Assiniboine people
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The Assiniboine or Assiniboin people ( when singular, Assiniboines / Assiniboins when plural;
Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
: ''Asiniibwaan'', "stone Sioux"; also in plural Assiniboine or Assiniboin), also known as the Hohe and known by the endonym Nakota (or Nakoda or Nakona), are a
First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...
/Native American people originally from the Northern Great Plains of North America. Today, they are centred in present-day
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...
. They have also populated parts of
Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
and southwestern
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in Canada, and northern
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and western
North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...
in the United States. They were well known throughout much of the late 18th and early 19th century, and were members of the
Iron Confederacy The Iron Confederacy or Iron Confederation (also known as Cree-Assiniboine in English or cr, script=Latn, Nehiyaw-Pwat, label=none in Cree) was a political and military alliance of Plains Indians of what is now Western Canada and the northern Un ...
with the Cree. Images of Assiniboine people were painted by 19th-century artists such as
Karl Bodmer Johann Carl Bodmer (11 February 1809 – 30 October 1893) was a Swiss-French printmaker, etcher, lithographer, zinc engraver, draughtsman, painter, illustrator and hunter. Known as Karl Bodmer in literature and paintings, as a Swiss and French c ...
and George Catlin.


Names

The Europeans and Americans adopted names that other tribes used for the Assiniboine; they did not until later learn the tribe's
autonym Autonym may refer to: * Autonym, the name used by a person to refer to themselves or their language; see Exonym and endonym * Autonym (botany), an automatically created infrageneric or infraspecific name See also * Nominotypical subspecies, in zo ...
, their name for themselves. In Siouan, they traditionally called themselves the . With the widespread adoption of English, however, many now use the name that became common in English. The English adopted ''Assiniboine,'' used by the Canadian French colonists. It was a
transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus ''trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or L ...
into French phonetics of what they heard the Ojibwe use as a term for these western people. The
Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
name is (stone Sioux). In Cree they are called ( ''noun animate singular'', ''noun animate plural''). In the same way, ''Assnipwan'' comes from the word in the western Cree dialects, from ''noun animate'' 'rock, stone' and ''noun animate'' 'enemy, Sioux'. Early French-speaking traders in the west were often familiar with
Algonquian languages The Algonquian languages ( or ; also Algonkian) are a subfamily of indigenous American languages that include most languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically simi ...
. They transliterated many Cree or Ojibwe exonyms for other western Canadian indigenous peoples during the early colonial era. English speakers referred to the Assiniboine by adopting terms from French spelled using English phonetics. The word ''Assiniboine'' has its origin as follows: They are an offspring of the Sioux. In the war of 1812 a number of these Sioux fought against a number of Chippewas, and took a good many of the latter prisoners. They tied these prisoners to a stake upon a large rock and burned them to death. Since that time they have been called Assini Boines, which, in the Chippewa language, means burnt rock. Other tribes associated "stone" with the Assiniboine because they primarily cooked with heated stones. They dropped hot stones into water to heat it to boiling for cooking meat. Some writers believed that the name was derived from the Ojibway term , stone, and the French , to boil, but such an etymology is very unlikely.


Language

Assiniboine The Assiniboine or Assiniboin people ( when singular, Assiniboines / Assiniboins when plural; Ojibwe: ''Asiniibwaan'', "stone Sioux"; also in plural Assiniboine or Assiniboin), also known as the Hohe and known by the endonym Nakota (or Nakod ...
is a Mississippi Valley Siouan language, in the Western Siouan language family. In the early 21st century, about 150 people speak the language and most are more than 40 years old. The majority of the Assiniboine today speak only
American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States and in most circumstances i ...
. The 2000 census showed 3,946 tribal members who lived in the United States. Assiniboine are closely linked by language to the Stoney First Nations people of
Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
. The latter two tribes speak varieties of Nakota, a distant, but not mutually intelligible, variant of the Sioux language.


History


Early history

The Assiniboine, along with the Stoney of Alberta, share a common ancestry with the Sioux nation. While it was formerly believed that the Assiniboine originated among the Yanktonai division of the Dakota Sioux, linguistic analysis indicates that the Assiniboine and Stoney together form a group coordinate with that of the Santee, Lakota, and Yankon-Yanktonai, and that they are no more related to one of these subdivisions than another. The separation of the Assiniboine from the Sioux must have occurred at some time prior to 1640, as Paul Le Jeune names them along with the "Naduessi" (Sioux) in his Jesuit Relations of that year. The Assiniboine and Sioux were both gradually pushed westward onto the plains from the woodlands of Minnesota by the
Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
, who had acquired firearms from their French allies. Later, the Assiniboine acquired horses via raiding and trading with neighboring tribes of Plains Indians such as the Crow and the Sioux on their south. The Assiniboine eventually developed into a large and powerful people with a horse and warrior culture; they used the horse to hunt the vast numbers of bison that lived within and outside their territory. At the height of their power, the Assiniboine dominated territory ranging from the
North Saskatchewan River The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows event ...
in the north to the Missouri River in the south, and including portions of modern-day Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba, Canada; and North Dakota and Montana, United States of America.


