Grammars
Frantz, Donald G. (2017). Blackfoot Grammar (3rd ed.). University of Toronto Press.
Description: Updated edition of Donald Frantz’s Blackfoot Grammar, featuring a new appendix, as well as numerous corrections and additions to every chapter.
Frantz, Donald G. (2009). Blackfoot Grammar (2nd ed.). University of Toronto Press.
Description: Donald Frantz began his research on the Blackfoot language in the 1960s. Frantz credits his colleague Allan Taylor with furthering his knowledge on the structure of the Blackfoot language. Furthermore, Taylor shared his research findings (that he previously obtained in Montana) with Frantz. This grammar book is a great resource for studying the Blackfoot language (although basic knowledge in linguistics is a necessity). Available at the University of Lethbridge library.
Lanning, C. M. (1882). A grammar and vocabulary of the Blackfoot language. (Joseph Kip & W.S. Gladston, Jr., Trans.). Published by the author.
Description: This book was written with the intention to educate non-Indigenous people on the Blackfoot language. Lanning states in the introduction that this book is intended for settlers and other ‘white’ peoples who will venture into Blackfoot territory, saying that it is essential that they acquire the language to communicate with the Blackfoot people. This grammar and vocabulary book has over 5000 words. However, because of the early era of publication, there are some discrepancies in the grammar, spelling, etc.
Read it here
Maclean, John. (1896). The Blackfoot Language, In: Transactions of the Canadian Institute V: 128-165. Repressed Publishing LLC.
Original Publishing: Maclean, John. (1896). The Blackfoot Language, In: Transactions of the Canadian Institute V: 128-165. Toronto: Canadian Institute, 1896.
Description: An old Blackfoot Grammar (in archives).
Read it here
Taylor, Allan R. (1969). A Grammar of Blackfoot. (Doctoral dissertation) University of California, Berkeley: Department of Linguistics.
Description: Taylor published this book as his thesis/dissertation for his PhD in linguistics from the University of California. It discusses the grammar of the Blackfoot language.
Read it here
Tims, John William. (1889). Grammar and dictionary of the Blackfoot language in the dominion of Canada: For the use of missionaries, school teachers and others. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
Description: This book was originally published in 1889 by Reverend Tims who lived among the Blackfoot in the summer of 1883. At the time there was no dictionary published for the Blackfoot and he felt the need for one as it was significant to facilitate learning of the language. He learned the language and grammar from the Blackfoot people.
Read it here
Uhlenbeck, Christianus C. (1978). A concise Blackfoot grammar based on the material from the Southern Peigans (re-print of the 1938 ed.). AMS Press.
Description: Uhlenbeck collected his data on the Blackfoot reservation in Teton County, Montana in the summers of 1910 and 1911. This was one of the first publications on Blackfoot Grammar.
Dictionaries
Figueiredo, Renato B. (2014, January 8). FREELANG Blackfoot-English-Blackfoot online dictionary.
Description: This is a basic online dictionary that is missing many words. It was last updated in 2014. It has a feature where it will show a random Blackfoot word below the search bar that will change when you refresh the page.
Website: http://www.freelang.net/online/blackfoot.php
Frantz, Donald G., & Norma Jean Russell. (2017). The Blackfoot dictionary of stems, roots, and affixes (3rd ed.). University of Toronto Press.
Description: Updated edition of Donald G. Frantz and Norma Jean Russell’s Blackfoot dictionary. This edition features more than 1,100 new entries and major additions to verb stems.
Frantz, Donald G., & Norma Jean Russell. (1995). The Blackfoot dictionary of stems, roots, and affixes (2nd ed.). University of Toronto Press.
Description: The Blackfoot Dictionary was originally published in 1989 by Donald G. Frantz and Norma Jean Russell. It contains more than 4,000 Blackfoot-English entries and an English index of more than 5,000 entries. Available at the University of Lethbridge library.
Read it here (Book preview; some pages omitted).
Parker, Phillip M. (2008). Webster’s Blackfoot-English Thesaurus Dictionary. Icon Group International, Inc.
Description: This thesaurus dictionary was originally published, as the author states, to assist fluent Blackfoot speakers to learn the English language. There is a Blackfoot to English section and an English to Blackfoot section. There are short ‘vocabulary study lists’ at the end. The thesaurus is fairly short and only contains frequently-used words. Available as an e-book on the University of Lethbridge library website.
Uhlenbeck, Christianus C., & Robert Hans van Gulik. (1930). An English-Blackfoot vocabulary based on material from the southern Peigans. K. Akademie van wetenschappen.
Description: One of the first English-Blackfoot vocabulary books. Uhlenbeck was a Dutch linguist who used his own system for making phonetic transcriptions of Blackfoot. He collected his materials in Montana in 1910 and 1911.
Read it here
Uhlenbeck, Christianus C., & Robert Hans van Gulik. (1934). A Blackfoot-English vocabulary based on material from the southern Peigans. Noord-Hollandsche uitgevers-maatschappij. Available at the University of Lethbridge library.
