Great Plains Quarterly

Abstract:

Programs of forced settlement and assimilation during the Reservation or Resettlement period disrupted many aspects of Niitsitapi lifeways. At the same time, however, they also strengthened the identity of the Blackfoot people as they resisted absorption into Euro-American culture. This persistence is seen in the continued use of and adoration for horses. While many elements of nomadic life were taken away in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, there emerged a new Niitsitapi horse culture adapted for settled life. Through consultation with tribal elders and traditional horsemen and -women, this article explores the continued investment in horsemanship by the Niitsitapi people in the US and Canada.