Kainah Tribe

Kainah First Nation, Kainah Indians, Blood Indians (Ah-kai-nah, ‘many chiefs,’ from a-kai-im many , ni´-nah chiefs ). A division of the Siksika, or Blackfeet, now living on a reservation under the Blood agency in Alberta, Canada, between Belly and St Mary Rivers. The subtribes or bands are Ahkaiksumiks, Ahkaipokaks, Ahkptashiks, Ahkwonistsists, Anepo, Apikaiyiks, Aputpsikainah, Inuhksoyistamiks, Isisokasimiks, Istsikainah, Mameoya, Nitikskiks, Saksinahmahyiks, Siksahpuniks, and Siksinokaks. According to the Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs for 1858, there were then 300 tipis and 2,400 persons. In 1904 there were 1,196 persons on the reservation, of whom 958 were classed as pagans.

Alternate Spellings:

• Bloodies. Hind, Red R. Exped., 157, 1860 (so called by half-breeds).
• Blood Indians. Writer of 1786 in Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll., 1st s., in, 24, 1794.
• Blood People. Morgan, Consang. and Affin., 289, 1871.
• Blut Indianer. Walch, map, 1805 (Ger man form).
• Ede-but-say. Anon. Crow MS. vocab., B. A. E. (Crow name).
• Gens du Sang. Duflot de Mofras, Expl., n, 342, 1844.
• Indiens du Sang. Ibid., 339.
• Kaenna. Maximilian, Travels, 245, 1843.
• Kahna. Ibid. Kai´-e-na. Hayden, Ethnog. and Philol. Mo. Val., 256, 1862.
• Kaimè. Browne in Beach, Ind. Miscel., 81, 1877.
• Kai´-na. Clark Wissler, inf’n, 1905 (Piegan dialectic form).
• Kai´nau. Tims, Blackfoot Gram. and Dict., 113, 1889 (Siksika name).
• Kainœ´-koon. Franklin, Journ. Polar Sea, I, 170, 1824 (own name).
• Kam´-ne. Hayden, op. cit., 402 (Crow name).
• Ke´na. Hale, Ethnol. and Philol. 219, 1846 (sing., Keneku’n).
• Ki-nä. Morgan, Consang. and Affin., 289, 1871 (trans.: high minded people ).
• Kine-ne-ai-koon. Henry, MS. vocab., 1808.
• Ki´-no. Morgan, Anc. Soc., 171, 1877.
• Meethco-thinyoowuc. Franklin, Journ. Polar  Sea , I, 170, 1824.
• We´-wi-ca-å. Cook, Yankton MS. vocab., B. A. E., 1882 (Yankton name).