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How are the Lakota Sihasapa also known as the Blackfoot different from the Algonquian-speaking Blackfoot people?
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Oceti Sakowin
A member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe performing during the Grand Entry at the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Fair Rodeo and Powwow, Eagle Butte, South Dakota, September 4, 2016.
The Lakota Sihasapa and the Algonquian-speaking Blackfoot people are distinct groups that share a similar English exonym but are culturally and linguistically unrelated.
The primary differences are:
- Linguistic Family: The Sihasapa are one of the seven divisions of the Lakota, who are part of the Oceti Sakowin and speak a variant of the Siouan language family. In contrast, the Blackfoot people speak a language belonging to the Algonquian language family.123
- Cultural and Political Identity: The Sihasapa are a division of the Lakota (also known as the Teton), a broad alliance of Indigenous peoples. The Blackfoot people comprise a confederacy of three distinct bands: the Piegan (Peigan), the Blood (Kainah), and the Siksika (Blackfoot proper).132
The name "Blackfoot" as applied to the Sihasapa is an exonym—a name given by outsiders—and should not be confused with the Blackfoot people, who are a separate, autonomous group.1