BLACKFOOT VALUES & WAYS OF LIFE by Tiger Lilli Sakima part 1

Blackfoot values and way of life is not a religion, it is a way of life everyday. Blackfoot are strongly connected to their homeland and revere their family bonds. The most important value in Blackfoot society, though, remains generosity. Generous people are held in high esteem and individuals are ridiculed if they accumulate wealth without the intention of sharing their good fortune. Blackfoot people continue to pray for good fortune and a long life, not for themselves, but to share with those around them.

There are four steps to effective learning is not surprising since the sacred number four figures in so many Siksika practices. There are, after all, four directions, four faces of the human being—the face of the child, the adolescent, the adult, and the aged. There are four kinds of things that breathe—those that crawl, those that fly, those that are two-legged, and those that are four-legged. There are four things above the earth—sun, moon, stars, and planets, and there are four parts to green things—roots, stem, leaves, and fruit . The medicine wheel symbolizes the four directions and four components of the human makeup—spiritual, mental, social, and physical—in its very composition and in its various activities.

The first step to effective learning is to listen and listen carefully. In traditional Siksika culture, grandparents and elders who are highly respected do the major portion of teaching. Elders possessing varied gifts traditionally serve the Siksika people. There are elders who are acknowledged and consulted for their medicinal knowledge while others have the right to conduct certain ceremonies. There are elders who are corporately acknowledged as wise people who are consulted as counselors might be today.

There have always been elders who serve as esteemed storytellers in Native societies. Mary Muktoyuk of the Yupiaq First Nation described the attitude towards elders in this way; “The elders, we hold in great respect. Whatever they tell us, we will listen very carefully, trying not to make mistakes when we listen, because we respect them so highly, because they know so much more than we do. This is still true and I pray it will always be true.

Much of what the elders teach is in the form of stories. Parents are for the most part excluded from the responsibility of child-raising since it is thought that they are mainly involved in the day to day activities of providing food and taking care of home life. Generally, speaking, however, raising children is a community responsibility.

It is traditionally considered a privilege to be taught by Blackfoot elders, particularly when they are relating sacred truths. At other times they will tell stories of entertainment or moral instruction, or stories to explain why things are the way they are. Commonly known as Indian legends, the essence of these stories are often common to Indian tribes all over Turtle Island. These stories, legends are told and retold, and through them the people demonstrate that they value life and revere the Creator "Napi'" who bestows blessings on them. These accounts also establish tribal identities and reinforce them, with each generation retelling accounts passed down by their elders. In this manner the same basic values hold steady in society as the people try to understand the path the Great Mystery "Napi'" has set out for each of them. While the main storyline remains constant there are times when recognized storytellers provided unique details as to their personal preference.