As far as our information goes, the time of day was noted by the sun and the night by the position of Ursa major, the Seven Stars. The year was designated by the winter, each winter constituting a new year. Two divisions or seasons were recognized; spring and autumn were regarded as originating with the […]
The preceding may be a phase of the well-known mother-in-law taboo. Among the Blackfoot, still, a man should not speak to his mother-in-law, or even look at her. The taboo is equally binding upon her. If one is-discovered about to enter the tipi where the other is present, some one gives warning in time to
In this third paper on the ethnology of the Blackfoot Indians, Clark Wissler examines the social culture of the Blackfoot Indians, particularly the Piegan division in Montana. Complete with pictures where appropriate this paper approaches the social life of Blackfoot Indians in a fair and unpretentious manner. Discussions concern marriage, child rearing, naming, games and amusements, government of tribe, picture writing, and other activities specific to the social organization of the Blackfoot Indians. While Clark relied heavily on the first hand knowledge of a Piegan Indian, he supplemented that information with known facts from a variety of sources.
When a man dies his property is raided by his relatives. The older sons usually take the bulk but must make concessions to all concerned. If the children are young, the father’s relatives take the property. In any event, nothing goes to the widow. She may, however, retain her own personal property to the extent of
The term deed as used by us has the same social signif1cance as coup, a full discussion of which has been given by Grinnell. Without going into details, it seems that among the Blackfoot, the capture of a weapon was the coup, or deed, rather than the formal striking of the enemy, though such was
It seems proper to begin the discussion of our subject with those conventions directly associated with sexual activities. Among the Blackfoot, as everywhere, the male is usually the aggressor. He lies in wait outside the tipi at night or along the paths to the water and wood-gathering places to force his attentions. This phase of
As the period of pregnancy nears its end the women discard their bracelets and most of their metal ornaments. They dress in old clothes and affect carelessness of person. Should a person look fixedly at one, she will say, “Don’t. My child will look like you; you are ugly,” etc. As the hour approaches, they
Each of the three tribes is composed of bands, kaiyok’ kowommostiijaw, implying not only bonds of friendship but bonds of blood. These bands have been discussed by Grinnell who considers them true gentes though he states that in recent times, at least, the adherence to exogamy was not absolute. For our part, we have met
In former times, there was a good deal of merriment in the Blackfoot camps. We have just characterized some of the jokes often perpetrated and may mention others strictly for amusement. One Piegan band was noted for its pranks. One of their favorites was to annoy visitors by a mock family row. The host would
