Getting Dressed

When the prayers were finished, everyone began to get dressed and move about. Our clothes were made of tanned elk skin. Men and boys wore a isttohksisoka’sim (shirt), atsis (leggings), niitsitsikin (moccasins) and iihtayo'kimao'p (a breechcloth). Women and girls wore a one-piece dress, short leggings, and moccasins.

Fixing Our Hair

Our older sisters combed and braided the hair of the younger children. Our mother fixed our father's hair and then braided her own.

Our women wore their hair in two braids to reflect their modesty.

Some men wore their hair in styles that reflected family traditions or all-comrades societies. Sometimes men bundled their hair into a topknot at the front of their forehead. This indicated that he was the keeper of a Thunder Medicine Pipe Bundle.

Wearing three braids symbolizes our three nations: Piikani ( Amsskaapipiikani and Apatohsipiikani), Kainai, and Siksika.

Painting Our Faces

Most days our faces were painted by our parents or grandparents. They usually used a’saan (red ochre), which is like clay with iron minerals in it. They mixed the paint with bits of buffalo fat. The paint is a blessing and helps protect us throughout the day. It also acts as a sunscreen in summer and keeps our skin moist during the dry winter.

Eating

The fire was stirred and brought to life. More wood was added from the pile inside our tipi. If we didn't have enough wood, our younger brothers and sisters were sent to collect more. Our mother heated a stew over the fire and passed around dry meat, berries, and mookimaani (pemmican). The dry meat and berries were stored in sootsimaan (rawhide containers). We all helped ourselves. There were no formal meals. People ate whenever they were hungry.