The Assiniboine Tribe of Fort Belknap

The Assiniboine are people of the northern Great Plains of North America who call themselves Nakota. Through years of separation, differences in dialect and custom have developed between the two branches. But they still remember their common origins, and consider themselves a single people.

The Assiniboine tribe were typically large game hunters, dependent on the buffalo for a considerable part of their diet. The used buffalo hides for clothing and receptacles, and lived in hide teepees. By about 1750's, the Assiniboine hunting grounds embraces all the Canadian prairies. Both the Canadian and U.S. branches occasionally slaughtered entire herds by driving them into compounds. The meat was roasted on spits, or boiled in hide bags by means of hot stones.

Most Assiniboine attached great importance to visions, and these took precedence in religious life. They included offerings, prayers, and the solemn unfolding of a pack containing sacred objects, and the singing of sacred songs. The Assiniboine considered sweating necessary purification before participation in any major ceremony. Their favorite incense for major ceremonies was made from sweet grass.

The Assiniboine believed in great power - The Creator. They lived their religion every day. Therefore, they made sacrificies, fasts, and prayers to this unknown power, which they knew from actual phenomena had existence.

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Last update 3/16/06 by Lacey Plumage