Contact with Europeans and fur trade

The first person of European descent to describe the Assiniboine was an employee of the
Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...
named Henry Kelsey in the 1690s. Later explorers and traders Jean Baptiste de La Vérendrye and his sons (1730s),
Anthony Henday Anthony Henday (fl. 1750–1762) was one of the first Europeans to explore the interior of what would eventually become western Canada. He ventured farther westward than any white man had before him. As an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company ...
(1754–55), and
Alexander Henry the younger Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
(1800s) confirmed that the Assiniboine held a vast territory across the northern plains, including into the United States (which achieved independence in 1776 but did not acquire the plains until 1803 in the Louisiana Purchase from France.) The Assiniboine became reliable and important trading partners and middlemen for fur traders and other Indians, particularly the British
Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...
and North West Company, operating in western Canada in a vast area known then as
Rupert's Land Rupert's Land (french: Terre de Rupert), or Prince Rupert's Land (french: Terre du Prince Rupert, link=no), was a territory in British North America which comprised the Hudson Bay drainage basin; this was further extended from Rupert's Land t ...
. During the later 18th century and early 19th century, south of the border in what became Montana and the Dakota territories, the Assiniboine traded with the American Fur Company and the competing Rocky Mountain Fur Company. The Assiniboine obtained guns, ammunition, metal tomahawks, metal pots, wool blankets, wool coats, wool leggings, and glass beads, as well as other goods from the fur traders in exchange for furs. Beaver furs and bison hides were the most commonly traded furs. Increased contact with Europeans resulted in Native Americans contracting Eurasian infectious diseases that were endemic among the Europeans. They suffered epidemics with high mortality, most notably
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
among the Assiniboine. The Assiniboine population crashed from around 10,000 people in the late 18th century to around 2600 by 1890. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was mounted by the United States in 1804–1806 to explore the
Louisiana Territory The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805, until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed the Missouri Territory. The territory was formed out of the ...
, newly acquired from France. The expedition's journals mention the Assiniboine, whom the party heard about while returning from
Fort Clatsop Fort Clatsop was the encampment of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the Oregon Country near the mouth of the Columbia River during the winter of 1805–1806. Located along the Lewis and Clark River at the north end of the Clatsop Plains approxi ...
down the Missouri River. These explorers did not encounter or come in direct contact with the tribe. Noted European and American painters traveled with traders, explorers, and expeditions for the opportunity to paint the West and its Native American peoples. Among those who encountered and painted the Assiniboine from life were painters
Karl Bodmer Johann Carl Bodmer (11 February 1809 – 30 October 1893) was a Swiss-French printmaker, etcher, lithographer, zinc engraver, draughtsman, painter, illustrator and hunter. Known as Karl Bodmer in literature and paintings, as a Swiss and French c ...
,
Paul Kane Paul Kane (September 3, 1810 – February 20, 1871) was an Irish-born Canadian painter, famous for his paintings of First Nations peoples in the Canadian West and other Native Americans in the Columbia District. A largely self-educated artis ...
, and George Catlin. The Assiniboine signed the
Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851) The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 was signed on September 17, 1851 between United States treaty commissioners and representatives of the Cheyenne, Sioux, Arapaho, Crow, Assiniboine, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nations. Also known as Horse Cree ...
. In 1885, some Assiniboine scouts aided the Canadian North West Field Force track down Cree renegades who were participating in the Second Riel Rebellion of Métis.


Interactions with other tribes

In 1857, a group of Sioux warriors, including Sitting Bull, attacked an Assiniboine camp, they had killed all except an 11-year-old boy who was still fighting against the raiders with his child-sized bow. Some Sioux warriors threatened to kill him, but before they could, he turned to Sitting Bull and wrapped his arms around his waist and said "please brother don't kill me!" Sitting Bull stopped his warriors and said, "This boy is too brave to die! I take him as my brother." While living with the Lakota they gave him the name Little Assiniboine and later changed it to Stays Back, because of his unwillingness to return to the Assiniboine. Sitting Bull later changed it to Jumping Bull after his father, who had been dealing with a toothache throughout the day when a war party of Crows attacked them, jumped on his horse chasing after the raiders and was killed by a Crow Chief. Sitting Bull was not in camp and upon his return learned of his fathers fate. In his anger he went after the Crows and killed their Chief, when he returned he pointed at Stays Back and said "from now on your name is Jumping Bull!" Jumping Bull stayed loyal to Sitting Bull and later died alongside him at Standing Rock in 1890 while attempting to defend him.


