Blackfeet Indian Stories

by George Bird Grinnell

Here are the great stories of the Blackfeet, recorded by the famous conservationist and ethnologist, George Bird Grinnell, who became a tribal member in 1885. The Nizitapi, or Real People, as they call each other, were people of the buffalo. They originated on the plains of today’s southern Alberta, western Saskatchewan, and central Montana. Famed frontier artist George Catlin called the Blackfeet “the most powerful tribe of Indians on the continent.” Like many native people, the Blackfeet have stories and legends that originated centuries ago, perhaps thousands of years ago, and were passed down from generation to generation through an oral tradition.

Early explorers heard the stories directly from the Blackfeet and wrote them down. One of these writers was George Bird Grinnell, the famous conservationist and ethnologist who became a tribal member in 1885. Grinnell visited the Blackfeet in Montana almost annually for more than 40 years. He coined the phrase, “Crown of the Continent” for the nearby mountains and helped create Glacier National Park. He wrote numerous acclaimed books on Indian culture. The timeless legends and tales he recorded in “Blackfeet Indian Stories” make it one of his most enduring and entertaining books.

Genres: History, Indigenous, Short Stories, Native American, Mythology, Historical, Classics

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1915

About the author

George Bird Grinnell was an American anthropologist, historian, naturalist, and writer. Grinnell was born in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in 1870 and a Ph.D. in 1880. Originally specializing in zoology, he became a prominent early conservationist and student of Native American life. Grinnell has been recognized for his influence on public opinion and work on legislation to preserve the American bison. Mount Grinnell is named after Grinnell.

Reviews

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely collection of traditional Blackfeet stories told as they were collected in the late 1800s. It appears the author translated these tales quite faithfully, as they do not seem to be filtered through a white European perspective.

I always love learning the origin stories from various cultures. Being originally from Idaho, not too far from the Blackfeet territory, I felt I could clearly imagine the landscapes being described.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blackfeet Indian Stories is an enjoyable collection (~120 pages) of short stories and folklore from and about the Blackfeet tribe. At the end of the book, the author has included a short history and description of early Blackfeet tribal customs. A solid 3 stars.

[Janeandjerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blackfeet Indian Stories

This is a book of short stories from the BLACKFEET INDIAN and there are few that are greater than the others but each one has a life lesson in it...

[J R · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book from 1915 on Libby which I put on my Must Read list April 28, 2016 as a research book for my novel. These stories told come down to us from very ancient times. Grandfathers have told them to their grandchildren, and these again to their grandchildren, and so from mouth to mouth, through many generations, they have reached our time.

The author, George Bird Grinnell (September 20, 1849 – April 11, 1938) was an American anthropologist, historian, naturalist, and writer. He originally specializing in zoology, and he became a prominent early conservationist and student of Native American life. Grinnell has been recognized for his influence on public opinion and work on legislation to preserve the American bison. Mount Grinnell in Glacier National Park in Montana is named after him.

If you want to know something about how the Native American people lived who told these stories, you will find their ways of life described in the last chapter of this book.

The Blackfeet were hunters, travelling from place to place on foot. They used implements of stone, wood, or bone, wore clothing made of skins, and lived in tents covered by hides.

Dogs, their only tame animals, were used as beasts of burden to carry small packs and drag light loads.

Good read indeed

[Marthe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading stories that originate from oral tradition is always a blast. The structure makes the plot memorable and easy to recount, so that others can enjoy the stories as well (I've already shared a few with friends!). This collection of stories in particular has a great deal of characters engaging in acts of slyness and deceit that continually backfire. This is especially evident in the handful of stories about Na'pi, the Sun god, one of which also has the best resolution I may have ever read. In the time when men and women lived separately, Na'pi attempts to trick the chief of the women into marriage, but she sees through his superficiality and gets him back for it. Here it comes:

"This made him so angry that he wanted to do something, and he went down to the woman's piskun and began to break down its walls, so the chief of the women turned him into a pine-tree."

See? Amazing. I'd also like to commend Grinnell's treatment of the stories, and his inclusion of a short historical background of the Blackfeet people at the end of the book.

[Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blackfeet Indian Stories is a very interesting read indeed. I took an interest in it after reading 'Undaunted Courage' by Stephen Ambrose. Many of the stories are concerning how the Blackfeet tribes passed legends from generation to generation and what these stories entailed. They also provide an insight into how they interpreted and explained the world they lived in. It is safe to say, after reading the book, that there are many similarities between all races around the world regarding our mutual interpretations of our origins as a species. If you are interested in Native American history and tradition I suspect that Mr. George Bird Grinnell's other books would also be a great place to begin due to the fact that he lived in the latter of half of the 19th century and was 'on the ground' and interacted with the tribes of that period. It appears that he posessed a strong appreciation of this topic.

