Pikuni Reserves

On behalf of the Pikuni, Eagle Tail signed Treaty Seven at Blackfoot Crossing in 1877 after which the tribe was given a reserve west of Fort Macleod on the Old Man River. It is likely significant that the Pikuni asked for reserve land on the Oldman River, named for the mythical character Oldman, or Napi. The Blackfoot name for the river is said to be "Apistoki." (DB). After the failed agricultural program mentioned above, the Pikuni turned to raising cattle and other industries. However, disease reduced the population through the 1890s and according to Dempsey. 28.500 acres of the Peigan reserve were sold off in 1909 to white settlers (Dempsey, p. 34).