Iron Confederacy

The Assiniboine were a major part of an alliance of northern Plains Indian nations known as the Iron Confederacy, or , as it is known in Plains Cree, beginning prior to 1692 until the late nineteenth century. The Iron Confederacy were allies in the fur trade, particularly with the Hudson's Bay Company. The Assiniboine and the Cree () being important intermediaries in the Great Plains trading networks. Members included the Assiniboine, Stoney ( or ), the
Plains In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands. In ...
and
Woodland Cree The ''Saāwithiniwak'' or Woodland Cree, are a Cree people, calling themselves Nîhithaw in their own dialect of the language. They are the largest indigenous group in northern Alberta and are an Algonquian people. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
, Saulteaux (called ), as well as Métis (), and individual
Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...
people who traveled west as employees for the fur traders. Loosely associated for military shelter against the Blackfoot and to ensure safe access to the prairies for the bison hunt were Plateau tribes such as Bitterroot Salish (Flathead) (),
Kutenai The Kutenai ( ), also known as the Ktunaxa ( ; ), Ksanka ( ), Kootenay (in Canada) and Kootenai (in the United States), are an indigenous people of Canada and the United States. Kutenai bands live in southeastern British Columbia, northern ...
,
Sekani Sekani or Tse’khene are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group in the Northern Interior of British Columbia. Their territory includes the Finlay and Parsnip River drainages of the Rocky Mountain Trench. The ne ...
, Secwepemc, and
Nez Perce The Nez Percé (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning "we, the people") are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who are presumed to have lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest region for at least 11,500 years.Ames, K ...
(). Other Indian peoples on the northern plains, such as the Gros Ventre (), were occasionally part of the confederacy. The confederacy became the dominant force on the northern plains. It posed a major threat to Indian nations not associated with it, such as the Shoshone () and
Crow A crow is a bird of the genus '' Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifica ...
( or = "enemies") further south. Their most mighty and most dangerous enemy, however, were their former trading partner the
Blackfoot Confederacy The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...
( = Blackfeet or = "enemies"). The kindred Sioux peoples () and their allies, the
Arapaho The Arapaho (; french: Arapahos, ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho ba ...
() and Cheyenne (), were also enemies. The Iron Confederacy also attacked European-American settlements on the Plains. The eventual decline of the fur trade and overhunting of the bison herds by Canadian and American hunters, which destroyed the Confederacy nations' most important food source, led to the defeat and breaking up of the confederacy. It engaged in military action with Canada during the North-West Rebellion.


Traditional lifestyle

Traditionally the Assiniboine were semi-
nomad A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the po ...
ic people. During the warmer months, they followed and hunted the herds of
plains bison The Plains bison (''Bison bison bison'') is one of two subspecies/ecotypes of the American bison, the other being the wood bison (''B. b. athabascae''). A natural population of Plains bison survives in Yellowstone National Park (the Yellowstone ...
. Women, as life-givers, have had primary responsibility for the survival and welfare of the families (and future of the tribe). Women usually gathered and cultivated plants, used plants and herbs to treat illnesses, cared for the young and the elderly, made all the clothing and instruments, and processed and cured meat and skins from the game. The women processed and preserved the meat for winter, and used hides, tendons, and horns for clothing, bedding, tools, cord and other items. Every part of the animal was used by the people. The men hunted, traded and made war on horseback using bow and arrows. The tribe is known for its excellent horsemanship. They first obtained horses by trading with the Blackfeet and the Gros Ventre tribes. Assiniboine, Stoney (as well as Lakota and Dakota) girls were encouraged to learn to ride, hunt and fight. Though fighting in war has mostly been left to the boys and men, occasionally women have fought as well – both in battles and in defense of the home – especially if the tribe was severely threatened. They worked with the
Mandan The Mandan are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains who have lived for centuries primarily in what is now North Dakota. They are enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. About half of the Mandan still re ...
, Hidatsa, and
Arikara Arikara (), also known as Sahnish,
''Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation.'' (Retrieved Sep 29, 2011)
tribes. The Sun god and Thunder god were considered the most important manifestations of the Great Spirit. The Assiniboine people participated in the sun dance like other Plains Native peoples. They also took guidance from personal visions in vision quests. The ("Assiniboine Nation"), was historically divided into up to 40 separate ( bands), each of which was led by its own (
tribal chief A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribe The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia. Tribal societies are sometimes categorized a ...
) and an advisory
band council In Canada, an Indian band or band (french: bande indienne, link=no), sometimes referred to as a First Nation band (french: bande de la Première Nation, link=no) or simply a First Nation, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subjec ...
- the so-called ("little chiefs"). Other important personalities were the (war chief), who led the warriors in war, and the (
medicine man A medicine man or medicine woman is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Individual cultures have their own names, in their respective languages, for spiritual healers and cerem ...
), who acted both as a religious leader and traditional healer. War deeds, important news, and decisions by the band council were announced by the (camp crier), the (soldier; camp watcher) acted as "police" and were responsible for maintaining order in the camp, on the hunt and at wartime. The individual bands were again divided into several (local groups), which consisted of one or more
extended families An extended family is a family that extends beyond the nuclear family of parents and their children to include aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins or other relatives, all living nearby or in the same household. Particular forms include the stem a ...
. The smallest social unit was the ( nuclear family), which usually lived in one (
tipi A tipi , often called a lodge in English, is a conical tent, historically made of animal hides or pelts, and in more recent generations of canvas, stretched on a framework of wooden poles. The word is Siouan, and in use in Dakhótiyapi, Lakȟó ...
) or two neighboring tipis. As a patrilineal tribe hereditary leadership passes through the male line, and children are considered to belong to the father and his clan.


