What's Your Nation?

It's funny how neighbours can know so little about each other. While one of the first things Native people find out about each other is their nation, or tribe, non-natives are sometimes quite unaware of First Nations, of our communities and tribal identities. Even our close neighbours sometimes just know us as "Natives", without realizing the many different cultures that exist within Indian Country. For example, I once heard a longtime area resident refer to our Stoney neighbours in Eden Valley as "Cree", because he thought all Native People in Canada are Cree.

The Cree have one of the largest Indigenous populations in Canada, and live from James Bay to British Columbia, but there are no Cree communities in southern Alberta other than within Calgary's urban population (honestly, Cree people are everywhere, but so are Anishnabe, Dene, Haudenosaunee, Tsalagi, etc.). The Treaty 7 area (southern Alberta) is home to five First Nations: the Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, Tsuu T'ina and Stoney Nakoda.

The Stoney Nakoda Nation (Siouian speakers) consists of three bands: the Bearspaw, Wesley, and Chiniki, living on three reserves at Morley, Eden Valley and Bighorn. Two other Stoney bands live near Edmonton. The Stoney also call themselves Eyahey Nakoda (Mountain Sioux), and are related to the prairie Nakota (Assiniboine - who live over in Saskatchewan and eastern Montana).

The Tsuu T'ina Nation (formerley known as Sarcee, or Sarsi) are Dene speakers and live immediately west of Calgary. Their closest relatives are the Dunne-za (Beaver) in northern Alberta and B.C.

The Kainai (Blood), Piikani (Northern Peigan) and Siksika (Blackfoot) nations are members of the Blackfoot Confederacy, and share a common language and culture with the Blackfeet Tribe (Southern Peigan) of Montana. Politically, the Blackfoot Confederacy also included the unrelated Tsuu T'ina and Atsina (Gros Ventre). The main Kainaiwa community is at Standoff on the Blood Reserve, the Piikani are at Brocket, and the Siksika live in communities near Gleichen and Cluny.

With that said, natives and non-natives of other nationalities (yes, even Cree) live on southern Alberta reserves, often as guests of Band members. Also, natives and non-natives of all kinds of nationalities live off-reserve in southern Alberta towns and cities, just because.

So where do you live? and how well do you know your neighbours?