The Niitsitapi, also known as the Blackfoot or Blackfeet Indians, reside in the Great Plains of Montana and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Only one of the Niitsitapi tribes are called Blackfoot or Siksika. The name is said to have come from the color of the peoples’ moccasins, made of leather.
Siksika Nation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to navigationJump to searchFor other Blackfoot/Blackfeet people, see Blackfeet Nation.
| People | Blackfoot |
|---|---|
| Treaty | Treaty 7 |
| Headquarters | Siksika |
| Province | Alberta |
| Land[1] | |
| Reserve(s) | Siksika 146 |
| Land area | 710.875 km2 |
| Population (2019)[1] | |
| On reserve | 4120 |
| On other land | 2 |
| Off reserve | 3412 |
| Total population | 7534 |
| Government[1] | |
| Chief | Ouray Crowfoot |
| Website | |
| siksikanation.com |
The Siksika Nation is a First Nation in southern Alberta, Canada. The name Siksiká comes from the Blackfoot words sik (black) and iká (foot), with a connector s between the two words. The plural form of Siksiká is Siksikáwa. The Siksikáwa are the northernmost of the Niitsítapi (Original People), all of whom speak dialects of Blackfoot, an Algonquian language.
When European explorers travelled west, they most likely met the Siksiká first and assumed all Niitsítapi of the Blackfoot Confederacy were Blackfoot, which is incorrect. The four Niitsítapi nations of the Blackfoot Confederacy are the Siksiká, Káínaa (Kainai or Blood), Aapátohsipikáni (Northern Peigan), and Aamsskáápipikani (South Peigan or Montana Blackfoot). The approximate population of the Siksika Nation, as of 2009, is 6,000 people.[2]