The Kainai Nation () (, or , romanized: ''Káínawa'', Blood Tribe) is a

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

band government In Canada, an Indian band (), First Nation band () or simply band, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subject to the ''Indian Act'' (i.e. status Indians or First Nations). Bands are typically small groups of people: the largest in ...

in southern

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, Canada, with a population of 12,965 members in 2024, up from 11,791 in December 2013. translates directly to 'many chief' (from , 'many' and , 'chief') while translates directly to 'many chief people'. The enemy Plains Cree call the Kainai , 'stained with blood', thus 'the bloodthirsty, cruel', therefore, the common English name for the tribe is the ''Blood tribe''. The Kainai speak a language of the Blackfoot linguistic group; their dialect is closely related to those of the Siksika and Piikani. They are one of three nations comprising the

Blackfoot Confederacy The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'', or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or "Blackfoot language, Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up ...

. At the time treaties such as Treaty 7 were signed, the Kainai were situated on the Oldman, Belly, and

St. Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

rivers west of

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 106,550 in the 2023 Alberta municipal censuses, 2023 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

, Alberta. The Kainai reserve Blood 148 is currently the largest in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

with 4,570 inhabitants on and is located south of

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

Economy

The Kainai Nation is engaged in diverse enterprises and they trade with domestic and international partners.

Ammolite Ammolite is an opal-like organic gemstone found primarily along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains of North America. It is commonly unearthed by natural erosion or through the process of various mining practices, within the perimeter of ...

mining for example provides a rare highly demanded gem mineral to Asia for

Feng Shui Feng shui ( or ), sometimes called Chinese geomancy, is a traditional form of geomancy that originated in ancient China and claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The term ''feng shui'' mean ...

. Ammolite is currently known only to be found in the

Bearpaw Formation The Bearpaw Formation, also called the Bearpaw Shale, is a geologic formation of Late Cretaceous (Campanian) age. It outcrops in the U.S. state of Montana, as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and was named for the Bear ...

as unique conditions of prehistoric times were optimal for the fossilization of marine life into

ammolite Ammolite is an opal-like organic gemstone found primarily along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains of North America. It is commonly unearthed by natural erosion or through the process of various mining practices, within the perimeter of ...

. Over the years, mining operations have uncovered several oceanic mosasaur fossils which have been stored for study at the

Royal Tyrrell Museum The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (RTMP; often referred to as the Royal Tyrrell Museum) is a palaeontology museum and research facility in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. The museum was named in honour of Joseph Tyrrell, Joseph Burr Tyrrell, ...

; however, they belong to the Kainai Nation.(Lawrynuik)

Specific claims

The Kainai Nation filed many specific claims with the

federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

. In 2017, a federal court ruled that

the Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

had underestimated the band's population, which resulted in the band's reserve being smaller than it should have been. As such, the Blood Tribe reserve could be expanded by , but the community could seek a cash-in-lieu-of-land settlement for this claim instead. In July 2019, the Kainai Nation settled a claim over Crown mismanagement of the band's ranching assets. The community received a $150 million cash settlement. Chief Roy Fox said that $123 million of this settlement will be used to develop "housing, capital works, a new administration building and a new skating rink".

Government

Band council

The Kainai Nation is governed by an elected council of twelve to fifteen, with one chief. The term of office is four years. Historical chiefs of the Kainai are below: * Last of the hereditary chiefs, Traditional Chief Jim Shot Both Sides (1956–1980) * Chief Chris Shade (1996–2004) * Chief Charles Weasel Head (2004–2016) * Chief Roy Fox (Makiinimaa – Curlew) (2016–present)

Police force

In pre-treaty times, the were a

society A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. ...

responsible for the punishment of misdeeds. the Blood reserve was policed by the Blood Tribe Police, with 31 officers. Image:George Catlin - Buffalo Bulls Back Fat - Smithsonian.jpg, Stu-mick-o-súcks, Buffalo Bull's Back Fat, Head Chief, Blood Tribe, 1832 by

George Catlin George Catlin ( ; July 26, 1796 – December 23, 1872) was an American lawyer, painter, author, and traveler, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans in the American frontier. Traveling to the Wes ...

Image:Chief of the Blood indians War chief of the Piekann indians and Koutani indian 0079v.jpg, Chief of the Blood Indians, War chief of the Piekann Indians and a Koutani Indian, by

Karl Bodmer Johann Carl Bodmer (11 February 1809 – 30 October 1893) was a Switzerland, Swiss-France, French printmaker, etcher, lithographer, zinc engraver, draftsman, draughtsman, painter, illustrator, and hunter. Known as Karl Bodmer in literature and p ...

Image:Edward S. Curtis Collection People 079.jpg, Stsimaki (Reluctant-to-be-woman) - Blood by

Edward S. Curtis Edward Sheriff Curtis (February 19, 1868 – October 19, 1952; sometimes given as Edward Sherriff Curtis) was an American photographer and ethnologist whose work focused on the American West and Native American people. Sometimes referred to a ...

Image:Apio-mita White Dog - Blood.jpg, Apio-mita White Dog - Blood Image:Niukskai-Stamik Three Bulls Blood.jpg, Niukskai-Stamik Three Bulls - Blood Image:Kaistosinikyi Kill-for-nothing Blood.jpg, Kaistosinikyi Kill-For-Nothing - Blood Image:Atso Tohkomi Call-on-all-sides Blood.jpg, Atso Tohkomi Call-on-All-Sides - Blood Image:1-Astanighkyi Come-singing - Blood.jpg, Astanighkyi Come-Singing - Blood Image:2-Astanighkyi Come-singing Blood.jpg, Astanighkyi Come-Singing - Blood Image:1-Makoyepuk Wolf-child - Blood.jpg, Makoyepuk Wolf-Child - Blood Image:2-Makoyepuk Wolf-child Blood.jpg, Makoyepuk Wolf-Child - Blood Image:A-blood-horseman.jpg, A Blood horseman

Notable people

* Cherish Violet Blood - stage and film actress * Red Crow - 1887 Treaty Number Seven Chief * Byron Chief-Moon - performer and choreographer * Eugene Creighton (Owns Many Horses) * Eugene Brave Rock - actor and stunt man *

Faye HeavyShield Faye HeavyShield (born 1953) is a Kainai First Nations sculptor and installation artist. She is known for her repetitive use of objects and writing to create large-scale, often minimal, site-specific installations. Background HeavyShield, the th ...

