Records regarding the 19th and 20th century history and culture of the Siksika (Blackfoot) Indians from Susan Dietrich (1914-1993) and Oscar Lewis, primarily in 1939, as part of a Columbia University sponsored research project on the Blackfoot Reservation, Montana.

Facsimile documents copied from originals borrowed from Susan Dietrich, 1993. Processed by Mark G. Thiel, 1993 and microfilmed, 2001

 

Scope and Content

The interviews of Yellow Kidney, a medicine man; Insima, "an old lady;" Agnes Chief All Over; Short Chief; and Philip Wells comprise the bulk of the collection. Traditional tribal organization, warrior societies, warfare, hunting, marriage and sexuality, recreation, religious ceremonies, oral literature, and reservation childhood, school, and family life are the principal topics. Also included are photographs of interviewees Yellow Kidney, Insima, Agnes Chief All Over (with husband George) and others plus a paper on reservation culture change among the Sisika, Dakota, and Wichita.

Information on Insima is included in "Transcribing Insima, A Blackfoot Old Lady," Alice Beck Kehoe, in Readings Beyond Words, edited by Jennifer S. H. Brown and Elizabeth Vibert, 1996.

Reformatted records: Records that have been microfilmed are so noted, most of which are available throughout the United States via interlibrary loan. These and other records are or can be made available in digital formats via email. Reformatting fees may apply. Ask an Archivist for details.

Blackfoot Research Project Collection (Series 1-3)

 

More Related Resources

• Native America Collections: Checklist to Marquette special collections about native peoples of the Western Hemisphere.

• Search the Collections (sidebar)

• Guides to Catholic-Related Records about Native Americans in the United States: Over 1,000 repository entries in PDF format to help genealogists and historical researchers find the records they need on American Indians and Alaskan Natives. The entries provide contact information on the repositories, brief descriptions about the records, the Native groups served, and the associated Catholic organizations. Many of the entries include institutional chronologies to explain the history of the records.

Black and Indian Mission Office Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions

Tekakwitha Conference National Center

U.S. Catholic Conference of Catholic Bishops > Cultural Diversity in the Church