"Everything has a meaning, a benefit, and a purpose. If we take it for granted, it won’t be there. We need to appreciate things that are there for our benefit. The other thing I learned was … if you take something, always give something back. The children would take berries, but also put an offering on the ground."

- Andy Black Water, Kainai

This web site was created as a companion to the Niitsitapiisini Virtual Exhibit created by the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and is divided into two main sections: Blackfoot Culture and Learning Resources.

The Blackfoot Culture section of the toolkit provides an overview of the culture and history of the Blackfoot people. This section introduces teachers to the Blackfoot world and how it has changed and adapted over the centuries.

The Learning Resources section informs teachers of the protocols involved in teaching First Nations students, provides access to instructional units and a list of additional resources. The units are designed to compliment and extend the Virtual Exhibit web activities and include cultural and historical resources, activities and assessment strategies.

 

Classroom teachers, the Glenbow Museum and members of the Canadian and American Blackfoot Nations worked together in a collaborative effort to produce the materials that are found within this teachers’ toolkit.