Dogs hold a special place in the Blackfeet culture. They were the beast of burden before the horse was (horses only became an Indian thing after the white Spaniards brought them over). Blackfeet have four periods of history: Creation, Dog Days, Horse and Gun, and the present.
In the Dog Days, the dogs would haul everything on sleds. Even today, they’re used in some traditional Blackfeet ceremonies. Some other tribes in Montana used to eat dogs as part of their diet, but never the Blackfeet. They held them in high esteem. The Blackfeet have a saying: “A dog will give its life for its owner.”
Today, there are stray dogs all over Browning. Everyone in town calls them the rez dogs. They forage and run together in packs, but rez dogs never attack people. They obey the rules of the town. You’ll even see them waiting for lights to turn green before they cross the street, swear to God.
Videos by VICE
More
From VICE
-
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert (Photo by Norm Staples/Getty Images) -
One of the finalists, "Now Which Direction Is My Nest?" (Credit: Alison Tuck) -
Credit: Google -
