Issap'mahkikaaw (Crowfoot)
Courtesy of the Glenbow Collection
Calgary & Southern Alberta
Born along the Belly River in approximately 1830, Crowfoot had been born into the Blood Tribe, but later became chief of the Siksika. He earned his name after becoming wounded while fighting the Crow tribe. By 1865 he had become a minor chief of the Siksika. In that same year, Crowfoot met Catholic missionary Father Lacombe. Following the smallpox epidemic of 1869-70, Crowfoot became one of the two remaining main Siksika chiefs. He welcomed the North-West Mounted Police when they arrived in 1874 because he feared the effects of the whisky trade on his people. In 1874 he met James Macleod with whom he developed a lasting friendship. Crowfoot played a pivotal role in the Treaty Seven negotiations. At their conclusion, he asked that the government be charitable and that the police protect the Blackfoot. He soon became disillusioned, however, with the Department of Indian Affairs and the role of Indian agents on the reserve. He died in 1890.
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