The Blackfeet are divided into three main groups: the Northern Blackfeet or Siksika, the Kainah or
Blood, and the
Piegan. The three as a whole are also referred to as the Siksika (translated Blackfeet), a term which probably came from the
discoloration of
moccasins with ashes. The three groups all speak a language which is a part of the
Algonquian family. The
Piegan and
Blood are the most closely related
dialects.
In the last part of the ninteenth century, the Blackfeet were placed on Indian reservations: The Blackfeet Agency, the Blood Agency, and the Piegan Agency in Alberta, Canada and The Blackfeet Reservation in Montana.