The Old Man in Blackfoot’s religion: A god battered by Paradoxes
Table of Contents The Old Man in Blackfoot’s Religion His Creative Powers The Sun in Blackfoot’s Religion To describe the Old Man in Blackfoot’s religion as a sage without good fortune is a contradiction in terms or better still, a decrepit god battered by his paradoxes. The notion of the Old Man otherwise known as “Na’pi” in Blackfoot’s religion is a central figure in Blackfeet cosmology. The Blackfeet are a Native American tribe from the Great Plains. Some writers have reasoned that the Blackfoot tribe consists of four different groups of Native Americans. There are the Siksika, Kanai, and Northern Pikuni who live in Canada. The fourth group, the Amskapi Pikuni settled mainly in Montana. Some writers have suggested that there are about 16,000 registered members, with over 80,000 people claiming Blackfoot heritage. Can the Old Man, who is a god be considered wise and foolish at the same time? Understood in this light confines the notion into a competing duality and excuses the Ol