Editing Blackfoot Confederacy (section)

== Government ==

The four Blackfoot nations come together to make up what is known as the Blackfoot Confederacy, meaning that they have banded together to help one another. The nations have their own separate governments ruled by a head chief, but regularly come together for religious and social celebrations.

Originally the Blackfoot/Plains Confederacy consisted of three peoples ("nation", "tribes", "tribal nations") based on [[kinship]] and [[dialect]], but all speaking the common language of [[Blackfoot language|Blackfoot]], one of the [[Algonquian languages]] family. The three were the ''Piikáni'' (historically called "Piegan Blackfeet" in English-language sources), the ''Káínaa'' (called "Bloods"), and the ''Siksikáwa'' ("Blackfoot"). They later allied with the unrelated ''Tsuu T'ina'' ("Sarcee"), who became merged into the Confederacy and, (for a time) with the ''Atsina,'' or A'aninin (''Gros Ventre'').

Each of these highly decentralized peoples were divided into many [[band societies|bands]], which ranged in size from 10 to 30 [[tipi|lodges]], or about 80 to 240 persons. The band was the basic unit of organization for hunting and defence.<ref name="alberta culture">{{cite web |url=http://history.alberta.ca/headsmashedin/history/blackfoothistory/blackfoothistory.aspx |title=Blackfoot History |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=22 May 2012 |work=Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump |publisher=[[Alberta Culture]] |access-date=11 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120903014625/http://history.alberta.ca/headsmashedin/history/blackfoothistory/blackfoothistory.aspx |archive-date=3 September 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Confederacy occupied a large territory where they hunted and foraged; in the 19th century it was divided by the current Canada–US international border. But during the late nineteenth century, both governments forced the peoples to end their nomadic traditions and settle on "[[Indian reserves]]" (Canadian terminology) or "[[Indian reservations]]" (US terminology).  The South Peigan are the only group who chose to settle in Montana. The other three Blackfoot-speaking peoples and the Sarcee are located in Alberta. Together, the Blackfoot-speakers call themselves the ''Niitsítapi'' (the "Original People"). After leaving the Confederacy, the Gros Ventres also settled on a reservation in Montana.

When these peoples were forced to end their nomadic traditions, their social structures changed.  Tribal nations, which had formerly been mostly ethnic associations, were institutionalized as governments (referred to as "tribes" in the United States and "bands" or "First Nations" in Canada).  The Piegan were divided into the [[North Peigan]] in Alberta, and the [[South Peigan]] in Montana.