University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1962 Historical study of the cultural, social, and religious backgrounds of the education of the Blood Indians, Blood Indian Reservation, Alberta Lynn Melbourne Beazer The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Beazer, Lynn Melbourne, "Historical study of the cultural, social, and religious backgrounds of the education of the Blood Indians, Blood Indian Reservation, Alberta" (1962). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 2555. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/2555 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN HISTORICAL STUDY OF THE CULTURAL, SOCIAL, AND RELIGIOUS BACKGROUNDS OF THE EDUCATION OF THE BLOOD INDIANS, BLOOD INDIAN RESERVATION, ALBERTA by LYNN HîELBOURNE BEAZER E. Edo Montana State University, I96O Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the of Master of Arts MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY 1962 Approved by Chairman, Board of Examiners Dean, Graduate School AUG 2 'iôi Date UMI Number: EP34217 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent on the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMT UMI EP34217 Copyright 2012 by ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This edition of the work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 -1346 ACKNOMIEDGMENTS The writer wishes to acknowledge his appreciation of, and express his gratitude to Pat, his ivife, for her encouragement and assistance in the preparation of this thesis. He makes grateful acknowledgment to Dr. Kenneth V, Lottick, thesis director, who gave so generously and unsparingJ.y of pacience and guidance and for the aid and advice given by Dr. Carling Malouf and Dr. Aaron W. Harper. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I« THE PROBLEM o.,,. The Purpose of This Study Delimitations, Limitations^ Definitions of Terms. Literature Bearing on the Subject . Procedures. II. GEOGRAPHIC SETTING. Aioerta o-o o o o o » Chief Mountain» . , . 999»frOd« Coal and Oil. OOO9CO04OOO9OO OOOO Blood Reserve Views 000400900000000 Clunate o « • ? o ^ OOOOO 0300 Soil. , 00090009000COO 00000 Rivers, ooooooooaoooo ooooooo St. Mary's Irrigation Project 90 ooooeo 90 Cardston, 30009ooeeoc>9oo Lethbridge < 99 0 0090 90090000000 Maclecd . , oooooooo Magrath 09000990000 Population Figures,>00 DOOOÛOOdOOOO III. HISTORICAL EU{%SR(%nm O 00000900000 Origin3, Legends, and Early History of the Blackfoot TnteS OOftOOOO o^OOOOOOOOOOOOO 111 iv CHAPTER PAGE Hudson Goxripciny Northwest Company. 44 Sni3.1.. Ill p 03C »o*«9o»oaoooooooo«oB9e« ^0 FOI*t Whoop™Up 0004990* 000«S9090pOSQ 53 The Beginning of a New Era o ^ . * , , « = . 57 Chief Crowfoot and Treaty Noo Seven, o . • « • 62 IV. THE BLOOD INDIAN OF YESTERDAY AND TODAY o o » o . , . , o 75 Pre-Horse Days « . 76 Post"~Horse Days o«« #ao»oo«oQaa*ooooo 76 Courtship and Marriage « « « e o o « o « 77 Wives and Family Relations « . o . o o o o o o t> « o o SO DZL Vvr 0 e oooooooo*» oooooooeooooo ol Naming of the Blackfoot » o « . « , ^ o o o « « <. « o 82 Sdiicat lufi 5 Llmnttfiitiunal « o oooooooooooo© 83 Sooxal Ao t i vit X 0 3 o « o o ^ .n @@0 @ o»o@@o oo GamecD and Sports o»® o» ooooooooooooo oo GamblzLng ooooooo » o ooQaooooooeoo 87 Reserve Period Activities . » » <, o <, o <> o <» o » 90 V. LIFE CYCLE INCLUDING INSTITUTIONS M^D RELIGION .,0.0 102 Birth^OOOOaOOOOOOOOOAOOOOOOOOOO j-02 Gx*OWmg Up 0000000000 OOOOOOOOOOOO 10/4- Death ooaso 300* «« » » 000*0 o o » * 000 IO6 Men's Societies and Their Significance « « * o « « o * 108 Other Societies* .©o <>00 ©oo© 0*0 00 o. * » 112 Pipes and Bundles and Their Significance . » c o 0 o 112 V CHAPTER PAGE Introduction to Religion 114 Origin of the Sun Dance II7 Sun Dance Information. .... 126 Generalized Sun Dance. 128 'Phe Blood Sun Dance I3O VI. FORMAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH PROGRAM . I42 The First Missionaries 143 The First Schools. 143 Anglican Schools - Macleod Era 145 A New Site for the Blood Indian Headquarters 151 Anglican Schools - Cardston Era 152 Roman Catholic Schools . 154 General Education Considerations ........... 157 Some Problems of Expansion and Integration I6I Royal Commission on Education of the Indians 162 Scholarships . I64 The Blood Indian Health Program, ... I65 VII. CONCLUSIONS 168 General Summary. I68 Specific Results 173 A Look Into the Future 178 BIBLIOGRAPHY 180 APPENDIX ..................... 185 MAP A .............. 