Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Blackfoot traditional knowledge, bison drive lines, and geospatial analysis(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2024) Edmo, Kendall Rae; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: David B. McWethy; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.Bison drive lines provide material evidence of ancestral Blackfoot practices. The spatial dimensions of drive lines highlight a sophisticated understanding of bison-environment interactions and the strategic use of geographic landforms and environmental features to maintain a critical lifeway. Here we examine broad-scale landscape use patterns among prehistoric Blackfoot bison hunters on the Northwestern Plains through an analysis of a network of drive lines in traditional Blackfoot territory (US) using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and previous archaeological and anthropological research. The findings of this study show that ancestral Blackfoot designed bison drive lines to be positioned in proximity to key landscape resources including water, forested areas, and wetlands and kettle lakes. This study builds on previous research that applies an Indigenous archaeological framework that incorporates ethnohistoric narratives and traditional knowledge to provide important context for understanding the relationship between ancestral Blackfoot, bison, and the cultural landscape. Examining the relationship between drive lines and landscape features helps advance our understanding of the Blackfoot knowledge system that has adapted and endured for millennia.Item In-nii (Bison bison L.) reintroduction to Amskapiipikini (Blackfeet) Nation homeland: relationships with ksahko (soils)(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2022) Tatsey, Latrice Dawn; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Anthony HartshornIn-nii (American Bison) are returning to their Traditional Territories after being nearly wiped out of the Great Plains of North America and Canada. The in-nii are slowly returning to Native American tribes who have the resources to run reintroduction programs like that of the Amskapiipikini (Blackfeet). This in-nii reintroduction presented an opportunity to look at the effects of the return of in-nii to the Amskapiipikini, and what their influences might be on the soils, plants, and water resources of the Blackfeet Nation. This research project was conducted on the Blackfeet Buffalo (In-nii) Ranch and the adjacent RRJ Cattle Ranch, comparing the influence of in-nii and cattle on soil nutrient cycles and soil carbon dynamics. Soil samples were taken from locations on the landscape that were near water sources on lower elevations, mid hillslopes for mid-elevation sites and on hilltops at higher elevations. Soil characteristics included soil organic matter (SOM), nitrate, pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and exchangeable calcium, potassium, sodium, and magnesium. Only two (CEC, magnesium) appeared to have been influenced by in-nii and cattle. The remaining soil characteristics were little influenced by grazer type. Substrate-induced respiration was also measured in the lab to see how microbes decomposed SOM (carbohydrates and other molecules) to release energy and CO2; we found no evidence of differences between in-nii- and cattle-influenced soils. Finally, we measured field respiration rates and water infiltration rates at multiple fence line sites; field soil respiration rates increased when soil had water infiltrated after the dry readings, soils also increased the time to absorb water after the first infiltration tests were run. Our preliminary results suggest that the reintroduction of in-nii to these lands has not yet resulted in measurable differences in soil-related properties of the Blackfeet Nation. Even so, the return of the in-nii for the Amskapiipikini is also about understanding the importance of using cultural science when studying the ecology of a system. Doing this can create an understanding of the traditional ways of knowing while bringing cultural healing and restoring connections between Amskapiipikini, in-nii, and land.Item Monumental memories: the Bear River massacre, gendered settler-colonial violence, and decolonization in public history(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Balius, Quincy Angeline; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Alex HarmonThough the Bear River Massacre (also known as the Baker Massacre or Marias River Massacre) remains an important part of the tribal history of the Blackfeet Nation today, the only permanent American public historical representation of the massacre is a marker installed by the Montana Department of Transportation. Through examining the Montana Historical Highway marker program's development from tourist attraction to public historical tool, my work revealed the entanglement of collective memory, Native peoples, and gender in Montana history. I examined the role of Piikani women in surviving the massacre and current-day massacre commemorations. I also analyzed current-day decolonization efforts at public historical institutions, including museums and historic marker programs. Through reframing the massacre from the perspective of Piikani women, I showed how Native women's stories are silenced in public history and how women of the Blackfeet Nation push back on these silences. I also revealed how violence against Native women, including suppressing or erasing tribal history, is part of a broader process of settler-colonialism and the attempted extermination of the Blackfeet Nation. Overall, my project discussed how marker programs can function as sites of decolonization, especially when markers center the voices of Indigenous peoples and recognize both colonialism and survivance in Indigenous history.Item Tribal education : a case study of Blackfeet elders(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1997) Still Smoking, Dorothy M.Item Blackfoot ceremony : a qualitative study of learning(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1999) Pepion, Donald DuaneThis study utilizes qualitative research methodology to ascertain the process of learning the ceremonial practices of the Blackfoot Native people in Montana and Southern Alberta, Canada. The literature on adult learning reveals that little is known of how Native Americans learn. Fifteen Blackfoot ceremonialists were interviewed following the general interview guide approach of qualitative research methodology. The study participants were selected as a representative group of ceremonialists known to the researcher. The interview findings are presented in a case study format that provides insight into the naturalistic context of how this group of Blackfoot ceremonialists perceives ceremonial learning processes. The findings were analyzed using the illuminative model of naturalistic research, which identifies recurring trends, incidences and issues as they emerge from the data. The findings were grouped into seventeen categories according to commonalities, patterns, and relationships. The conclusions are presented with interpretive comments based on the common perceptions and views of the study participants. Several recommendations are made relevant to each of the seventeen categories identified in the findings. The results of the research concluded that the ceremonial learning process of the Blackfoot included the following elements: a) divination process of learning, b) motivational process of learning, c) memory association learning process, d) visual and auditory learning process, e) mentoring and facilitation learning process, f) rite of passage learning process, g) participant-observation learning process, h) process of learning how to leant, i) inductive reasoning process of learning, j) cognitive process of learning, k) environmental process of learning, 1) self-directed/interactive learning process, m) socialization process of learning, n) learning process through symbolism, o) perceived barriers to learning process, p) effects of spirituality on learning process, q) structural synthesizing of learning process, r) effect of language usage on learning process, and s) effect of Blackfoot way of knowing on learning process.Item As long as the grass grows and the waters flow : an indigenous perspective of Blackfoot land history(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2003) Crowe, Thedis BerthelsonItem A descriptive analysis of Blackfeet Indian beadwork(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1972) McCoy, Elizabeth Mae