Mythology

The figure of Iktome from the Assiniboine creation myth is one of the most famous creator-trickster characters of
Native American mythology The indigenous peoples of the Americas comprise numerous different cultures. Each has its own mythologies. Some are quite distinct, but certain themes are shared across the cultural boundaries. Northern America There is no single mythology o ...
. In the myth Ikotme sends some animals searching to find land beneath the depths of the primeval sea. This is an "earth-diver" style of creation myth resembling similar stories of the Anishinabe and
Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
peoples. The only animal who succeeds is the muskrat who floats to the surface dead. Ikotme uses the earth the muskrat was clutching in his dead hands to create land. Unlike other creators, Ikotme is amoral. Ikotme kills a frog who challenges his plans to create an endless winter but eventually yields and shortens the length to seven months. He creates horses and humans out of dirt and teaches the Assinibone how to steal horses. Some of the elements in modern versions of the myth include elements that are later additions such as the presence of horses which were introduced to North America by the Spanish.


Subgroups and bands

* Aegitina ('Camp Moves to the Kill') * Bizebina, Bízebina ('Gophers' or '
Gopher Pocket gophers, commonly referred to simply as gophers, are burrowing rodents of the family Geomyidae. The roughly 41 speciesSearch results for "Geomyidae" on thASM Mammal Diversity Database are all endemic to North and Central America. They are ...
People') * Cepahubi ('Large Organs') * Canhdada, Cantidada, Cąȟtáda ('Moldy People', lived along the
North Saskatchewan River The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows event ...
around
Battleford Battleford ( 2011 population 4,065) is a small town located across the North Saskatchewan River from the City of North Battleford, in Saskatchewan, Canada. Battleford and North Battleford are collectively referred to as "The Battlefords" b ...
(''Ogíciza Wakpá'') and North Battleford – known as "The Battlefords" – as neighbors of the ''Waziyamwincasta Band'', this territory was contested ground and the area between the North Saskatchewan River and Battle River (the name derives from the war fought between the
Iron Confederacy The Iron Confederacy or Iron Confederation (also known as Cree-Assiniboine in English or cr, script=Latn, Nehiyaw-Pwat, label=none in Cree) was a political and military alliance of Plains Indians of what is now Western Canada and the northern Un ...
and the
Blackfoot Confederacy The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...
) was the limit of the warring tribal alliances; political once part of the ''Upstream People'' of Plains Cree – today known as ''Battleford Stoneys'' part of the ''
Mosquito, Grizzly Bear's Head, Lean Man First Nations Mosquito, Grizzly Bear's Head, Lean Man First Nations ( asb, Capų́ga-Matópa-Hústaga oyáde) is the name of an Assiniboine First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is home to a population of about 300. Origin of the Name and the Constitution ...
'') * Canhewincasta, Cą́ȟe wįcášta, Chan He Winchasta ('Wooded-Mountain People' or 'Wood Mountain People' – 'People Who live around Wood Mountain', lived around today's Wood Mountain and in the adjoining Big Muddy Badlands to the southeast in southern Saskatchewan and northern Montana; close allies to the ''Insaombi (Cypress Hills Assiniboine) band'', in which territory they had their winter camps. They were once politically part of the "Downstream People" of Plains Cree and close allies of the Cree-Assiniboine / Young Dogs; today they are part of the '' Carry the Kettle Nakoda First Nation.'' The bands of chief Manitupotis (also known as ''Wankanto'' – Little Soldier) and Hunkajuka (''Hum-ja-jin-sin, Inihan Kinyen'' – Little Chief), together about 300 people with about 50 warriors, on June 1, 1873, were victims of the Cypress Hills massacre. An estimated 25 to 30 Assiniboine were killed by American Wolfers to take revenge for horse-stealing Cree in Montana. This massacre led to the development of the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP), later known as the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...
