Celebrating Native Americans
November is Native American month in the US. Since I'm part BlackFoot, I thought I'd give you some of the wonderful ideas of my people.
First a very brief description of the BlackFoot history. Typically, the BlackFoot were like those of the plains. They were nomadic hunter-gatherers. They lived in tipis, that were easily moved to where the food was. They hunted buffalo and large mammals. They gathered vegetables and herbs. Fish, although plentiful, were only eaten when no buffalo could be found.
During the Summer, the BlackFoot generally lived in tribal camps. During the winter, they separated into bands of 10-20 lodges.
Within the bands there were several headsmen. One of them was considered the band chief. For the three geographical groups, the Piegan , the Blood, and the Northern BlackFoot, there was one head chief. His "office" was more formalized than that of the band headmen chief. His function was to call councils to discuss affairs that pertained to all the groups, as a whole.
Now that you have an idea on how we lived, let's take a look at what we have learned from their experience on our soil.
Crafts
What we today call crafts, were inventions of necessity for the Natives. The women of the bands created beautiful and absolutely necessary items. From useful baskets to meticulously woven rugs and blankets.
The baskets were woven, or coiled, from items found growing in their particular areas. Coiled baskets were made from clay, grasses, reeds, cedar roots and even pine needles. Here are the Instructions on how to make a Sweet grass basket. Woven baskets were made from corn husks, hemp, animal hair, and even porcupine quills. Bottles were made from rawhide, animal organs, gourds, corn husks, and clay. Blankets were woven mostly hemp, horse hair and hand spun cotton. Beads were made from seeds, stones and clay.
Today, these wonderful creations are a great source income for Natives. Their craftsmanship is sought after and admired everywhere.
Gardening
We can, and have, learned a lot from Natives' growing know-how. Without that know-how, the pilgrims would surely have perished from hunger. The Natives knew how to use native soils to grow everything they needed.
The Three Sisters: For those who have never heard of them, the three sisters are Corn, beans, and squash. They are called the three sisters because they can all be grown on the same mound, saving the land from being totally dug up. Now, not all beans will work this way. Bush-type beans are what you want to use.
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