- artist * Marie Smallface Marule - academic administrator, activist, and educator * Natawista Iksina (1825–1893) - interpreter and diplomat * Jerry Potts * Pete Standing Alone * Seen from afar (1810–1869) - PEENAQUIM (Pe-na-koam, Penukwiim, translated as seen from afar, far seer, far off in sight, and far off dawn; also known as Onis tay say nah que im, Calf Rising in Sight, and Bull Collar), chief of the Blood tribe of the Blackfoot nation; b. c. 1810, probably in what is now southern Alberta, son of Two Suns; d. 1869 near the present city of Lethbridge, ALB * Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers - Kainai and

Sámi Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ...

actress, producer,

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

and curatorial assistant * Esther Tailfeathers * Tom Three Persons - Rodeo athlete and rancher, best known for winning the saddle bronc competition at the inaugural Calgary Stampede in 1912

In popular culture

In 1960, the Kainai and their

Sun Dance The Sun Dance is a ceremony practiced by some Native Americans in the United States and Indigenous peoples in Canada, primarily those of the Plains Indians, Plains cultures, as well as a new movement within Native American religions. Members of ...

were featured in the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

(NFB) documentary ''

Circle of the Sun ''Circle of the Sun'' is a 1960 short documentary film on Kainai Nation, or Blood Tribe, of Southern Alberta, which captured their Sun Dance ritual on film for the first time. Tribal leaders, who worried the traditional ceremony might be dying out ...

''. Tribal leaders had been concerned that the Sun Dance might be dying out, and had permitted filming as a visual record. This documentary was later referenced by electronic music duo

Boards of Canada Boards of Canada are a Scottish electronic music duo consisting of the brothers Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin. Signing first to Skam Records, Skam followed by Warp (record label), Warp Records in the 1990s, they received recognition following th ...

on their debut album ''Music Has The Right to Children'', with song titles such as "Kaini Industries" and "Pete Standing Alone" paying homage to the tribe and its leader. In 1973, the NFB released the documentary ''Kainai'', which discusses the construction and consequences of a factory on their property. In 2006, community leader Rick Tailfeathers contributed a small

carving of a buffalo skull to the Six String Nation project. The object was permanently mounted on the interior of ''Voyageur'', the guitar at the heart of the project. Following a presentation about the project in September 2014 at Tatsikiisaapo'p Middle School, project creator Jowi Taylor was presented with a braid of sweet grass by school principal Ramona Big Head. The braid resides in the headstock area in the bed of the guitar case. On

National Aboriginal Day National Indigenous Peoples Day (; formerly National Aboriginal Day) is a day recognizing and celebrating the cultures and contributions of the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Indigenous peoples of Canada. The day was first celebrated in 199 ...

in 2011, the NFB released the ''Pete Standing Alone'' trilogy, which includes ''Circle of the Sun'', ''Standing Alone'' and a 2010 film, ''Round Up'', documenting 50 years of the Kainai Nation as well as the life of elder Pete Standing Alone.

Historical newspapers

* The ''Kainai News'' was one of Canada's first aboriginal newspapers and instrumental in the history of aboriginal journalism in Canada. It was published in southern Alberta by the Blood Indian Tribe and later by Indian News Media. Content focused on a range of local issues within the reserve as well as national issues such as the

Indian Act The ''Indian Act'' () is a Canadian Act of Parliament that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves. First passed in 1876 and still in force with amendments, it is the primary document that defines how t ...

, the

Whitepaper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. Since the 199 ...

and Bill C-31. Of particular significance are editorial cartoons by Everett Soop which were a regular feature of the newspaper. Its first editor way Caen Bly, granddaughter of Senator James Gladstone. * The ''Sun Dance Echo'' was a predecessor to the ''Kainai News''. It was edited by Reggie Black Plume and occasionally contained articles by Hugh Dempsey.

Communities

The Kainai nation communities include:Blood Tribe - About Us & Communities listed * Bullhorn / Pomiipisskian / ᑲᒍᑯᔈᖽᑉᖳᐡ * Fish Creek / Akaomisko / ᖳᖿᐠᒍᔈᖾ * Ft Whoop Up / Akaisakoyi / ᖳᖼᓭᖾᔪ * Levern / Iisoitapi / ᖱᓴᖱᒣᑯ * Moses Lake / Aakoohkiimiksi / ᖳᖾᑊᖽᒍᖽᐧ * Old Agency / Mokowan / Mokoan / ᒐᖾᖷᐡ * Standoff / Tattsikiitapi / ᒣᒧᐧᖽᒣᑯ

References

External links

Blood Tribe Information WebKainai Studies - Post secondary educational entity dedicated to Blackfoot teachings

Introduction to photo essay from 'Nitsitapiisinni: Our Way of Life' museum exhibit

''Pete Standing Alone Trilogy''

Brief biography of former chief Roy Fox

Kainai News (1968–1991)

Blackfoot Digital Library

Blood Tribe page at Treaty 7 Management Corporation website
{{Authority control First Nations governments in Alberta