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Glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Band
A group of First Nations people who share a common and specified land base, currency, cultural tradition and government. Lands (reserves) have been set aside and money is held by the crown.
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The Beaver People
Also known as Tsattine, the “dwellers among the beavers.” Cousins to the Slavey, Chipewyan and Sarcee, who all speak similar Athapaskan-rooted languages, the Beavers originally inhabited a vast territory between the present-day Alberta – Saskatchewan border and the Peace River. However, the Cree drove them west, aided by the firearms that the Europeans brought to the new world. Subsequently, the Beaver peoples hunted game (moose being a dietary staple) throughout the Peace River country, extending as far as the Rocky Mountains. They were known as exceptional hunters and, although they had a reputation as being a peaceful people, were not lacking in skill when war became necessary. The Beaver peoples, their numbers wracked by disease and starvation, were the last band to sign Treaty 8 in May, 1900.
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Birch Bark Canoe
Birch bark canoes were sturdy yet lightweight and could be paddled and carried by one person. They were constructed using a variety of materials including birch bark for the skin of the canoe, cedar for the ribs and sheathing, and spruce roots and gum for the lashings and caulking.
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Blackfoot Confederacy
The Plains people were composed of five distinct nations. Three nations within the confederacy share a common language and culture and are known as the “Blackfoot Proper” or “Siksika” – the Blackfoot, the Blood and the Peigan. The other two nations in the confederacy are the Sarcee and the Gros Ventre. At the height of their power, the Blackfoot Confederacy commanded territory from the North Saskatchewan River, south to the Missouri, and from the present Alberta – Saskatchewan border to the Rocky Mountains.
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Blackfoot Nation
One of the most recognized of the northern tribes, the Blackfoot were the first nation to meet the fur traders. Also known as the “Siksika”, this nation has a long cultural heritage on the Plains.
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Blood Nation
A nomadic tribe known in their native tongue as Kai-nau or “Many Chiefs.” They followed the buffalo, hunting them by foot and, after 1700, on horseback. Horses became an integral component of their way of life, broadening their territory, increasing their wealth and inspiring aggression. Prior to 1860, and with the infiltration of the whiskey-traders, the tribe began to lose its cohesion. Alcohol abuse resulted in widespread poverty in the tribe. The decline of the buffalo combined with alcoholism, disease and persistent warring led them to the 1877 Treaty talks with the federal government at Blackfoot Crossing on the Bow River.
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Boiling Pit
Means of cooking by which a round hole was scooped in the earth, and into which a piece of rawhide was sunk. The hole was then filled with water, and meat placed within. A fire was lit nearby and a number of stones made red hot. When the stones were hot enough they were either dropped or held in the boiling water.
Bride-Price
A negotiable sum that the Blackfoot, Plains Cree and Sarcee paid to a potential wife’s people before marriage. The Bloods and the Peigans practiced an exchanging of gifts between the families of prospective spouses. The Assiniboine on the other hand, practiced the “bride service” where the husband helped to support his in-laws for a customary period of time after the marriage.
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Buffalo Jump
A steep embankment over which hunters would drive buffalo. This, along with the Buffalo Pound, were methods employed in the “factory” approach to hunting.
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Buffalo Pound
A corral, usually made of brush and hides, with a funnel-shaped fence leading to the entrance. Small herds of buffalo could be driven into the pound and killed.
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