Blackfoot Confederacy

The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi (meaning "original people"; c.f. Ojibwe: Anishinaabeg and Quinnipiac: Eansketambawg) is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana.

The Blackfoot Confederacy consists of the North Peigan (Aapátohsipikáni or Piikáni), South Peigan (Aamsskáápipikani or Piegan Blackfeet), the Kainai Nation (Káínaa- “Many Chief people” or Blood), and the Siksika Nation (“Blackfoot”, or more correctly Siksikáwa - "Blackfoot people"). The Siksika called themselves Sao-kitapiiksi - "Plains People". The South Peigan are located in Montana, and the other three are located in Alberta. Together they call themselves the Niitsítapi (the "Original People"). These groups shared a common language of the Algonquian family, as well as a common culture. They also had treaties of mutual defense, and members of the groups freely intermarried.

The Sarcee (called by the Blackfoot: saahsi or sarsi - "the stubborn ones") and the Atsina became allies, joined the Confederacy and essentially merged with the Pikuni. The Sarcee are a branch of the Athabascan-language group, or Tinneh (Dene) language family, and had migrated from the North. Dene speakers typically resided north of the continental United States and were said to be in contact with the Inuit. Other Athabascan speakers had migrated in ancient times into the American Southwest, where they separated into the Apache and the Navajo.

The Atsina were under the Blackfoot protection in their territory. They were also known by the French as the Gros Ventres and were later called the Fall Indians. Early scholars thought they were related to the Arapaho Nation, who inhabited the Missouri Plains and moved west to Colorado and Wyoming.