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Around the age of 21, a man would take a wife. The marriage was usually
arranged by the bride’s parents or by close friends and relatives. Before the
couple could marry, the man had to prove he was a powerful warrior and hunter.
At the marriage ceremony, the bride’s and groom’s families exchanged gifts of
horses, household items, and robes. Once they were married, the couple could
live in their own home or with the husband’s family.
SCHOOLS
Residential schools
first appeared in Western Canada in 1883 and 1884. The
government forced First Nations children to attend these schools. The Siksika
parents and community hoped their children would learn the practical skills
they needed to survive in the world. Instead the schools nearly destroyed
their language, culture, and identity. Children were taken from their families
for long periods of time. Following cultural traditions and using the Blackfoot
language were not allowed. Boys and girls were separated and did not interact
with one another. In 1969 the Government of Canada decided to start closing
the schools. Some Indigenous communities wanted to keep the schools open
but under their own control. The last residential school in Canada closed in
1996. Today the Siksika have their own primary, middle, and secondary schools
as well as a community college. The schools blend provincial curricula with
lessons in the Blackfoot language and the traditional culture of the Blackfoot
Confederacy nations.
