Names and Spellings: Blackfeet, Blackfoot and Blackfoot Nation ; Pecunnie, Pikuni , Siksika

Tribal Headquarters
Blackfeet Nation 640 All Chiefs Road Browning, MT 59417 Phone: 406-338-7521 Website

History
Originally the Blackfeet lived in the Saskatchewan River Valley of Saskatchewan, Canada, and the upper plains of the United States. By 1850 the tribe had moved to the Rocky Mountains and Missouri River areas.

Smallpox epidemics depopulated the tribe through the 1800s, especially during the years of 1837, 1845, 1857, 1869 and 1870 when the disease was most virulent. In the 1837 epidemic, approximately 6,000 members of the tribe were killed by the disease.

Inter tribal conflicts occurred somewhat frequently when the Blackfeet raided neighboring tribes to acquire horses.

In the 1855 Treaty, also known as Lame Bull's Treaty, much of the Blackfeet territory became a common hunting grounds for Piegan, GrosVentres, Blackfeet, Nez Perces, Flathead, and Blood.

A treaty between the United States government and the Blackfeet Band of Sioux (often mistaken as the Blackfeet Tribe) was signed in 1865. This treaty did not include the Blackfeet of Montana.

Advancement by settlers to the west created conflict and military actions were taken. One such action occurred in 1870 when a military unit under the direction of Colonel E. M. Baker attacked the winter camp of the Blackfeet on the Marias River, killing 170 men, women, and children and taking 140 prisoners.

With efforts begun as early as 1880, the Jesuits formally dedicated the Holy Family Mission on the Blackfeet Reservation in 1890. They also established a mission school on the reservation in 1895. The Mission was closed in 1941. An inventory of the records of this mission is available through Archives West.

In 1888 the Blackfeet were gathered to the Blackfeet Reservation with headquarters at the present town of Browning, Montana. In the years 1907 to 1911, land on this reservation was allotted to individual members of the tribe.

Under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, the Blackfeet became a federally-recognized tribe, with their own Constitution and By-Laws, approved and ratified in the fall of 1935.

Brief Timeline

 * 1700s and 1800s: Living in Canada
 * 1837, 1845, 1857, 1869-70: Smallpox epidemics
 * Prior to 1850: moved west and south to the Rocky Mountains and the Missouri River areas
 * They raided the camps of the Crow, Assiniboin, Cree, Kutenai, Kalispel (or Pend d'Oreille) and Flathead tribes in search of horses
 * 1855: Treaty (Lame Bull's Treaty)
 * 1865: Treaty at Fort Sully involving the Blackfeet Band of Sioux, often mistaken for the Blackfeet Tribe
 * 1870: Colonel E. M. Baker attacked the Blackfeet winter camp on the Marias River in Montana, killing 173 men, women and children and taking more that 140 prisoners.
 * 1877: ceded land in Canada
 * 1880's: settled on reservations in the United States and Canada
 * 1886: ceded land
 * 1888: gathered to Blackfeet Reservation
 * 1895: ceded land
 * 1907-1911: land on the Blackfeet Reservation was allotted to individual members of the tribe
 * 1935: Adopted Constitution and By-Laws
 * 1964: Two Medicine Dam flood, claimed 30 lives on the Blackfeet Reservation, many of them children.

Additional References to the History of the Tribe

 * Frederick Webb Hodge, in his Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, gave a more complete history of the Blackfeet tribe, with estimations of the population of the tribe at various time periods.
 * For additional history of the tribe, read more....
 * For a history of the Blackfeet, told from their own perspective, see their history from the tribal website.

Records
The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:


 * Allotment records
 * Annuity rolls
 * Census records
 * Correspondence
 * Health records
 * Reports
 * School census and records
 * Vital records

Agencies
The following agencies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs had jurisdiction over the Blackfeet for the time periods indicated. BIA agencies were responsible to keep such records as census rolls, allotment (land) records, annuity rolls, school records, correspondence, and other records of individual Indians under their jurisdiction. For details, see the page for the respective agency.

