Assiniboine

Like many Native peoples, the Assiniboine or Nakota population straddles both sides of the international border between the United States and Canada, making a discussion of their history only in the American West problematic. To truly appreciate the Assiniboine's westward migration, it is essential to consider their presence in both nations, as international borders were a European concept. Attempts to stem the fluidity of movement across this arbitrary line had little to do with Assiniboine history until the establishment of the reservations and reserves in the latter 19th century.

Many anthropologists conjecture that during the 16th century the Assiniboine split from the Yanktonai Sioux and became the northern vanguard of the large Siouan westward migration out of what is now the American Midwest. This division forced the Assiniboine to move in a northwesterly direction and in the process facilitated their long-term alliance with the Cree. The position of their traditional territory forced them into confrontations with numerous tribes, especially the Blackfoot, Ojibwe, and Dakota, and [Page 37]coupled with smallpox outbreaks in 1737, 1780–1781, and 1837–1838 caused a dramatic reduction in their numbers forcing their population to diffuse over a large geographic area. Despite all of these difficulties, Assiniboine communities continued to support one another and maintained their cultural integrity. Over time, 31 bands developed, which today live in the American state of Montana on federally recognized reservations at Fort Belknap and Fort Peck. In Canada, Assiniboine live on various reserves in the provinces Saskatchewan and Alberta. More recent migrations have led many Assiniboine to settle in communities away from reservations and reserves.

The Assiniboine's ongoing movement across the prairie created a cultural dynamic emphasizing mobility. The root of most Native cultures is the creation story, which details not only a physical beginning, but also the outline for a total worldview. The Assiniboine's creation story emphasizes movement. After Ik-tomi, a legendary character, created the universe, animals, and seven men and seven women, he determined that this land was not appropriate for them. Ordering various animals, such as fowls, muskrats, mink, beaver, and the fisher, to bring mud from the bottom of a lake, he finally created a new land for the Assiniboine. Ik-tomi ordered the seven human couples to migrate to this new land and multiply. The Assiniboine creation story parallels the Earthdiver tradition of other Native peoples, illustrating the interconnectedness of those who settled on the plains. Unique to the Assiniboine was an emphasis on the number seven and the diversity of wildlife used in the final creation of their homeland.

The human movement prevalent in the creation story carries through to Assiniboine spiritual practices, in which entire bands would come together from long distances to participate in ceremonies, dances, and social gatherings. Especially important events, such as the longstanding Medicine Lodge Dance (Sun Dance), at times brought hundreds to thousands of participants and spectators together. Through fasting and piercing their breasts, male participants in the Medicine Lodge Dance induced visions in which they would travel in a hypnotic state and see future war glory or other positive life outcomes. When the ceremonies concluded, the Assiniboine bands would pack up their lodges and return home. An example of a dance that came into vogue after European contact was the Grass Dance, a pan-Indian ceremony originating with the Lakota that taught traditional values and discipline. The Grass Dance illustrates the long-term contact through movement among diverse Native peoples of the Great Plains. The continuation of the Grass Dance among the Assiniboine to the present illustrates the strength of traditional culture despite living in disparate locations in two countries, while modifications of the costume demonstrate the continued interaction between Native peoples in the region.

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