The Blackfoot were typical of the Plains Indians in many aspects of their
culture. They were nomadic hunter-gatherers, who lived in tipis. They
subsisted mainly on buffalo and large mammals and, in addition, gathered a
lot of vegetable foods. Traditions indicate that the buffalo were hunted in
drives, although hunting patterns changed when horses and guns were
introduced. Deer and smaller game were caught with snares. Fish, although
abundant, were eaten only in times of dire necessity and after the
disappearance of the buffalo.During the summer, the Blackfoot lived in large
tribal camps. It was during this season that they hunted buffalos and
engaged in ceremonialism, such as the Sun Dance. During the winter, they
separated into bands of from approximately 10 to 20 lodges. The Blackfoot
Indians of the United States and Canada were divided into three main groups:
the Northern Blackfoot or Siksika, the Kainah or Blood, and the Piegan.
Although the Pawnee are generally classified within the Plains culture area,
they differed significantly in their mode of life from the classic Plains
cultural type, such as that of the Arapaho or Cheyenne. The Pawnee were a
settled, agricultural people, occupying large, relatively permanent villages
made up of earth lodges. Their staple crops were maize, beans, squash, and
pumpkins. The introduction of the horse stimulated a tendency toward a more
nomadic, buffalo-hunting life, but this remained a secondary pattern. Maize
played a much more important part than the buffalo in their ceremonies and
mythology.
Early explorers referred to these Eskimo as the "Copper" Eskimo because
native copper reserves were present in the territory they occupied. The
natives used the copper for tools and trade. Other Eskimo referred to them
as Kitlinermiut--Kitlineq being the name of Victoria Island, with the suffix
miut indicating "the people of" (Rasmussen 1932: 12). The Copper Eskimo were
adaptable to both land and sea environments; exploitation of one or the
other depended on the season of the year. In either case, they were quite
nomadic, and band membership was fluid. The harshness of sheer existence and
the paramount importance of the food quest are starkly reflected in some of
their poetry (cf. Rasmussen, 1932: 132-133). Seals, fish, and caribou were
the main food sources. The skins of the seals and the caribou were used for
clothing and tents, while seal blubber was used for fuel and light. In the
summer, the Copper Eskimo lived on the land. They were dispersed into small
groups, sometimes consisting of a single nuclear family, with caribou
hunting as the primary subsistence activity. In November, the small groups
gathered on the coast, where clothing was made and the people prepared for
winter sealing. When the ice was thick enough and the preparations were
completed, seal hunting began. Sealing required weekly migrations of these
larger groups. In the spring, fishing became the primary subsistence
activity.
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