The agencies which had jurisdiction over portions of the Blackfeet in the United States were:


 * Blackfeet Agency, 1855-present
 * Blood Agency, 1890-1896, 1907-1913
 * Piegan Agency, 1890-1913
 * Rocky Boy's Agency, 1907-1913

The Blackfeet Tribe was also under the jurisdictions of the following Superintendencies

Montana Superintendency

Washington Superintendency

Central Superintendency

Dakota Superintendency

Idaho Superintendency

Census (a specific type of record kept by the BIA Agencies)
The Bureau of Indian Affairs compiled annual Indian Census Rolls on many of the reservations from 1885 to 1940. They list the names of individuals, their age, and other details about each person enumerated. For more information about these records, click here.

The following table lists the census rolls for the Blackfeet:

Correspondence
There are several sets of correspondence between the supervising offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the local offices -- agencies, subagencies, etc. The correspondence is often historical in nature, including reports of the conditions among local groups of Indians, hostilities, plans for building facilities, activities of traders or missionaries, etc. Occasionally, there will be names of individuals but little detail about them. For more information about American Indian correspondence, click here.

The following table lists some of the correspondence records relating to the Blackfeet Indians:

Some correspondence for the following field offices may be included in the records of those offices preserved in the research facilities indicated.

Treaties
During the latter part of the 18th Century and most of the 19th Century, treaties were negotiated between the federal government and individual Indian tribes. The treaties provide helpful information about the history of the tribe, but usually only include the names of those persons who signed the treaty. For more information about treaties, click here.

Treaties to which the Blackfeet Indians were a part were:


 * September 17, 1851, referred to in treaty, at Fort Laramie
 * 1855 October 17,
 * 1865 October 19, at Fort Sully -- this treaty was with the Blackfeet band of Sioux Indians, not the Blackfeet Tribe. They are two different entities or groups.
 * April 29, 1868, at Fort Laramie

Tribal Office Records
The Tribal Office is responsible for enrollment records, vital records, tribal police records, tribal court records, employment records and many others. They are an entirely different set of records from those kept by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Most of them remain in the Tribal Office. For details, contact that office at the address for the Tribal Headquarters listed above.

Vital Records
Prior to the Indian Reorganization Act, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, through their agencies, may have recorded some vital events. Some were recorded on health forms, such as the "Sanitary Record of Sick, Injured, Births, Deaths, etc." Others were recorded as supplements to the "Indian Census Rolls." Some were included in the unindexed reports and other correspondence of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Some vital records for the Blackfeet Indians include:


 * Blackfeet Agency, M595, Births and Deaths 1924-1932, &amp;  1916-1938,

Important Websites

 * Blackfeet Family History
 * Constitution and By-laws for the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, adopted in 1935 and subsequently amended.
 * Genealogy website for the Blackfoot Indians
 * State Office of Indian Affairs website regarding the Blackfeet Indians
 * Tribal Web Site of the Blackfeet Indians of Montana

Blackfeet Tribe

 * Carlson, Paul H. The Plains Indians. College Station, Texas: Texas A&amp;M University Press, c1998.
 * DeMarce, Roxanne. Blackfeet Heritage, 1907-1908; Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Browning, Montana. Browing, Montana: Blackfeet Heritage Program, [1980]..
 * Gilham, Robert C. (comp.) Blackfeet Nation Family History: A Compilation of Records of Members of the Blackfeet Nation and Some Non-Indian Relatives. Riverton, Utah: R.C. Gilham, [199-?]. 4 volumes. (All on )


 * Vol. 1 -- Joseph to Double Blaze, George
 * Vol. 2 -- Double Blaze, Hamilton to Little Dog, Maggie
 * Vol. 3 -- Little Dog, Mary to Running
 * Vol. 4 -- Running After Buffalo to Ziegler
 * Index

General
See For Further Reading.