| The fierce warriors of the plains were the ever hostile Blackfeet in the regions of their vacinity. They were matched only by the comanches and the crows. The Blackfeet (Blackfoot) tribe were composed of several closely allied Algonquian speaking tribes. They lived mostly in the Saskatchewan River valley of Canada. The Blackfoot tribes were basically wandering hunters who depended on the buffalo for their food. In all of history, the only other tribe capable of fighting the Blackfeet to a standstill were the Crows. They aided the mountainmen against the Blackfeet when the Blackfeet attempted to drive the American trappers from their country. In 1837, a smallpox epidemic spread through the Blackfeet tribe and severely weakened them. This was partly why the Blackfeet and other Plains indians agreed to the treaty in 1851 forbidding any one tribe from trespassing on another tribes hunting grounds. The Blackfoot however remained strong enough to continue raiding the Crow and other tribes until the 1880's when the buffalo vanished. After that, they became a more peaceful tribe and lived their way of life on reservations in Montana, and Alberta Canada. |
