Chief Crowfoot: Wise Leader of the Siksika Tribe

• Chief Crowfoot of the Siksika tribe was originally Kainai, but he was adopted into the Siksika people upon the death of his father and the remarriage of his mother.

• Eventually, he became a respected chief of the Siksika, known for his peaceful tendencies and negotiations.

• Crowfoot worked hard to negotiate for his people during the negotiations for Treaty Number 7. He had high hopes for the treaty and hoped it would help his people, as the land had been changing ever since the arrival of Europeans. Unfortunately, the treaty abused the rights of the indigenous people of Canada.

• He was a very wise leader. A story from during the negotiations of Treaty Number 7 revealed this very clearly.

• One of the officials discussing the treaty with Chief Crowfoot showed Crowfoot how much money they would pay if they signed the treaty. He laid out bill after bill of paper money on the ground and then asked what Crowfoot thought.

• Crowfoot grabbed a handful of clay from the ground, made a ball, and then put it into a nearby fire. It didn’t burn or crack.

• Then he said to the official, “Now, you put your money in the fire and see if it will last as long as the clay.”

• “No, my money will burn because it is made of paper,” the official argued.

• Chief Crowfoot looked at the man. “Oh, your money is not as good as our land, is it? The wind will blow it away, the fire will burn it, and the water will rot it. But nothing will destroy our land.”

• Then Crowfoot picked up a handful of sand and passed it to the official. “You count the grains of sand in that while I count the money you give for our land.”

• The official said, “I would not live long enough to count this, but you can count the money in a few minutes.”

• “Very well," said the wise Crowfoot, “Our land is more valuable than your money. It will last forever.

• “It will not perish as long as the sun shines and the water flows, and through all the years it will give life to men and animals, and therefore we cannot sell the land.

• “It was put there by the Great Spirit and we cannot sell it because it does not really belong to us.

• “You can count your money and burn it with a nod of a buffalo’s head, but only the Great Spirit can count the grains of sand and the blades of grass on these plains.

• “As a present, we will give you anything you can take with you, but we cannot give you the land.”