Big Idea_Literature Review

Big Idea Project- An Exploration of the Oral Traditions of the Blackfoot People

This research project is intended to gain a deeper cultural understanding of the Blackfoot people. By exploring a range of traditional stories and oral traditions passed through the generations, my aim is to gain a better understanding of the Blackfoot peoples and a deeper appreciation of their culture, in addition to gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation of oral traditions of all First Nations peoples.

Bastien, Betty. Blackfoot ways of knowing: the worldview of the Siksikaitsitapi. University of Calgary Press, 2004

This source explores the traditions and values of the Blackfoot people. It will help me to contextualize my finding. It will also provide insight as to the role of oral tradition in the lives of the Blackfoot people.

Blackfeetnation.com Our Culture. http://blackfeetnation.com/our-culture/ Accessed February 23, 2017

This source provides an overview of Blackfoot culture. It will help me to gain a better understanding of my research. This source will also help me to contextualize my findings.

Blackfootcrossing.com. Language http://www.blackfootcrossing.ca/language.html Accessed on February 25, 2017

This source provides information on oral tradition and language. It will help me to better understand Orla tradition. It will also provide me with information on the culture of the Blackfoot people.

Blackfootcrossing.ca. Story Telling. http://www.blackfootcrossing.ca/storytelling.html Accessed February 25, 2017

This source contains some examples of Blackfoot stories. I will use this source to analyze these stories. This will add more data to my project and help me get more accurate results.

Dempsey, Hugh A. The vengeful wife and other Blackfoot stories, University of Oklahoma Press, 2003

This source contains a compilation of the stories of the Blackfoot people. It will provide me with examples of Blackfoot stories. Those stories will help me to further my data.

Eli, Shelly Kay. Piikanaikiiks: A Literary Analysis of Blackfoot Oral Stories and the Traditional Roles of Women in Leadership, University of Lethbridge 2011

This source, a paper published by a student at the University of Lethbridge, explores a connection between the role of women in Blackfoot Culture and their traditions. For my research, this source will provide a deeper insight into the stories and oral traditions of the Blackfoot people. Lethbridge was traditionally Blackfoot territory and this research will also provide a connection to the land and the people.

Firstpeople.us Native American Legends Blackfoot Creation Story. http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/Blackfoot-Creation-Story-Blackfoot.html Accessed February 24, 2017

This source provides a telling of the Blackfoot Creation Story. It will be useful to my research because it will provide me with example of oral tradition to analyze. It will also be useful to compare this version of the Blackfoot Creation story with others to see if there are any discrepancies and if so what they are.

Fraser, Frances. The Bear who stole the Chinook: Tales from the Blackfoot. Douglas & McIntyre 1990

This source is a collection of Blackfoot stories. It will provide me of example of Blackfoot stories and further my data.

Friesen, John W. and Virginia Lyons Friesen. Oral Tradition is Alive and Well: Living Literature in the Blackfoot (Siksika) Community. University of Calgary, 2007

This source is a paper prepared for Indigenous Literature in Native Studies Panel that occurred in Saskatoon in May 2007. This source will be useful because it will help to provide information about oral tradition in relation to the Blackfoot people.

Glenbow Museum. Legends by Blackfoot Children at Old Sun Residential School. http://www.empire.amdigital.co.uk/Documents/Details/Legends%20by%20Blackfoot%20school%20children%20at%20Old%20Sun%20Residential%20School Accessed February 25, 2017

This source contains version of Blackfoot stories written down by children attending Residential Schools. This source will provide me with firsthand accounts of some of the Blackfoot stories. This source also contains drawing that will help me understand the stories more visually.

Glenbow Museum. Traditional Stories http://www.glenbow.org/blackfoot/EN/html/traditional_stories.htm Accessed February 25, 2017

This source is a collection of traditional First Nation stories compiled on the Glenbow Museum’s website. This source will provide traditional stories of the Blackfoot people which I can then further analyze.

Hodges Humble, Laurie. The Legend of Napi and the Rock http://www.olsn.ca/fnplw/content/2015/The_Legend_of_Napi_and_the_Rock.pdf Accessed February 25, 2017

This source is an account of how Napi split the Okotoks Erratic. This source provides another story which will help diversify my findings.

Learnalberta.ca. The Oral Tradition- Excerpt from Aboriginal Perspectives http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/documents/oral_tradition/oral_tradition.pdf Accessed February 23, 2017

This source, an excerpt from part of the Alberta curriculum. It discusses oral traditions of First Nations people and has a special focus on the Blackfoot. This source will help provide context and insight as to how the Blackfoot people view their own oral traditions.

Maclean, John. Blackfoot Mythology. The Journal of American Folklore, Vol.6 No. 22, American Folklore Society, 1893. pg.156-172

This source contains a variety of Blackfoot stories. It will be useful to help me gain a better understanding of the stories. It will also expose me to new material.

Mysteriesofcanada.com Blackfoot Legends- Napi the Trickster. https://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/first-nations/blackfoot-legends-napi/ Accessed February 23, 2017

This source contains information on Napi. The Blackfoot people believed that Napi, sometimes referred to as the “Old Man”, was their creator. This source will provide a better understanding of Napi and the Blackfoot people.

Penn, W.S. The telling of the world: Native American stories and art, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1996

This source contains myths and legends from a variety of First Nations culture. It will provide be with Blackfoot myths and legends. The source will also give me the opportunity to compare the myths and legends of the Blackfoot people with those of other First Nations.

Pitt.edu. Blackfoot Creation and Origin Myths. http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/blkftcreation.html Accessed February 25, 2017

This source contains a compilation of Blackfoot stories. These stories will add to the pool of traditions for me to analyze. Which will help to gain a better understanding of Blackfoot culture.

Schaeffer, Claude E. Blackfoot shaking tent Glenbow-Alberta Institute, 1969

This source provides an in depth look at one of the traditions practiced by the Blackfoot people. It explores the tradition and gives an interpretation of it within its context.

Trailtribes.org. Blackfeet Traditional Culture. https://www.trailtribes.org/greatfalls/since-time-immemorial.htm Accessed February 24, 2017

This source, a website, provides a description of oral tradition, as well as some examples of oral traditions from the black foot people. The information on oral tradition will help me better understand the significance of oral traditions and histories. The oral traditions themselves will help me gain a deeper understanding of the people.

University of Idaho. Oral Traditions and Storytelling. http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~rfrey/traditions.htm Accessed February 24, 2017

This source looks more at oral traditions. It provides a description of what they are and what they mean. It will help me to gain a better understanding of oral traditions.