Religious Practices of the Blackfoot Indian Tribe
- This important ceremony, lasting 10 days, was an annual summer ritual of the Blackfoot Indians. Its purpose was to enable the renewal of the world. The central role in this ceremony, unlike the ceremonies of many other Plains tribes, was held by a woman. The ceremony included moving the camp on four successive days. The fifth day consisted of building the medicine lodge, transferring bundles to the medicine woman and the offering of gifts by children and those in poor health. On the sixth day they danced toward the sun, blew eagle-bone whistles and experienced self-torture. And for the remaining four days they performed various male-centered rituals. The Sun Dance is still performed among many Blackfoot groups.
- To the Blackfoot, illness was considered the result of an evil spirit entering the body. A holy man, or shaman, was necessary to remove this evil spirit and heal the person's illness. The shaman would try to rid the person's body of the evil spirit by singing, drumming and other practices. Many shamans were able to help those with any illness, but some specialized in specific ailments, such as the setting of broken bones or fevers.
- The medicine bundle is a symbol of sacred power to the Blackfoot, meant to bring healing to the tribe. A young man would receive a sacred vision from a supernatural being, instructing him to gather and keep certain objects for their inherent powers. Bundles could be owned individually or collectively. Collective bundles, such as the Beaver bundle or the Sun Dance bundle, also had important rituals associated with them. The rituals associated with the bundles were performed for the good of the whole tribe, such as the bestowal of food or good health.
- When a member of a Blackfoot tribe died, he was placed either on a platform inside a tipi or on the ground inside a tipi. He was buried with some of his personal possessions. These possessions, it was thought, would travel with him and be useful in the afterlife. Blackfoot Indians were afraid of the ghosts of the dead and avoided contact with them as much as possible. If a member died within a tipi, that tipi never was used again for fear that the deceased's spirit still lingered inside the structure.