#niitsitapi

Before Glacier was a park, it was a homeland.

Long before tourists, postcards, and mountain lodges, the Blackfeet—Niitsitapi, the “Real People”—called this land the Backbone of the World.

Every trail, lake, and meadow held a story. Every mountain was a living grandfather watching over them. This wasn’t wilderness—it was home.

But when hunger and disease struck in the late 1800s, the U.S. government came with promises—and took 800,000 acres that became Glacier National Park. Their hunting and gathering rights were erased. Their stories buried under the label of “untouched wilderness.”

Yet, the Blackfeet never vanished. Their spirit still walks these peaks, their stories still echo across St. Mary Lake, and their tipi rings still mark the places where families once gathered.

Today, Blackfeet guides are reclaiming that history—sharing the truth of a land that was never empty.

Because the Backbone of the World still stands… and the Blackfeet are still here.

yesterday I went to a Blackfoot language conference and got to play a game taught to me by a few Blackfoot highschool students, and I joined a table with some Blackfoot Elders, and the game involved speaking Blackfoot and it was such a wonderful experience.

The younger students were great teachers, and helped me with my annunciation (I only know a few words in Blackfoot, and did not grow up speaking it at all so I find some of the sounds very challenging to make) but they were so encouraging, and the Elders were giving tips to speak/sing as a way to help the language flow easier

And I js feel very grateful. It was so cool to practice the language with help from those both younger and older than me, and to see that connection between the youth and their Elders.

Making the language learning process into a game helped take some of the discomfort out of it too, because games are meant to be fun- and learning to speak such a beautiful language (that was intentionally harmed and damaged by the Canadian government) with encouragement from younger language learners and fluent Elders felt very special.

Just a reminder that North America (turtle island) is STOLEN LAND. there are a wealth of Indigenous languages, and the languages are so deeply related to the land they were born from. If you live on Turtle Island, I highly encourage you to learn a simple greeting in the language of the territory you live in.

It’s a small thing, but I think that it’s important. These languages exist because of the resilience and the commitment of Indigenous Elders to practice them and share them. The Governments wanted these languages, and the information they hold, to cease existing.

Honouring the Indigenous people’s, languages, and ways of knowing that are traditional to where you live, learn, and play, is (in my opinion) one of the most radical acts of community building I can partake in as someone with settler lineage.

Thank u to Creator, and to the Blackfoot people and culture for continuing to nourish this world and our lives despite The Horrors.

(There’s no word for thank you in Blackfoot, but there is an action: hold your hand or fist above your heart- you can rub a small circle or bow your head- as a means of showing gratitude)

Kitakitamaatsin (ga-tay-gate-a-mud-son) (goodbye)

An AfroIndigenous mutual of mine told me this.

Sorry I misspelled immigration in that post.

Here is a map, which will provide a visual understanding.

She went on to publish some of the most impressive photographs of the early 20th century, in my opinion:

Schaffer became close friends with several members of the Blackfoot tribe, who called her Yahe-Weha (“Mountain Woman”).