186 MAP B 187 CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM The closing of the period of transition from aboriginal culture to modem civilization of the Blood Indians of Alberta, Canada is slowly nearing an end. During two and one-half centuries since the first white man records contact with the Blood Indians through the Blackfoot Con­ federacy, there has been a continuous, diminishing, cultural differentia­ tion between the two groups. This gap has been reduced by the school and other community educational programs and influences. Some students have "returned to the blanket" and a few elderly Indians still cling to the old tribal customs and traditions, so the process has not been fully accomplished. Still the integration of Indian and white students toward an equal basis of education and opportunities has shown considerable progress. A. PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY Many factors down through the transition years have influenced the education of the Indian and have affected his integration into the dominant white society. With this thought in mind, the purpose of this study was two-fold: first, to discuss the historical, traditional and educational life of the Blood Indian from his earliest known existence on the plains to his present status on the Blood Indian Reserve in Alberta, Canada, and secondly to provide a short history of the Blood —2— Indians, more particularly for those persons concerned with the welfare of this minority group. A few questions pertaining to the problem might be the following: What difficulties or obstacles confront the Blood Indian in the transition from the existence living of an aboriginal to present life in a civilized culture? Do tribal customs, fetishes, and values influence the attitudes, responses, and thinking of the young Blood student in the public schools of Cardston, Alberta? How did the various white contacts, including schools, assist in this transition? For many years racial integration has presented a problem in the Dominion of Canada, especially in the field of education. For some time numerous Blood Indian children have enrolled in every division of the public schools in Cardston, Alberta, from the first grade to the twelfth with the greatest influx coming in the last five or six years, that is during 1956 to 1962 inclusive. As a result there have been many problems created throughout the entire public schools» Since educators are in the forefront of this process it is necessary that teachers obtain a thorough background of all possible factors which may influence the Blood student's behavioral responses - responses which are often at wide variance to those of the white children. This need for a short, concise, but meaningful history would serve to acquaint especially those persons who, in their work, are thrown into close contact with the Blood Indians, this being the second purpose of this work. Among the public servants that might be included are govern­ mental workers, nurses, doctors, welfare workers, missionaries, public and reserve school teachers. Knowing how important it is to "get off with a good start'% a quick orientation to the character and problems of the Blood Indians would be a distinct advantage in personal dealings. To portray the full importance of the material collected for this study it was necessary to depend for the most part on historical information. Unfortunately, historical evidence, in recent years y has been treated somewhat lightly, yet the importance of depending upon historical sources for checking and correcting direct observation, is becoming increasingly apparent. In the analysis of the acculturation process, history has been an important key to an understanding of past changes in social structure, but the history has to be complete and also free from disorientation (say toward politics), or the study of processes can become compounded. B. DELIMITATIONS, LIMITATIONS, DEFINITION OF TERMS Delimitations This study was restricted to a consideration of the overall factors in the education of the Indian people pertaining to the Blood Indian Reserve of Cardston, Alberta. School records and information were delimited to the three schools accommodating over 95% of the Blood Indian students, these being the Roman Catholic St. Mary's Blood Indian Reserve School, the Anglican St. Paul's Blood Indian Reserve School and the Cardston Elementary, Junior and Senior High Schools. Oscar Lewis,"The Effect of White Contact Upon Blackfoot Culture",Monograms of the American Ethnological Society, Vol. VI, (Wew York, J. J. Augustin, 1942). Interviews with Blood Indians and teachers were delimited to some of the men and women willing to supply information and to some of the teachers who were teaching or who had taught Indian pupils in any of the three schools referred to above. Limitations This study was conducted over a three=year period from 1959- 1962, at which time the writer taught in the Cardston High School at Cardston, Alberta during the school months and attended the Montana State University at Missoula, Montana during the summer quarters.