Description: One of the first Blackfoot-English vocabulary books. Uhlenbeck was a Dutch linguist who used his own system for making phonetic transcriptions of Blackfoot. He collected his materials in Montana in 1910 and 1911.
Textbooks
Delaney, Julius & Terry Many Grey Horses. (2020). Blackfoot Language Workbook. Galt Museum & Archives and The Government of Canada.
Description: This workbook contains lessons and activities for people learning Blackfoot.
Read it here
Russell, Lena, & Duval House Publishing. (1996). Blackfoot 10: Niitsi’powahsini. Duval House Publishing.
Description: This resource was created for Blackfoot language instruction at the grade 10 level. Available in the U of L library (Curriculum lab).
Russell, Lena, & Duval House Publishing. (1997). Blackfoot 20: Niitsi’powahsini. Duval House Publishing.
Description: This resource was created for Blackfoot language instruction at the grade 11 level. Available in the U of L library (Curriculum lab).
Russell, Lena, & Duval House Publishing. (1997). Blackfoot 30: Niitsi’powahsini. Duval House Publishing.
Description: This resource was created for Blackfoot language instruction at the grade 12 level. Available in the U of L library (Curriculum lab).
Russell, Lena, Kainaiwa Board of Education, & Duval House Publishing. (2001). Blackfoot 9. Duval House Publishing.
Description: This resource was created for Blackfoot language instruction at the grade 9 level. Available in the U of L library (Curriculum lab).
Russell, Lena, Kainaiwa Board of Education, & Duval House Publishing. (2002). Blackfoot 8. Duval House Publishing.
Description: This resource was created for Blackfoot language instruction at the grade 8 level. Available in the U of L library (Curriculum lab).
Russell, Lena, Kainaiwa Board of Education, & Duval House Publishing. (2003). Blackfoot 7. Duval House Publishing.
Description: This resource was created for Blackfoot language instruction at the grade 7 level. Available in the U of L library (Curriculum lab).
Text Collections
Fox, Leo. (1979). A Blood Indian Blackfoot language handbook. Ninastako Centre. Available at the University of Lethbridge library.
Heavy Shields Russell, Lena, & Inge Genee. (2014). Akaitsinikssiistsi: Blackfoot stories of Old. University of Regina Press.
Description: This book is a collection of eight traditional Blackfoot oral stories that are also translated into English. The book is intended for language learners and language users. The introduction contains a summary of Blackfoot grammar.
Mithun, Marianne. (1999). The languages of Native North America. Cambridge University Press.
Description: This is a compilation of all the Native languages of North America. The contents of the book include: sounds and sound patterns, words (roots, affixes, clitics, morpheme order, nouns and verbs, etc.), grammatical categories (person, number, gender, modality, etc.), sentences, special language (e.g. baby talk; narrative and ceremonial talk), relations among the languages, and a catalogue of language families and isolates.
Read a preview of the book here
Prairie Rain Publishing in consultation with the Aiitsi’poyiiksi Committee. (2014). Blackfoot words for vegetables. Prairie Rain Publishing.
Description: This book aims to teach non-fluent speakers such as children how to say phrases in Blackfoot that contain vegetable vocabulary. It contains many illustrations. Other contributors: Kainai Board of Education, the First Nation Student Success Program, the Kainai Head Start Program, and Leo Fox (Blackfoot language consultant).
Zaharia, Flora, & Leo Fox. (1995). Kitomahkitapiiminnooniksi: Stories from our elders (volumes 1-3). Donahue House Publishing Inc. (Project sponsored by: Kainaiwa Board of Education).
Description: Over 200 Kainaiwa elders contributed to this book series (4 volumes so far). These books intend to preserve the stories, life histories, experiences, and personal philosophies of these elders and the Kainaiwa culture. The elders also transfer their knowledge to the younger generations in hopes that they will keep the language, memories, and culture of their people alive. There are many Blackfoot words used throughout the books and a glossary at the back of each one. Available at the University of Lethbridge library.
Zaharia, Flora, Leo Fox, & Marvin Fox. (2003). Kitomahkitapiiminnooniksi: Stories from our elders (volume 4). Donahue House Publishing Inc.
Description: Over 200 Kainaiwa elders contributed to this book series (4 volumes so far). These books intend to preserve the stories, life histories, experiences, and personal philosophies of these elders and the Kainaiwa culture. The elders also transfer their knowledge to the younger generations in hopes that they will keep the language, memories, and culture of their people alive. There are many Blackfoot words used throughout the books and a glossary at the back of each one. Available at the University of Lethbridge library.
(This page prepared by Janine Jackson, June 21, 2016)
(Updated by Mahaliah Peddle, June 15, 2017)
(Updated by Mahaliah Peddle, August 17, 2020)
(Updated by Mahaliah Peddle, July 6, 2021 and August 27, 2021)