The Blackfoot Confederacy, also known as Niitsitapi or Siksikaitsitapi (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ), meaning "the people" or "Blackfoot-speaking real people," is a historic collective term for the groups that make up the Blackfoot or Blackfeet people. This includes the Siksika ("Blackfoot"), the Kainai or Blood ("Many Chiefs"), and two sections of the Peigan or Piikani ("Splotchy Robe"): the Northern Piikani (Aapátohsipikáni) and the Southern Piikani (Amskapi Piikani or Pikuni). Broader definitions may also include groups like the Tsúùtínà (Sarcee) and A'aninin (Gros Ventre), who spoke different languages but allied with or joined the Blackfoot Confederacy. Historically, the Blackfoot Confederacy members were nomadic bison hunters and trout fishermen, traveling across the northern Great Plains of western North America, specifically the semi-arid shortgrass prairie. They followed bison herds as they migrated between what are now the United States and Canada, reaching as far north as the Bow River. In the early 18th century, the acquisition of horses and firearms from European traders and their Cree and Assiniboine intermediaries enabled the Blackfoot to expand their territory at the expense of neighboring tribes. Today, the Blackfoot people are represented by three First Nation band governments in Alberta, Canada: the Siksika, Kainai, and Piikani Nations. The Blackfeet Nation, which represents the Southern Piikani, is a federally recognized Native American tribe in Montana, USA. Additionally, the Gros Ventre are part of the federally recognized Fort Belknap Indian Community on the Fort Belknap Reservation in Montana, and the Tsuutʼina Nation is a First Nation band government in Alberta, Canada.

Blackfoot Confederacy - Wikipedia