Hub helps Blackfoot connect with their roots

By Lethbridge Herald on May 28, 2025.

Alexandra Noad
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Nisitapi (Blackfoot) people are a social people and traditionally learn stories about their lineage through teachings from the elders and the Blackfoot Hub is working with the Galt Museum and elders to help them reconnect with their heritage and lineage.

With the creation of reserves, residential schools and the Sixties Scoop, many Indigenous people don’t know their ancestry. Joey Blood (Tatsikiistamik), cultural specialist for the Blackfoot Resource Hub, says the organizations mandate is to offer a sense of community and belonging to Indigenous people in Lethbridge and the two-day Family Tree workshop was an extension of that.

“There was a lot of separation and a lot of family members don’t know their lineage, they don’t know the stories behind some of their names, they don’t know the stories behind where they come from.”

Blackfoot people will often have a traditional name, which has been passed down through family members and often has deep historical meaning. Blackfoot language is also very direct so last names even translated into English can have deep meanings and stories behind them.

Elders Harriet Heavy Runner (Saikimainihkaakii) and Leroy Heavy Runner spoke on the importance of understanding the stories behind both the English and traditional Blackfoot names while doing genealogy work and even passing along the knowledge to children.

“It grounds them and its more than just a word they hear, there’s a reason why you got that name.”

The Galt Museum offers services to help those seeking help with genealogy through their archives. Bobbie Fox (Akaiksims’staki), archives assistant for the Galt Museum says the museum hopes to have all of the names, especially Blackfoot names, in their data base, so people can search the data base.

She adds Indigenous people who need assistance with genealogy work at the Galt can access it in person at no cost and if the archives can’t find what you need, they have access to other resources to find information such as past census, church records and military records.

Fox’s dream is to create a Blackfoot genealogy program, which is currently in the works.

“I started working with Joyce Healy, and Rosella Many Bears and we’re going to start creating a genealogy workshop, hopefully we’ll have a date in the fall.”

Blood says it’s nice to see organizations such as the Galt Museum to help with reconciliation by helping those learn their ancestry, but also working with Blackfoot community members while doing so.

“They’re actually going to the community members and that’s always the best way, I find because our people are so smart, our people have a lot of knowledge and sometimes we’re taken for granted and it’s important we always include our community members in this process.”

The Family Tree workshop gave participants knowledge from their elders as well as support from Fox and Twila Smith and archivist from Piikani Nation. Through stories shared some attending the event found out they were relatives with each other, including Blood, who wasn’t surprised but was reminded of the reason behind the workshop.

“It’s not surprising in the sense that I know I have a huge family and that’s also why we want to do this so people can pinpoint (their ancestry), they might not even now they have family and their sitting with family until they actually take the time.”