A CONTEMPORARY WINTER COUNT KERRY M. SCOTT B.A., University of Lethbridge, 2002 A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies Of the University of Lethbridge In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS Department of Native American Studies University of Lethbridge LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA, CANADA © Kerry M. Scott, 2006 Signature Page ii Dedication For those who are following in the footsteps of elders who have lived, learned and sacrificed, to succeed in both worlds. For those who learn from these elders can research the past, the land, the language, the stories, and continue to search for the truth. They will, in turn, will lead us. For those who want to learn, but from a Native artist’s perspective. Let them not be discouraged by the norms that are there for others to follow. iii Abstract The past is the prologue. We must understand where we have been before we can understand where we are going. To understand the Blackfoot Nation and how we have come to where we are today, this thesis examines our history through Indian eyes from time immemorial to the present, using traditional narratives, writings of early European explorers and personal experience. The oral tradition of the First Nations people was a multi-media means of communication. Similarly, this thesis uses the media of the written word and a series of paintings to convey the story of the Blackfoot people. This thesis provides background and support, from the artist’s perspective, for the paintings that tell the story of the Blackfoot people and the events that contributed to the downfall of the once-powerful Nation. With the knowledge of where we have been, we can learn how to move forward. iv Preface This thesis provides background and support to a series of paintings by the author. Each painting tells a story of a specific period of time in the history of the Blackfoot Nation. Since contact with Europeans, the life of the Blackfoot People has changed dramatically. The paintings each represent some of the factors that contributed to the changes, some of them devastating, to the lives of a proud, capable and independent People. v Acknowledgments My source of strength and inspiration has been my connection to the power and place of this traditional territory. My spiritual relationship with this territory has pushed me to write and to paint this story. Thank you to the generations of grandfathers and grandmothers who suffered but left their stories for us to research and interpret. Thank you to those who supported me through all the adversity and had the patience to see me through. vi Table of Contents Signature Page .................................................................................................................... ii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iii Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iv Preface................................................................................................................................. v Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. vi Figures................................................................................................................................. x Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 A Contemporary Winter Count ....................................................................................... 3 The History of The Blackfoot .......................................................................................... 8 Chapter I – Literature Review ........................................................................................... 13 The Anthropology Problem ........................................................................................... 14 Sense of Place ............................................................................................................... 20 Origin of the Blackfoot People ..................................................................................... 25 Using History ................................................................................................................ 28 Chapter II - Napi’s World ................................................................................................. 29 The True Origin of The Blackfoot People ..................................................................... 33 Naatό si and Napi ......................................................................................................... 39 Napi ............................................................................................................................... 40 Medicine Bundles .......................................................................................................... 41 Chapter III - The Horse and The Gun ............................................................................... 43 The Myth of the “Noble Savage” .................................................................................. 46 Dog Days ...................................................................................................................... 48 Out of the Water ............................................................................................................ 51 The Gun ......................................................................................................................... 54 Raiders of the Plains ..................................................................................................... 56 Chapter IV - Contact - Black Robes and Christianity....................................................... 62 Chapter V - Slashed World ............................................................................................... 67 Manifest Destiny ........................................................................................................... 70 vii Genocide – The Answer to the Indian Problem ............................................................ 72 The Invisible Enemy of the Blackfoot Nation and the Ally of the Fur Trade ................ 75 The 1764 Epidemic ................................................................................................... 75 The Fur Trade and the Blackfoot Nation ...................................................................... 76 The 1780-1781 Epidemic .......................................................................................... 79 The 1837-1838 Epidemic .......................................................................................... 83 The 1869-1870 Epidemic .......................................................................................... 84 Population Numbers ..................................................................................................... 86 The Long-term Impact................................................................................................... 89 Chapter VI - Treaty 7 - Crowfoot ..................................................................................... 91 Christianity ................................................................................................................... 95 Appropriation ................................................................................................................ 96 Exploitation by Appropriation ...................................................................................... 98 White Superiority ........................................................................................................ 100 Linear versus Holistic Thinking .................................................................................. 101 Loss of Cultural Identity ............................................................................................. 103 Collective versus Individual Society ........................................................................... 104 Colonization ................................................................................................................ 106 Chapter VII - Residential Schools, Drunks and Jails ...................................................... 108 Assimilation................................................................................................................. 110 Two Worlds ................................................................................................................. 112 Students at University ................................................................................................. 114 Drop Outs.................................................................................................................... 116 The New Order ............................................................................................................ 118 Chapter VIII - Stitched World ........................................................................................ 120 A Language in Transition ........................................................................................... 122 Solutions ...................................................................................................................... 124 Knowledge Gap ..........................................................................................................