Summer - The Sun Dance
In mid-summer, when the Saskatoon (Service) berries were ripe, the bands came together for the Sun Dance. The Sun Dance was the major tribal ceremony in historic times. Such tribal ceremonies are described as Rites of Intensification because they serve the social purpose of binding the loosely organized tribal bands together. Communal hunts of bison provided food for the gathering and the bulls' tongues necessary as offerings at the ceremony. This was the only time of year when all the people of the tribe assembled at the same place.
After the Sun Dance, the bands again separated to pursue the buffalo. In the fall, the bands would gradually shift to their wintering areas and prepare the bison jumps and pounds. Several bands might join together at particularly good sites, such as Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. As the bison moved into the area, drawn by water and richer forage than the burned-dry summer grasses, communal kills would again occur, and the people would prepare dry meat and pemmican for winter. Such dry food stores were used as emergency supplies for those times when the bison were not near. At the end of the fall, the Blackfoot would move to their winter camp locales.
Territory |
Tribes |
Social Structure - Basic |
Social Structure - Societies |
Seasonal Travel |
Winter |
What were Bison doing in winter? |
Spring |
Summer - The Sun Dance |
After Signing Treaty 7 |