(RCMP). * Canknuhabi ('Ones That Carry Their Wood'), Cątų́wąbi ('Forest Villagers, Wood Villagers') * Cantonga, Chan Tonga Nakoda, also Swampy Ground Assiniboine, Grand River Assiniboine (called by their Cree allies ''Saka Pwat-sak'' (Assiniboines of the woods), traded together with the allied and kin ''Beaver Hills Cree'' beim HBC-Handelsposten Fort Edmonton (former: ''Edmonton House'' or ''Fort-des-Prairies'') at the North Saskatchewan River in Central Alberta, and after displacing the rival and enemy Sarcee they took over together with their Cree allies the buffalo hunting grounds around Beaverhill Lake (Cree: ''amisk-wa-chi-sakhahigan''; Assiniboine: ''Chaba Imne'', both: "Beaver Lake") and in the Beaver Hills (Cree: ''Amiskwaciy'', Assiniboine: ''Chaba He(i)'', both: "Beaver Hills"), they developed since mid 18th century a separate identity as Wood Stoney-Nakoda; They were once politically as Nakoda part of the ''Beaver Hills Cree'' of the "Upstream People" of Plains Cree and close allies of the Cree-Assiniboine / Young Dogs; today part of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation and Paul First Nation. * Hudesabina, Húdešana, Hudesanak ('Red Bottom' or 'Red Root', split off from the ''Wadopabina Band'' in 1844, lived between the Porcupine Creek and Milk River (Asą́bi wakpá, Wakpá jukʾána) area in northern Montana and southern Alberta, Canada. Today they are an Assiniboine / Nakoda band of the federally recognized Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes. * Hebina, Ye Xa Yabine ('Rock Mountain People', often called Strong Wood Assiniboine or Thickwood Assiniboine, separated from the main body of the Assiniboine in the mid-18th century and moved further west and northwest deep into the forests and
Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...
(In-yan-he-Tonga, į́yąȟetąga – ′great mountains′) to escape smallpox. Because they stayed isolated, they developed a separate identity as Mountain Stoney-Nakoda. Today they are part of the Stoney ''Nakoda First Nation'' (Wesley First Nation, Chiniki First Nation, Bearspaw First Nation); some also reside together with other Assiniboine / Nakoda bands in the federally recognized Fort Belknap Indian Community. Some are part of the ''Aseniwuche Winewak Nation'' from Canada, which is not recognized by the government as a band. * Hen atonwaabina ('Little Rock Mountain People', lived in the Little Rocky Mountains (or Little Rockies, į́yąȟe widána, į́yąȟewida; today: į́yąȟejusina) and the adjoining Plains in the Northeast of Montana; once political part of the ''Downstream People'' of Plains Cree and close allies of the ''Cree-Assiniboine / Young Dogs'' – today part of the '' Fort Belknap Indian Community'') * Huhumasmibi, Huhumasmlbi ('Bone Cleaners') * Huhuganebabi ('Bone Chippers') * Indogahwincasta ('East People') * Inninaonbi, Ini'na u'mbi ('Quiet People') * Insaombi, įšná ųbísʾa, Icna'umbisa ('The Ones Who Stay Alone', lived in Cypress Hills and adjoining Plains in southern Saskatchewan, Canada; they were also known as the Cypress Hills Assiniboine. They were close allies of the ''Canhewincasta'' band, which often wintered in the Cypress Hills. Today they are part of Carry the Kettle Nakoda First Nation. * Inyantonwanbina, Iyethkabi, Îyârhe Nakodabi, auch Mountain Village Band ('Stone / Rock People', 'Mountain People.' At the end of the 18th century they had retreated deep into the Rocky Mountains (''In-yan-he-Tonga, į́yąȟetąga'' – ′great mountains′) and developed a separate identity as Nakoda (Stoney) (į́yąȟe wįcášta). Today they are one Assiniboine / Nakoda band of the federally recognized Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes. * Minisose Swnkeebi, Miníšoše Sunkcebi ('Missouri River Dog Band', lived between the Milk River and the Poplar River toward the Missouri River (Miníšoše) in the border region of Montana, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Today they are one Assiniboine / Nakoda band of the federally recognized Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes. * Minisatonwanbi, Miníšatonwanbi ('Red Water People'), lived along the
Red River of the North The Red River (french: rivière Rouge or ) is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota, it fl ...
in the vicinity of today's
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...
