About ten years ago I began to feel drawn to the state of Montana. I have no explanation as to why. Up until a trip to California in 2021, I had only traveled as far west as Illinois—notwithstanding an eight-month stint in Kentucky when I was seventeen (a story for another day!). My desire to travel to the state of Montana inspired an attempt at a novel—the status of which is unfinished but not forgotten!
In September 2024, I finally made it there. While planning my trip, I saw the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was right near Glacier National Park, one of my planned stops. What was originally a trip to gain more inspiration for my novel instantly became something far more meaningful. For, according to family lore, the Blackfeet tribe (along with a few others) is part of my ancestry on my mom’s side.
It was the novel that recently got me thinking about the Blackfeet people again. I had purchased a few books during my visit to Glacier National Park. I decided it was time to take another look.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day
If you had happened to be in the Rose Garden at Delaware Park a couple of weeks ago, you likely would have seen me sitting on a bench reading about the history of the Blackfoot Nation and Glacier National Park. It being the day before Indigenous Peoples’ Day, it felt like an appropriate way to spend my Sunday.
Since then, I have done more research. Though, not enough, I know.
A Brief History
The Blackfoot Nation is made up of four different tribes: two Pikunni or Piegan tribes, the Blood (Kainai) tribe, and the Siksika tribe. The southern Piegan tribe settled closest to what is now Glacier National Park.1
The Blackfeet were a spiritual people. They believed in what they called “The Great Mystery of Good Power.”2The Great Mystery was responsible for all creation, and was everything and was in everything.3 In other words, The Great Mystery was the Alpha and Omega.4
The Blackfeet enjoyed great power for about a century.5 They depended on herds of buffalo to support their way of life. It is estimated that 60 million buffalo roamed from Canada to Mexico6 before a massacre so great they faced extinction. The massacre, multiple smallpox epidemics, whiskey, and abusive treaties, among other things, led to the demise of the once powerful Blackfeet empire.7
Without many options, the Blackfeet tribe sold 800,000 acres for $1.5 million dollars.8 Perhaps it goes without saying that even this deal proved to be harmful. One silver lining is that their land has been preserved as a national park.
Reflections on Ancestry
In examining photos of Blackfeet men, women, and children (many of them by Edward S. Curtis), I feel a sense of the familiar, echoes of features that I see in my own family photos.
I wish I knew more. For today, however, even if I cannot explain its origin, it is enough for me to acknowledge this connection to the land I visited and to the once formidable Blackfeet people.
In the meantime, I find great comfort in thinking of The Great Mystery of Good Power, knowing this Power binds us all.
With peace, love, and gratitude,
Vanessa
