Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Blackfoot Tribe Narrative Story

All American Indian Tribes have different takes on the the creation/origin story. Some are similar while others are quite different. Most American Indian Narratives were painted on to leather or weaved into a blanket like the example below.

The Hopi Tribe Origin Story Narrated on Leather


Unfortunately, I was unable to find one for one of the Blackfoot tribe origin story is How Napi (the Old Man) and A-pe'si (Coyote) Made People. To read the full version of the story please click the link above.

Old Man (Napi or Na-pe)

Summary:
In this origin story, the Blackfoot tell how Old Man (Napi or Na-pe) created men out of clay bones, Buffalo blood, tendons, skin, and fat and clay. As Old Man created the bones for the men, he found some that he had made that were broken, crooked, or too small. So he discarded all the bad bones into a pile outside his lodge and just left them there while he and the men enjoyed smoking and hunting. Then one day A-pe'si (Coyote) came along and told Old Man that he should make more men out of the pile of discarded bones because the men that Old Man had already made were poor handiwork. Old Man and Coyote worked together but when the "men" were done they did not look like the other men that Old Man created. Old Man figured it had something to with A-pe'si interrupting him as he was creating them. Old Man breathe smoke into the "men" faces and when they came a life they began to talk amongst themselves. Old Man named them women. This was how Man and Woman were made.

Sources:
"Native Languages of the Americas: Blackfeet Indian Legends and Traditional Stories." Native Languages of the Americas. Web. 11 Nov. 2009. .

Images:
http://www.geschichteinchronologie.ch/ps/mandalas-Owusu/indianermandala-hopi-schlangenlegende.JPG
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/photos-nativeamerican/OldMan.jpg

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