At the Blackfeet’s Linnii Days celebration of the buffalo, Shawn Lahr Split Ears, an Amskapi Pikuni artist, explains the meaning of the tribal symbols that he uses in his work. He shares the creation story of “Star Boy,” a tale about a young boy who was sent to his people from the Thunder God. The story speaks to the Blackfeet’s belief in the sacredness of children and duty of all parents to treat their offspring as gifts from the Creator.

Note: Amskapi Piikani, or Southern Piegan, are the Blackfeet people of the Montana-based Blackfeet Nation and part of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy)

Spirit Mountain is the specific site of the Mojave Creation Story. It is here that Massimo created the Mojave people and their world, giving them the skills and ways by which they are to live. He then died, turning himself into an eagle – the form in which he now visits his people.

When the Creator first saw that there were stirrings on the blue orb, he created the Son of the Sun and sent him to help life there come into being.

After the Son of the Sun has created land with the help of a duck – the first two creatures come to life. One is the wolf, who the Son of the Sun solicits to help him populate the land with animals. The second is the coyote, who the Son of the Sun realizes will cause mischief among the people. So, the Son of the Sun makes the duck the coyote’s nemesis, always trying to mitigate the damage he sets in motion.

The Creator gave his people many gifts. To woman he gave children. They were also put in charge of the home which was the tipi. To men he gave weapons and leadership which was manifested in the Crow’s sacred tobacco and pipe ceremonies.

Men were also given the Gift of Tears. But they did not appreciate this gift, which the Creator recognized as his most important. This gift allowed men to adopt the powers of natural elements, thereby manifesting the supernatural abilities of the universe. That power might come in the form of an animal, bird or plant, or from inanimate objects like a rock, or a feature of the landscape. Some had power from beings as fierce as the grizzly bear, or as small and seemingly insignificant as a bumblebee or dragon fly.

Because men did not initially recognize the significance of this power, they would now have to actively seek tears. This meant traveling to remote places, fasting high in the mountains and crying for help from the spirit world. A vision quest was now required to receive this blessing.

> Read the full transcript of the Crow Creation Story, told by Grant Bulltail