Several names or phrases—aboriginal people, First Nations, First People, Indian, and Native—are currently in use to describe Canada’s original inhabitants. Some names are more acceptable than others to the people themselves, who often prefer aboriginal people or First Nations. The name “Indian” is still in use in the Federal Indian Act and the names of some established organizations. Characters in the story use the names most appropriate to their background and knowledge at the time they are speaking.
Aboriginal—original inhabitant.
Anthropologist—a person who studies the origins, development and behaviour of people.
Archaeologist—a person who excavates and studies the buried remains of human activity.
Arrowhead—a piece of stone, bone or other material shaped to a point and attached to the head of an arrow.
Atlatl—a short stick with a handle at one end and a hook at the other. It can be used to increase the power and distance with which a lance can be thrown, by extending the natural reach of the thrower’s arm.
Bannock—an unleavened bread (made without yeast or other rising agent) originating in Europe but widely used by First Nations.
Beadwork—decorative patterns created by sewing colored beads to clothing, moccasins etc.
Blood—(or Kainaawa) One of three nations belonging to the Blackfoot Confederacy, now with a reserve north of Cardston, Alberta.
Blackfoot—(or Siksikawa) One of three nations belonging to the Blackfoot Confederacy, now with a reserve near Gleichen, Alberta.
Blackfoot Confederacy—a group of First Nations most recently living in what is now Southern Alberta and Northern Montana, comprising the Blackfoot, Blood, and Peigan. All speak the Blackfoot language.
Breech cloth—a cloth worn below the waist.
Buckskin—tanned leather from deer.
Buffalo Jump—a place used in ancient times to catch buffalo, by driving them across level ground and stampeding them over the edge of a cliff.
Chert—a flint-like mineral which flakes leaving sharp edges, and was often used before metals were available for making arrowheads and other tools.
Confederacy—a group of people joined together.
Coulee—a dry valley in the prairies.
Cree Nation—a group of First Peoples most recently living in the central and eastern prairies and adjacent forests.
Donor—people who give things to museums are called donors. The museum keeps records of the sources of its collections.
First Nations/First People—The original people of North America before European settlement. Many different nations occupied different areas of what is now Canada and the United States.
Flint—a hard mineral which makes a spark against metal, and was used for making fire, for tools in prehistoric times, and for the flints of flintlock guns into the last century.
Flint knapping—the art of shaping flint into tools, by striking raw flint with another stone or metal tool.
Grass dance—a dance of prairie First Nations, in which groups of people dance in a circle, frequently performed at pow wows.
Indian—term once commonly used for First Nations. It reflects the error made by Columbus, who thought he had arrived in India when he reached islands off North America. Although still used, it is generally being replaced by the more accurate terms Aboriginal, First Nations or First People.
Iniskim—a small buffalo-shaped stone, formerly used by First Nations in ceremonies associated with buffalo jumps.
Interpretive Centre—a building with an exhibit designed to tell the story of a site or region.
Irrigation ditch—a ditch dug to carry water for irrigation from a river or lake to dry fields.
Lance point—a point like a large arrowhead, made to be attached to a lance, or throwing spear.
Learning Disability—a mental dysfunction distinct from intelligence which makes it difficult for someone to learn.
L.D.—a common abbreviation for Learning Disability.
Moccasin—a shoe made of leather, originally by First Nations people. Moccasins are often decorated with beadwork.
Naaahsa—Blackfoot name for grandfather.
Native—original inhabitant.
North West Mounted Police—the original police force created in 1873 and sent to the prairies by the Government of Canada.
Oldman River—a river running through southern Alberta, named after the Old Man, a divine trickster of the Blackfoot religion.
Palisade—a barrier made of upright tree trunks set in the ground.
Peigan—one of the three nations belonging to the Blackfoot Confederacy, now with a reserve near Brocket, west of Fort Macleod, Alberta.
Perogy, perogies—a dumpling containing a meat, cheese or vegetable filling, associated in Canada with people of Ukrainian descent.
Pow Wow—a First Nations gathering, which may include religious, ceremonial and social aspects.
Prairie—level or rolling land largely covered with grass and sometimes sage.
Reserve—short for Indian Reserve. A piece of land set aside by the government, usually by treaty, for the exclusive use of one or more groups of First Peoples.
Runs—an area marked off by piles of stones, through which buffalo were stampeded to a buffalo jump.
Scottsbluff point—a lance point of a particular kind, used around 8500 years ago.
Sinew—a tough tissue that connects bones and muscles. Sinew from bison and deer was often used for attaching lance points to lances.
Slough (pronounced sloo)—a low area in the prairies full of water in wet periods, but often drying out in summer.
Stetson—a wide-brimmed hat commonly worn on the prairies.
Stockade—a palisaded enclosure. A stockade known as a pound was often used to catch buffalo where no cliffs were available.
Sweetgrass—a grass used ceremonially by First Nations. It is collected by elders, dried, and burnt as incense on ceremonial occasions.
Tipi—a collapsible tent made originally of buffalo hides, supported on a conical framework of tree trunks. The covers were traditionally painted with designs of great significance to the owners.
Tipi rings—a ring of stones once used to hold down the edges of a tipi. When the tipi is removed, these are left on the prairie, and if undisturbed, show the former presence of traditional camping places.