toward the south banks of Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba in southern Manitoba * Osnibi, Osníbina ('People of the Cold', one band of ''Woodland Assiniboine'' from the North, where the weather is cold. * Ptegabina, Psamnéwi, PwSymAWock ('Swamp People') * Sahiyaiyeskabi, šahíya iyéskabina (' Plains Cree-Speakers', also known as Cree-Assiniboine / Young Dogs, built up from a number of bands of Plains Cree and Assiniboine. They were later joined by Plains Ojibwe (Salteaux). They had in common living and traveling in ethnically mixed bands and camps; they had switched to speaking Plains Cree instead of their former mother tongue. They were politically part of the ''Cree-Assiniboine / Young Dogs'', part of the ''Downstream People'' of Plains Cree. Today they are part of ''Little Black Bear First Nation'', ''Piapot First Nation'' in Canada, and of the federally recognized Landless Cree of the Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes and Landless Cree and Rocky Boy Cree of the Fort Belknap Indian Community in the United States. They identify today as Cree. * Sihabi, Sihábi ('Foot People', also known as Foot Assiniboine, developed a separate identity as Wood Stoney-Nakoda – some as Mountain Stoney-Nakoda; as Wood Stoney-Nakoda once political part of the ''Beaver Hills Cree'' of the ''Upstream People'' of Plains Cree. Today they are known as the '' Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation'' and ''
Paul First Nation The Paul First Nation, more commonly known as the Paul Band, is a First Nations band government based in Wabamun, Alberta of mixed Cree and Nakoda (Stoney) origin. They are party to Treaty Six and had the Buck Lake Indian Reserve 133C and Wab ...
.'' As Mountain Stoney-Nakoda, they were part of the ''Rocky / Mountain Cree'' of Plains Cree. Today this is Wesley First Nation under
Stoney Nakoda First Nation Stoney Nakoda First Nation ( sto, Îyârhe Nakoda) is a Nakoda First Nations band government Alberta, Canada. It is located West of Calgary, in the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Stoney Nakoda First Nation comprises three Nakoda Tribes: * Bearspa ...
. * Snugabi ('Contrary People') * Sunkcebi, šųkcébina ('Dog Band', 'Dog Penis Band'; Cree-name: ''Atimotakayuk'' - 'Dog Penis Assiniboine', so called because of their ardor for women; once political part of the ''Calling River / Qu'Appelle Cree'' of Plains Cree. Today they are part of ''White Bear First Nation''; some are part of '' Carry the Kettle Nakoda First Nation'') * Tanidabi, Tanį́debina, Tanin'tabin ('Buffalo Hip') * Tokanbi, Toką́kna, Tokaribi ('Strangers') * Tanzinapebina, Taminapebina ('Owners of Sharp Knives') * Unskaha ('Roamers') * Wadopabina, Wadópana (Canoe'' Paddlers'), the Cree called them ''Pimiskau Wi Iniwak'' – 'paddling Assiniboines', therefore in English often called Canoe Assiniboine, Paddling Assiniboine. Today one Assiniboine / Nakoda band of the '' Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes'') * Wadopahnatonwan, Wadópaȟna Tųwą, Wado Pahanda Tonwan (Canoe'' Paddlers Who Live on the Prairie', split from the ''Wadopabina band'' to roam the plains, the European traders called them Watopachnato – Big Devils, because they were known as cunning traders and great warriors and horse thieves; later also known as Gauche's Band after an important and great chief ' ("Left Hand", "He who holds the knife") who went by the whites by the same name Gauche; today one Assiniboine / Nakoda band of the '' Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes'' and '' Fort Belknap Indian Community'') * Waką́hežabina, in English often called Little Girls Band and by the French as Gens des Feuilles; today one Assiniboine / Nakoda band of the '' Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes'') * Wasinazinyabi, Waci'azi hyabin ('Fat Smokers') * Waziyamwincasta, Wazíyam Wįcášta, Waziya Winchasta, Wiyóhąbąm Nakóda ('People of the North'; once political part of the ''Parklands Cree'' of the ''Upstream People'' of Plains Cree – today living on Indian reserve Mosquito#109 and known as ''Battleford Stoneys'' they are part of the ''
Mosquito, Grizzly Bear's Head, Lean Man First Nations Mosquito, Grizzly Bear's Head, Lean Man First Nations ( asb, Capų́ga-Matópa-Hústaga oyáde) is the name of an Assiniboine First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is home to a population of about 300. Origin of the Name and the Constitution ...
'', some of them moved about 1839 into the United States and are today part of Nakoda / Assiniboine bands of the '' Fort Belknap Indian Community'') * Wiciyabina, Wichiyabina ('Ones That Go to the Dance', therefore often called for short Wįcį́jana – Girl Band; political once part of the ''Calling River / Qu'Appelle Cree'' of the ''Downstream People'' of Plains Cree – today one Assiniboine / Nakoda band of the '' Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes'') * Wokpanbi, Wókpąnbi ('Meat Bag')


