Plains Indian Studies - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

NUMBER 30 97
place." The leadership was passed on to an apparent
nonrelative, Gross Blanc, whom the trader
described as "a man of unfounded ambition and
ferocity."
Informants knew of a number of instances
where the chief resigned to pass the title along to
a younger man, usually a son or brother. Two
Suns turned the leadership of the Fish Eaters over
to his son, Seen From Afar, in the 1840s; Fish
Child gave up his leadership of the Many Fat
Horses in favor of his brother. Many Spotted
Horses in the 1850s; and Blackfoot Old Woman
became chief of the Black Elks while its former
leader. Eagle Head, was still alive.
One of the obvious reasons why the leadership
often passed down to a relative was that the
majority of those who were prominent in the
band were closely related. The eldest son or
younger brother was privy to the daily routines
and responsibilities of leadership and had the
opportunity to become personally acquainted
with the elite within the tribe, or the nation, thus
placing him in a favored position for wielding
political influence.
There is no tradition of violence ever erupting
because of a dispute over leadership. Even during
the perilous half decade from 1869 to 1874, when
whiskey had unrestricted sale in Blackfoot country
and intratribal conflicts were common, leadership
controversy was never a factor. This can
be attributed to the democratic nature of the
band system; no chief had dictatorial control over
his followers, even in times of war. If a Blood was
dissatisfied with the leadership being provided,
he could simply move to another band or, if he
had his own following, create his own band. A
dictatorial chief would soon discover that he had
no following.
The successful chief usually possessed a number
of positive qualities. He was generous, a good
provider, and was often wealthy. He had a good
war record and was frequently a ceremonialist,
orator, and diplomat. Not every leader was gifted
with all of these attributes, but certain men were
remembered because they may have excelled in
one or more. Medicine Calf, leader of the Many
Tumors, was a noted orator; Calf Shirt of the
Lone Fighters was a warrior of repute; Many
Spotted Horses of the Many Fat Horses band was
extremely wealthy; and White Calf of the Marrows
was a leading ceremonialist and orator.
Seen From Afar, the Fish Eaters' leader, was
considered to be particularly effective, drawing
to his band a large number of nonrelatives because
of his wealth, war record, and political
influence. As one informant (Creighton, 1954,
pers. comm.) described him:
Seen From Afar was a generous man. When the Bloods
went out hunting buffalo, some of the men would not have
the proper horses, maybe just a couple of old pack animals.
They would go to Seen From Afar and say: "May I use one
of your horses to hunt buffalo?" And Seen From Afar would
answer, "Sure, take that one over there." When the man
came back after the hunt he would take the horse and plenty
of meat to Seen From Afar's lodge, but instead of accepting
the meat, the chief would say, "Keep it. I have enough of
my own. And use my horse whenever you need it to go
hunting." When he went to war. Seen From Afar would go
on raid after raid. Instead of returning to his home camp
after making a successful raid, he would send some young
boys back with the captured horses and give them to his
wives to put in his herd.
The Bloods did not have a head chief of the
tribe, per se, which was always confusing to White
traders and travellers. Just as the democratic
system worked in selecting a band chief, so did
the overall leadership of a mixed camp, or of the
entire tribe, vary according to the circumstances.
If the Bloods went into a winter camp, with a
number of bands strung out along a river valley,
one leader among them was probably recognized
above the others for his influence, tact, or diplomacy.
It became his unspoken responsibility to
send out criers to call council meetings as often as
was required for the good government of the
camp. The men smoked, drank tea, and discussed
matters in an informal way, usually resolving any
problem by consensus rather than by decree. If
the matter could not be resolved, the leading
chief would weigh the political mood of the meeting
and either make a firm decision or put the
matter in abeyance. If any chief did not agree
with the decision, he was free to move his camp.