Page 7 - Siksika Nation - Indigenous Communities in Canada

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.

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