Dene Nakoda Cree Blackfoot

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The Nakoda language, spoken by the Nakoda Peoples (also known as the Stoney), belongs to the Siouan language family. It originated in the Sioux Nation of the east coast of today’s Canada. In the early seventeenth century, two larger groups separated from the Sioux Nation – the Assiniboine, who settled in the mid-west (today’s Manitoba and Saskatchewan), and the Nakoda, who settled farther west in today’s Alberta.

It is speculated that the Nakoda moved west along with the Cree during the fur trade era.
Hence, the Nakoda occupied a similar organizational band structure to the Cree and Blackfoot. Their bands were egalitarian but flexible in structure, and movement between bands was common and usually due to marriage. Like the Cree and Blackfoot Peoples, the Nakoda were also immensely affected by the introduction of the horse as a mode of transportation and agricultural assistance.

Traditionally, the Nakoda had a foraging economy; hunting, gathering, and fishing were the main sources of sustenance. They relied heavily on the buffalo for food, tools, and shelter – no part was wasted. Other food sources included rabbit, duck, beaver, muskrat, groundhog, and porcupine.

Today, there are three main Nakoda communities: the Alexis First Nation, the Paul First Nation, and Morley (also known as Nakoda Nation).