The Blackfeet Indians

Family systems therapy and theory are based on the premise that a family constitutes a specific system, in which interactions are shaped and formed by beliefs, values and roles that are adopted or assumed by individual members. The Blackfeet of the Great Plains and their culture and history readily lend themselves to analysis from a family systems perspective. Culture continues to play an important role in family dynamics and in family systems therapy. As Schlossberger and Hecker (1998, p. 129) note, "Family therapy as a field has increasingly recognized the importance of families' cultural backgrounds in understanding family systems." This analysis will use family systems theory as a theoretical lens through which to view the culture, history, tribal law, family codes and language of the Blackfeet.

The Blackfeet Tribal Law and Order Code contains "The Family Code of the Blackfeet Tribe," a law that governs family conduct and dynamics among Blackfeet, (Blackfeet, 1999). The law is pursuant to Article VI Section 1(k) of the Constitution for the Blackfeet Tribe, (Blackfeet, 1999). There is a code of ethics that guides the conduct of all members of the Blackfeet Family Court. This code of ethics is designed to protect the peace and safety of Blackfeet living on the reservation, as well as enhancing the environment of one of the Blackfeet's most precious resources, its children. As stated in the family code, "The traditional fa

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n care and welfare for a period of not less than six months before the date in question," (Blackfeet, 1999, p. 4). Such a process shows the difference between legal adult status in mainstream society and among the Blackfeet. Due to cultural traditions and history, independence and self-sufficiency are highly valued among the Blackfeet and are considered significant enough to grant legal adult status on anyone under eighteen who exhibits these qualities for a certain period of time. Both the culture and history of the Blackfeet are rich. This history of the Blackfeet shows the family as the basic social unit. Above this were what were known as bands, groups of 20-30 people who were nomadic in nature and often interacted socially with other tribes, led by a Blackfeet Chief, (History, 2005, p. 1). The Blackfeet subsisted on Buffalo hunting but once they acquired horses and guns they also made a living trading beaver pelts and buffalo hides to fur traders. By the 1800s, the Blackfeet were warring with most groups on the prairies, but their horsemanship and marksmanship made them the dominant tribe in Montana. By the 1860s, the lands and groups that existed as semi-independent tribes took more solid shape, in part due to the s

Category: History - T