The White Clay People: the Gros Ventre (Atsina)
Most of the names we used today for various Native tribes have come down to us from outside sources. Early explorers often asked whatever tribe they happened to encounter what they called other peoples around them and went with it, regardless of the name that the tribe preferred to use for themselves. Often this led to great confusion over which tribe was meant by which name. The French term Gros Ventre, or Big Belly, is believed to have been a French misunderstanding of early Plains Sign Language and was applied to two tribes, the Atsina of central Montana, and the Hidatsa people along the Missouri River, who have already been covered in a previous post.
The Atsina, or A'ani, A'aininin, or Haaninin are an Alonquian-speaking people whose name for themselves means either the White Clay People or Lime People. Their enemies had a host of unflattering designations for them, include Snakes, by the Blackfoot, or Beggars, by the Arapaho. The Atsina were also traditional enemies of the Nakoda or Assinboine people. They originated in the Great Lakes region and later immigrated to the Red River Valley in Minnesota and in Manitoba, Canada. There, they were closely associate with the Cheyenne. In the 18th century, the tribe split between the Atsina and the Arapaho. Facing pressure from other tribes, the Atsina moved to Montana and the Arapaho went to what is now Colorado. The Cheyenne also migrated at around this time. Some Atsina remained in Canada but others were encountered at the Loup Branch of the North Platte River by Lewis and Clark.
By the mid-18th century, the Gros Ventre had acquired horses and began to adapt their hunting and warfare to this new mode of transportation. They also acquired smallpox and other diseases from contact with Europeans, which eroded their numbers. They often had to fend off attacks from other tribes, such as the Cree. By 1832, they were living along the Missouri River in Montana, where Prince Maximilian and Karl Bodmer encountered them. The Gros Ventre allied with the Blackfoot Confederacy and moved to north-central Montana and southern Canada. In 1855, Governor Isaac Stephens of Washington Territory concluded a treaty with members of the Blackfoot, Nez Perce and the Gros Ventre/Atsina. Later, issues developed between the Atsina and the Blackfoot and the Atsina allied with the Crow. In 1867, the Blackfoot defeated the Crow and Atsina in a war over hunting range.
In 1871, the U.S. established Fort Belknap, near what is now Harlem, Montana. It was a combination Army fort and trading post. The Assiniboine were also settled at Fort Belknap, though there was friction between the two tribes at the time. For awhile, Fort Belknap was closed and the Gros Ventres and Assinboine were to be relocated to Fort Peck or Wolf Point. The Gros Ventre refused to move and Fort Belknap was reopened. In time, Jesuit missionaries converted some Gros Ventre to Roman Catholicism, though many still held traditional beliefs. The Fort Belknap Reservation was established in 1888. Today, the Blackfoot, Assinboine and Gros Ventre reside on Fort Peck Reservation and Fort Belknap Reservation in Montana.
The Atsina, or A'ani, A'aininin, or Haaninin are an Alonquian-speaking people whose name for themselves means either the White Clay People or Lime People. Their enemies had a host of unflattering designations for them, include Snakes, by the Blackfoot, or Beggars, by the Arapaho. The Atsina were also traditional enemies of the Nakoda or Assinboine people. They originated in the Great Lakes region and later immigrated to the Red River Valley in Minnesota and in Manitoba, Canada. There, they were closely associate with the Cheyenne. In the 18th century, the tribe split between the Atsina and the Arapaho. Facing pressure from other tribes, the Atsina moved to Montana and the Arapaho went to what is now Colorado. The Cheyenne also migrated at around this time. Some Atsina remained in Canada but others were encountered at the Loup Branch of the North Platte River by Lewis and Clark.
By the mid-18th century, the Gros Ventre had acquired horses and began to adapt their hunting and warfare to this new mode of transportation. They also acquired smallpox and other diseases from contact with Europeans, which eroded their numbers. They often had to fend off attacks from other tribes, such as the Cree. By 1832, they were living along the Missouri River in Montana, where Prince Maximilian and Karl Bodmer encountered them. The Gros Ventre allied with the Blackfoot Confederacy and moved to north-central Montana and southern Canada. In 1855, Governor Isaac Stephens of Washington Territory concluded a treaty with members of the Blackfoot, Nez Perce and the Gros Ventre/Atsina. Later, issues developed between the Atsina and the Blackfoot and the Atsina allied with the Crow. In 1867, the Blackfoot defeated the Crow and Atsina in a war over hunting range.
In 1871, the U.S. established Fort Belknap, near what is now Harlem, Montana. It was a combination Army fort and trading post. The Assiniboine were also settled at Fort Belknap, though there was friction between the two tribes at the time. For awhile, Fort Belknap was closed and the Gros Ventres and Assinboine were to be relocated to Fort Peck or Wolf Point. The Gros Ventre refused to move and Fort Belknap was reopened. In time, Jesuit missionaries converted some Gros Ventre to Roman Catholicism, though many still held traditional beliefs. The Fort Belknap Reservation was established in 1888. Today, the Blackfoot, Assinboine and Gros Ventre reside on Fort Peck Reservation and Fort Belknap Reservation in Montana.
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