Blackfoot or Blackfeet?

In my latest book, Targeted, Ky is a member of the Blackfeet Indian tribe. When I was in Calgary, Alberta awhile ago I went through the Glenbow Museum http://www.glenbow.org/ and read about the Blackfoot tribe. Now being a native Calgarian, I knew there were always four Indian -now “First Nations” - tribes in and around the area: the Piegan, the Blood, the Sarcee and the Blackfoot. These were different nations of the Blackfoot. When I started to research tribes in Montana I found the Blackfeet tribe. So which is it?

Blackfoot is the English translation of the word ‘siksika’ which means black foot. It refers to the dark colored moccasins the people wore. For some reason, when the English translated the name in Montana it became plural – Blackfeet. Most Blackfoot people accept both terms. Blackfoot is more common in Canada and Blackfeet more common in the United States.

There are four Blackfoot bands: three in Canada (the Northern Piegan, Kainai {Blood} and the Siksika {Blackfoot proper} and one in the United States (the Southern Piegan or the Blackfeet tribe).  http://www.bigorrin.org/blackfoot_kids.htm

Historically they were a nomadic tribe of bison hunters and trout fishermen and roamed the Great Plains on both sides of the border. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackfoot_Confederacy

There’s a little background on Ky and the Blackfeet nation.  I hope you enjoyed it and will enjoy Ky’s story when it comes out in July.