Mythology of the Blackfoot Indians, originally published in 1908 by the American Museum of Natural History, introduces such figures as Old Man, Scar-Face, Blood-Clot, and the Seven Brothers. Included are tales with ritualistic origins emphasizing the prototypical Beaver-Medicine and the roles played by Elk-Woman and Otter-Woman, as well as a presentation of Star Myths, which reveal the astronomical knowledge of the Blackfoot Indians. Narratives about Raven, Grasshopper, and Whirlwind-Boy account for conditions in humanity and nature. Many of the stories in the concluding group, such as “The Lost Children” and “The Ghost-Woman,” were tales told to Blackfoot children.

 

These narratives were collected early in the twentieth century from the Piegans in Montana and from the North Piegans, the Bloods, and the Northern Blackfoot in Canada. Most were translated by D. C. Duvall and revised for Mythology of the Blackfoot Indians by Clark Wissler. Darrell Kipp provides an introduction to the new Bison Books edition.

Clark Wissler (1870–1947) was curator at the American Museum of Natural History and chairman of the Department of Anthropology at Columbia University. He is the author of North American Indians of the Plains and Man and Culture. Alice Beck Kehoe is the author of many books, including North American Indians: A Comprehensive Account, America Before the European Invasions, and the anthropology textbook Humans. Darrell Kipp (Blackfoot) is the director of the Piegan Institute, whose national objectives are to promote support for Native language issues through advocacy and education and to provide a voice for the national and international dialogue on Native language restoration.