Kainai Nation
Encyclopedia
The Kainai Nation is a First Nation
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...

 in southern Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 with a population of 7,437 members in 2005, and had a population of 9,035 members as of 9 February 2008. They are part of the Niitsítapi (Blackfoot Confederacy of the Original People).

Akáínaa translates directly to "Many Chief" (from aká - "many" and nínaa - "chief") while Káína translates directly to "Many Chief people." The enemy Plains Cree called the Kainai Miko-Ew - "stained with blood", i.e. "the bloodthirsty, cruel", therefore, the common English name for the tribe is the "Blood tribe."

At the time treaties such as Treaty 7
Treaty 7
Treaty 7 was an agreement between Queen Victoria and several mainly Blackfoot First Nations tribes in what is today the southern portion of Alberta. It was concluded on September 22, 1877. The agreement was signed at the Blackfoot Crossing of the Bow River, at the present-day Siksika Nation...

 were signed, the Kainai were situated on the Oldman
Oldman River
The Oldman River is a river in southern Alberta, Canada. It flows roughly west to east from the Rocky Mountains, through the communities of Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, Taber, and on to Grassy Lake, where it joins with the Bow River to form the South Saskatchewan River, which eventually drains into...

, Belly
Belly River
Belly River is a river in northwest Montana, United States and southern Alberta, Canada. It is a tributary of the Oldman River, itself a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River....

, and St. Mary rivers west of Lethbridge
Lethbridge
Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, and the third-largest by area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's...

, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

. The Kainai reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...

 Blood 148 is currently the largest in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 with 3,852 inhabitants on 1,414.03 km² and is located approximately 200 kilometres south of Calgary.

Government

The Kainai Nation is governed by an elected council of twelve to fifteen, with one chief. The term of office is four years. Historical chiefs of the Kainai are below:
  • Last of the Hereditary Chiefs Traditional Chief Jim Shot Both Sides (1956–1980)
  • Chief Roy Fox (1980–1996)
  • Chief Chris Shade (1996–2004)
  • Chief Charles Weasel Head (2004–present)


Blood Tribe Elections 2008
Chief Results
Name Votes
  1. Weasel Head, Charlie Jr. 934
  2. Good Striker, Wilton Omer M. 627
  3. Gladstone, James Lionel F. (Jim) 339
  4. Shade, Christopher (Chris) 259
  5. First Rider, Rodney Edward (Rod) 170
  6. Day Chief, Sheldon 168
  7. Day Chief, Dolores 149


Blood Tribe Elections 2008
Councilor Results
Name Vote
  1. Gladstone, James Lionel F. (Jim) 527
  2. Weasel Head, Norbert (Marcel) 476
  3. Bruised Head, Dexter Daniel 418
  4. White Quills, Franklyn 408
  5. Many Fingers, Kirby Dean 402
  6. Day Chief, Sheldon 400
  7. Thunder Chief, Ronnie Vern 390
  8. Bull Calf, Andrew 382
  9. Curly Rider, Joshua Edward 365
  10. First Rider, Rodney Edward (Rod) 347
  11. Day Chief, Dolores 333
  12. Tail Feathers, Ira 322
  13. First Rider, Dorothy Theresa 313
  14. Cross Child, Tanya Fern (Pace) 309
  15. Little Bear, Nolan Ryan 309
  16. Cross Child, Calvin Floyd 305
  17. Eagle Speaker, Myron 305
  18. Black Plume, Frankie 303
  19. Fox, Arnold 298
  20. Shouting, Oliver 261

Notable people

  • Byron Chief-Moon
    Byron Chief-Moon
    Byron Chief-Moon is an American actor, choreographer, dancer, playwright, and founder of the Coyote Arts Percussive Performance Association, a dance theatre company....

     - performer and choreographer
  • Eugene Creighton (Owns Many Horses)
  • Faye HeavyShield
    Faye HeavyShield
    Faye HeavyShield is a Kainai-Blood sculptor and installation artist. She is known for her repetitive use of objects and writing to create large scale, often minimalist, site-specific installations.Background=...

     - artist
  • Jerry Potts
    Jerry Potts
    Jerry Potts , , was a Canadian American plainsman, buffalo hunter, horse trader, interpreter, and scout.-Early life:...

  • Hate Woman
    Hate Woman
    Hate Woman was a Kainai woman. When she married Weasel Tail, she loved him so much that she refused to let him go into battle without her, so that they would never die apart. She went on five raids armed with a six-shooter. On one raid, she stole a saddle, an ammunition bag, and a war club. After...

  • Pete Standing Alone

Media

In 1960, the Kainai and their sacred Sun Dance
Sun Dance
The Sun Dance is a religious ceremony practiced by a number of Native American and First Nations peoples, primarily those of the Plains Nations. Each tribe has its own distinct practices and ceremonial protocols...

 were featured in the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...

 documentary Circle of the Sun
Circle of the Sun
Circle of the Sun is a 1960 short documentary film on Kainai Nation, or Blood Tribe, of Southern Alberta, which captured their Sun Dance ritual on film for the first time. Tribal leaders, who worried the traditional ceremony might be dying out, had permitted filming as a visual record.The film was...

. Tribal leaders had been concerned that the Sun Dance might be dying out, and had permitted filming as a visual record.

On National Aboriginal Day
National Aboriginal Day
National Aboriginal Day is a day recognizing and celebrating the cultures and contributions of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada. The day was first celebrated in 1996, after it was proclaimed that year by then Governor General of Canada Roméo LeBlanc, to be celebrated on June 21...

 in 2011, the NFB released the Pete Standing Alone trilogy, which includes Circle of the Sun, Standing Alone and a 2010 film, Round Up, documenting 50 years of the Kainai Nation as well as the life of elder Pete Standing Alone.

Historical Newspapers

  • Kainai News -- The Kainai News (1968-1991) was one of Canada's first aboriginal newspapers and instrumental in the history of aboriginal journalism in Canada. It was published in southern Alberta by the Blood Indian Tribe and later by Indian News Media. Content focused on a range of local issues within the reserve as well as national issues such as the Indian Act
    Indian Act
    The Indian Act , R.S., 1951, c. I-5, is a Canadian statute that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves...

    , the Whitepaper
    1969 White Paper
    The 1969 White Paper was a Canadian policy document in which then Minister of Indian Affairs, Jean Chrétien, proposed the abolition of the Indian Act, the rejection of land claims, and the assimilation of First Nations people into the Canadian population with the status of other ethnic minorities...

     and Bill C-31. Of particular significance are editorial cartoons by Everett Soop which were a regular feature of the newspaper.

See also

  • Harley Frank
    Harley Frank
    Harley Frank is a member of the Kainai Nation in southern Alberta, Canada.Frank has held a number of notable positions within the Kainai Nation's administration, including being elected Chief, in 1992.-Frank v...

  • The People's Republic of the Kainaiwa Nation
    The People's Republic of the Kainaiwa Nation
    Kainaiwa Nation - Organizational Government, officially The People's Republic of the Kainaiwa Nation , is an Indian reservation in Southern Alberta, Canada.Its capital is Standoff...

    , in Southern Alberta

External links

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