Present situation

Today, a substantial number of Assiniboine people live jointly with other tribes, such as the Plains Cree, Saulteaux, Sioux and Gros Ventre, in several reservations in Canada and the United States. In Manitoba, the Assiniboine survive as individuals, holding no separate communal reserves.


Montana, United States

* Fort Peck (about 11,786 ''Hudesabina'', ''Wadopabina'', ''Wadopahnatonwan'', ''Sahiyaiyeskabi'', ''Inyantonwanbina'' and ''Fat Horse Band'' of the Assiniboine, ''Sisseton'', ''Wahpeton'', ''Yanktonai'' and ''Hunkpapa'' of the Sioux live together on the
Fort Peck Indian Reservation The Fort Peck Indian Reservation ( asb, húdam wįcášta, dak, Waxchį́ca oyáte) is located near Fort Peck, Montana, in the northeast part of the state. It is the home of several federally recognized bands of Assiniboine, Nakota, Lakota, ...
near Fort Peck in NE Montana north of the Missouri River, ca. 8,518 km2, Tribal Headquarters are located in Poplar, largest community on the reservation is the city of Wolf Point) * Fort Belknap (of about 5,426 enrolled Assiniboine and Gros Ventre). The majority of the people live on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation; some 505 live elsewhere. It is in north central Montana, and largest city is Fort Belknap Agency, ca. 2,626 km2) In March 2012, these two reservations has received 63
American bison The American bison (''Bison bison'') is a species of bison native to North America. Sometimes colloquially referred to as American buffalo or simply Bubalina, buffalo (a different clade of bovine), it is one of two extant species of bison, alongs ...
from
Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowst ...
, to be released to a 2,100-acre game preserve 25 miles north of Poplar. There are many other bison herds outside Yellowstone; this is one of the few genetically pure ones in which the animals were not cross-bred with cattle. Native Americans celebrated this action for restoration of the bison. It came more than a century after the bison were nearly destroyed by overhunting by European Americans and government action to destroy the food source of the powerful Plains Indians. The Assiniboine and Gros Ventre tribes at the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation will also receive a portion of this herd.


Saskatchewan, Canada

* Carry the Kettle Nakoda First Nation ( asb, Céǧa kʾína oyáde)(the reserve Carry the Kettle Nakoda First Nation No. 76, also known as: 'Assiniboine #76', or Carry the Kettle #76-18,19,22, in SE Saskatchewan, 80 km east of Regina and 18 km south of Sintaluta, of 2,387 registered Assiniboine only about 850 live on the reserve) *
Mosquito, Grizzly Bear's Head, Lean Man First Nations Mosquito, Grizzly Bear's Head, Lean Man First Nations ( asb, Capų́ga-Matópa-Hústaga oyáde) is the name of an Assiniboine First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is home to a population of about 300. Origin of the Name and the Constitution ...
( asb, Capų́ga-Matópa-Hústaga oyáde)Collette, Vincent. “Nakoda Vocabulary and Phrases.” Academia.edu, November 14, 2017
Link
(also known as ''Battleford Stoneys'') (includes the following reserves: Mosquito #109, Cold Eagle, Grizzly Bear's Head #110 & Lean Man #111, Mosquito Grizzly Bear's Head Lean Man Tle #1, Tribal Headquarters and Administration are 27 km south of
Battleford Battleford ( 2011 population 4,065) is a small town located across the North Saskatchewan River from the City of North Battleford, in Saskatchewan, Canada. Battleford and North Battleford are collectively referred to as "The Battlefords" b ...
, ca. 127 km2, in 2003 there were about 1,119 registered Assiniboine) * White Bear First Nation ( asb, Matóska oyáde)(reserves: White Bear #70 and Treaty Four Reserve Grounds #77 are located in SE corner of the Moose Mountain area of Saskatchewan, Tribal Headquarters are located 13 km north of Carlyle, ca. 172 km2, about 1,990 Assiniboine, Saulteaux (Anishinaabe), Cree and Dakota) * Ocean Man First Nation (reserves: Ocean Man #69, 69A-I, Treaty Four Reserve Grounds #77, Tribal Headquarters are located 19 km north of Stoughton, ca. 41 km2, of 454 registered Assiniboine, Cree and Saulteaux (Anishinaabe) only 170 are living on reserve grounds) * Pheasant Rump Nakota First Nation ( asb, Šiyónidè oyáde)(reserve: Treaty Four Reserve Grounds #77, Tribal Headquarters are located in
Kisbey Kisbey ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Brock No. 64 and Census Division No. 1. The village took its name from Richard Claude Kisbey (d. 1941), an Irish immigrant who se ...
, about 333 Assiniboine, Saulteaux (Anishinaabe) and Cree)


Namesakes

Canada Steamship Lines named one of their new ships the ''CSL Assiniboine''. was the name given to two ships of the Royal Canadian Navy. The first was a destroyer that saw service during the Second World War, and the second was a destroyer during the Cold War era. "Fort Assiniboine" was a name given to trading posts opened in 1793 in Manitoba and in 1824 in Alberta. The Assiniboine River drains much of Saskatchewan and Manitoba into the
Red River of the North The Red River (french: rivière Rouge or ) is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota, it fl ...
, which, in turn, flows into the Hudson Bay via Lake Winnipeg and the
Nelson River The Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The river drains Lake Winnipeg and runs before it ends in Hudson Bay. Its full length (including the Saskatchewan River and Bow River) is , i ...
.
Assiniboia Assiniboia District refers to two historical districts of Canada's Northwest Territories. The name is taken from the Assiniboine First Nation. Historical usage ''For more information on the history of the provisional districts, see also Distri ...
refers to two historical districts of Canada's North-West Territories. The name is taken from the Assiniboine First Nation.


