The Siksikaitisitapi or Blackfoot Confederacy is made up of four nations: Kainai – Blood Tribe, Piikani – North Peigan, Amskapi Piikani – South Peigan Blackfeet, and Siksika. The territory of the Siksikaitsitapi is located in the Northern Great Plains and goes from the North Saskatchewan River (north) to the Yellowstone River (south), from the Rockies (west) to the Great Sand Hills in Saskatchewan. There are approximately 24,000+ Siksikaitsitapi members. The Rural Routes to Climate Solutions (RR2CS) Siksikaitsitapi Agriculture Project (SAP) is an opportunity for Siksikaitsitapi members to highlight climate solutions that align with Blackfoot ways of knowing.
Through community gatherings, workshops and field days and a variety of communications tools (podcast, articles, etc.), the Siksikaitsitapi Agriculture Project establishes a platform where Siksikaitsitapi members can collaborate, share experiences, and make collective decisions on two key issues:
Once the climate solutions that meet the criteria have been identified by project participants, the next step for the project will be to explore, discuss and determine how to accelerate the adoption rates of these solutions in the Siksikaitsitapi. Once again, it will be project participants who will come together to determine the best path forward for increasing adoption.
Following the learning and reflections from our Talking Circles last year, we are now entering a new phase of the Siksikaitsitapi Agriculture Project – Understanding Kashkomitapi (earth person/earth beings). This phase will focus on exploring “how can Blackfoot ways of knowing guide agricultural climate solutions, such as regenerative agriculture?” through a social innovation lab co-led by Latasha Calf Robe.
Going forward the team will continue strengthening relationships with the Blackfoot Confederacy by:
The project is managed by Tawnya Plain Eagle (Piikani Nation) who is supported by Tyson Black Water (Kainai Nation) and Sara Little Bear (Kainai Nation). Latasha Calf Robe (Kainai Nation) is co-leading and providing expertise for the social innovation lab. The whole project is guided by the knowledge of our SAP Advisory Committee: James Plain Eagle (Piikani Nation), Roy Weasle Fat (Kainai Nation), Linda Many Guns (Siksika Nation) and Christen Falcon (Amskapii Piikani).
The Siksiksitapi Agriculture Project team has completed the Fundamentals of OCAP course (hosted by the First Nations Information Governance Centre) to ensure we uphold the integrity of our work by respecting the stories, culture and relationships of the Blackfoot communities we work with. The Fundamentals of OCAP course ensures that First Nation communities remain in control of their data by asserting data sovereignty by protecting their rights to the ownership, control, access and possession of information and determining how it is used. We understand the information and data we collect while working through our project belongs to the Blackfoot people.
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In this bonus episode, we sit down with Riel Houle and Nathan Provost of the Siksikaitsitapi Agriculture Project to talk regenerative agriculture, Blackfoot stewardship and building food sovereignty in Piikani Nation. A powerful conversation rooted in community and connection to the land.
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In this episode Blackfoot land steward Api’soomaahka (William Singer) shares how restoring native plants, food systems and Blackfoot ecological knowledge can heal both land and community. Learn about his work with Naapi’s Garden, the story of Katoyiss and the alignment between traditional knowledge and climate solutions in the prairies.
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In this episode of the Siksikaitsitapi Agriculture Project (SAP) podcast series, Lance Tailfeathers sits down with Wolf Caller (Elliot Fox), a leader in land management and now a member of Kainai First Nation’s Council. They discuss the past, present and future of agriculture in Kainai First Nation in southern Alberta, exploring how Blackfoot ways of knowing can help to protect water systems against droughts, enhance food security and protect native species.
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You never know what Mother Nature is going to dish out, whether it is going to be the good, the bad or the ugly, so being able to observe, learn and adapt can be just as handy as mechanical skills.
And now we have educational programs that blend Blackfoot ways of knowing and agriculture.
In this episode of Rural Routes to Climate Solutions, we are taking a look at the Red Crow Community College’s Niitsitapi Agriculture Certificate Program with JR Weasel Fat of Kainai, Alberta.
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If you’re still wondering how best to incorporate regenerative technologies into your daily operations then you might need a crash course, or at least a motivating podcast episode, that speaks to the business of bacteria. In this kick-off episode of the Siksikaitsitapi Agriculture Project podcast series, we sit down with Joshua Day Chief to discuss how growing good bacteria can recharge your soil, plant and water health to make way for producing a better product.
Norma Wolfchild, a member of the Blood Tribe, has spent nearly 20 years helping her community develop small business ventures, working with the Blood Tribe Economic Development as a small business development officer. After her husband was diagnosed with diabetes, she was determined to establish a healthier lifestyle with organic, nutrient-rich foods. She now has a thriving garden, a small horde of livestock and honey-producing bees.