[Ali Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was born on the Blackfeet reservation in Montana and this was enlightening for me. I didn't know before that the Blackfeet were polytheist, with the Sun being their main god, as opposed to the Lakota Nation, which is monotheist, with Wakan Tanka being the one unique invisible God and creator.
Another thing that was intesting is that the most frequent number, present in almost all of the stories in one way or another, is four. A success after three tries, three arrows shot in the air and the fourth one makes the medicine, three days' walk and the object of the walk is found on the fourth, ect. Always the number four.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains the stories of the Blackfeet people, as retold by George Grinnell. Grinnell was a leader in the creation of Glacier National Park and wrote prolifically about Blackfeet culture. That said, this is a retelling interpreted by him...I'm interested in learning more. What comes through in the stories, beyond the creation stories, is the specific morality encoded in the stories. I found them fascinated. One also glimpses the nuances of Blackfeet culture and societal structure. Having recently visited this beautiful part of the world, I think this is a very good introduction to the people from this beautiful place.

See my other reviews here!

[Richard Croner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. It is a compilation of stories passed down thru generations of Blackfeet Indians. The stories were about their beliefs and superstitions. I have read a lot of books about the proud and historic nation. What we as a country have done to all American Indians is downright barbaric but appropriately depicts our despicable attitudes. Enough said.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

George Bird Grinnell tells the Blackfeet Creation Stories as they were told to him in varying forms. Very interesting but I think the short history of the Blackfeet that was at the very end of the book would have been better for the reader if it had been at the beginning of the book.

[Rhonda Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little of a dry read at several points but still fascinating. I enjoyed the stories and legends. They are different from the other Native American stories I know, even if some are similar to others. Definitely they are different from the fairy tales, mysths and religious stories I grew up hearing from my relatives.

[Megan Fanok · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this book in Glacier National Park. It was very interesting to learn about the Blackfeet tribe from a man who had first hand experience with them. I liked the book being broken down by story in no particular order, it made it easy to read a story or two a night.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was ok. It was very informative about the tribe.

[Clivemichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accessed through Project Guttenberg- Entertaining, insightful and descriptive window into a mostly lost reality.

[Neela]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackfe...

[India Nelson-Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting read!

[Antonio Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

And he killed all but one of them.

[Mark Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories are fundamental in shaping us both individually and as a culture; Blackfeet Indian Stories by George Bird Grinnell shares a collection of stories that have been passed down for generations but perhaps haven’t been widely heard throughout a broader swath of society.

To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.

This collection of short stories imparts upon readers the legends and folklore that’s been shared for generations among the Blackfeet tribe. These tales entertain, educate, and convey sentiments of morality or larger life lessons reminiscent of more traditionally familiar fairy tales of European origin but with a different perspective than many may be accustomed to, which is a refreshing change of pace. This interpretation of the stories may have lessened some of their impact as they would have been told orally, which is an entirely different way to experience storytelling, often with tangible feeling from the pitch and cadence of voices that may be difficult to translate to text. Exploring creation and origin stories, including that of the world, and journeys that various characters undertake, there’s a lot that can be learned from what’s portrayed, including worldviews that might be new (to you) and how everlasting the struggle of man to survive in their environment remains despite the passage of time and progression of society.

[Necalli Calavera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this!

I'm a sucker for old stories and this was exactly as I hoped!

[Shoma]

Another find from Project Gutenberg. The last anthology of folklore I had read was Charles Eastman's Wigwam Evenings which was meant for children. I liked that book, but I have to admit that it's good to read folklore from a more mature point of view as well. I enjoyed reading about little details of Blackfoot life: from quotidian concerns like the piksun to the number four, which seems as significant in the stories as the number three, for example, is in other folklore.

My favourite stories in this collection were The Wolfman, Kut-o-Yis, The Blood Boy and The Camp of the Ghosts. I also liked the stories about the different societies and those featuring Old Man. The latter seems to be the Blackfoot version of Iktomi; the story of the The Red-eyed Duck is almost identical to the Sioux story about Unktome and the ducks that I read of in Mr. Eastman's book. I also liked the appendix, The Ancient Blackfeet, which gives a sense of the people behind the stories.

[Roger Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the stories of the Blackfeet entertaining and informative. When you look at what they overcame in their environment, it is clear man has not evolved. His tools have evolved, but these mean are very much explorer and inventors.

[Peg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a valuable source as folklore and history of the Blackfeet Indians. In the back after the stories are told there is a brief history of the Blackfeet which is very interesting.

[Terence Clay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting stuff. Stories handed down through time.

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read for anyone interest in the native American Indian's. I enjoyed the stories, I would recommend this book.

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pleasant read

I love the stories of the Black feet! Their myths are so fascinating and always give a "feel good" inspiration.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read of Blackfeet legends.