Gallery

File:Two Young Warriors, Assiniboine.jpg, Two young Assiniboine boys File:A skin lodige of the Assiniboin chief 0016v.jpg, A skin lodge of an Assiniboine chief File:Tombs of Assiniboin indians on trees 0063v.jpg, Tomb platforms of Assiniboine in trees File:Assinniboine.jpg, Assiniboine in Montana, 1890–1891 File:Full Moon, Assiniboine.jpg, Full Moon/Sophie Hamilton, an Assiniboine Woman, 1898 File:Baby carrier, Lakota or Nakoda (Assiniboine), c. 1885 - Royal Ontario Museum - DSC00283.JPG, Assiniboine baby carrier File:Cloud Man, Assinaboine.jpg, An Assiniboine man named Cloud Man File:Black Eagle - Assiniboine.jpg, Black Eagle, Assiniboine man, 1908 photo by Edward Sheriff Curtis File:Mounted Assiniboine warrior attacking a Blackfoot.jpg, Mounted Assiniboine warrior attacking a Blackfoot. Made by an Assiniboine File:Victory dance of the Assiniboine.jpg, Victory dance of the Assiniboine. Made by an Assiniboine at Fort Union


Assiniboine people

* Hank Adams (1943–2020), indigenous rights activist * Dolly Akers, Montana legislator * Crazy Bear ( Mah-To-Wit-Ko), (1785–1856), chief and negotiator * Juanita Growing Thunder Fogarty (b. 1969), bead artist, quillworker, and regalia maker * Roxy Gordon (1945–2000), poet, novelist, musician and activist *
Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
, Nakota blues band *
Georgia Wettlin Larsen Georgia Wettlin Larsen is a Nakota singer who has released several discs featuring Native American songs. Perhaps her most famous performance was when her song "Ojibway Square Dance" was featured during the fourth-season episode "Learning Curve" of ...
, singer * Wi-jún-jon (1796–1872), chief * William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. (1950–2021), playwright, author, poet * Jamie Fox, Métis fiddle * David Midthunder, TV & film actor, enrolled tribal member at the Fort Peck Sioux and Assiniboine Indian Reservation in Montana.IMDB
/ref>


See also

*
Fort Peck Indian Reservation The Fort Peck Indian Reservation ( asb, húdam wįcášta, dak, Waxchį́ca oyáte) is located near Fort Peck, Montana, in the northeast part of the state. It is the home of several federally recognized bands of Assiniboine, Nakota, Lakota, ...
* Fort Belknap Indian Reservation * Wi-jún-jon * Crazy Bear


References


Further reading

* Denig, Edwin Thompson, and J. N. B. Hewitt. ''The Assiniboine''. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000. * Fort Belknap Curriculum Development Project. ''Assiniboine Memories Legends of the Nakota People''. Harlem, Mont: Fort Belknap Education Dept, 1983. *
How the Summer Season Came And Other Assiniboine Indian Stories
'. Helena, Mont: Montana Historical Society Press, with the Fort Peck and Fort Belknap Tribes, 2003. * Kennedy, Dan, and James R. Stevens. ''Recollections of an Assiniboine Chief''. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1972. * Nighttraveller, Will, and Gerald Desnomie. ''Assiniboine Legends'', Saskatoon: Saskatchewan Indian Cultural College, 1973. * Nighttraveller, Will, and Gerald Desnomie. ''Assiniboine Legends'', Saskatoon: Saskatchewan Indian Cultural College, 1973. * * Writers' Program (Mont.), James Larpenteur Long, and Michael Stephen Kennedy. ''The Assiniboines From the Accounts of the Old Ones Told to First Boy (James Larpenter Long)'', ''The Civilization of the American Indian'' series. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1961.


External links



Minnesota State University, Mankato emuseum
Assiniboine Community CollegeFort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux History
University of Montana {{authority control Plains tribes Siouan peoples First Nations in Alberta First Nations in Saskatchewan Native American tribes in Montana Native American history of Minnesota Native American history of Montana Native American history of North Dakota Algonquian ethnonyms Native American tribes in North Dakota First Nations in Manitoba