Baoquan Tranthien
Professor Ortiz
AIS 100
29 July 2020
The Blackfeet and Mandan Tribes
The Blackfeet tribe has a mythological figure they call the “Old Man”. The Old Man’s
blackfoot tribe name is Naapi. Naapi is considered the culture hero of the blackfeet tribe. Naapi
was “a trickster, a troublemaker, and sometimes a foolish person, but he is also responsible for
shaping the world the Blackfeet live in and frequently helps the people” (Blackfeet). The people
of the Blackfeet tribe believed that the Sun made the Earth. One of the names that they call the
Sun is Naapi. The story of Naapi begins when there was water everywhere. The only thing in the
water was a raft that held the Old Man and all the animals. The Old Man wished to make land,
and did just that. He told the beaver to dive to bring up mud, but the beaver could not reach the
bottom. The loon then tried, but also couldn’t reach the bottom.The the muskrat was sent down
and came up almost dead. The muskrat had mud in his paws. The Old Man “dried this mud, he
scattered it over the water and land was formed” (Grinnell). In the Mandan tribe, they have a
story that tells about the creation of the world, plants, animals, and man by the First Creator and
Lone Man. The Missouri River was the site of their creation, which divided the land into two
parts. “First Creator took the south side and made hills, mountains, springs, valleys, and timbered
areas. He made buffalo, sheep, deer, antelope, and snakes. Lone Man created flat land with lakes
and ponds and a few trees. He made cattle, sheep, water animals, and birds” (Behring). The First
Creator had criticized the Lone Man’s creations, especially the cattle because they could not last
in the winter. “The cattle were sent back to the east, where Lone Man also created white people.
Lone Man created more humans, who grew and flourished. The first people he created were the
Mandan” (Behring). Later the Lone Man was reborn as a Mandan and lived with them. He later
decided to return home. But before leaving, he promised the Mandan that they would always
have his help and would someday return, and each Spring he sends warm south winds so the
people know he still cares for them.
The Blackfoot and Mandan Indians are original residents to the northern plains. Their
land mainly consisted of North Dakota and South Dakota. The land was mostly grass covered
prairies with some streams and rivers. The climate consists of hot summers and cold winters. The
fish that is hunted consists of sturgeon, crayfish and mussels. The animals in the area consist of
bison, deer, cougars, elk, bear, beaver, porcupine, antelope, prairie, dogs, eagles, and wolves.
The Blackfoot tribe would generally eat the buffalo and other game when available, and their
