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The Old North Trail
Life Legends and Religion of the Blackfeet Indians
"An excellent and moving account of what it meant to live along this 'route of the ages'. . . . [It] ought to be in the libraries of all who are interested in the American West."—Western American Literature. "Not only is this a valuable reference on Blackfeet customs and mythology but it is also a source of information on these people's utilization of native plants for food and medicine."—Journal of the West. "This is one of those books that, once read, remains in the memory of the reader as the happiest of experiences."—English Westerners’ Tally Sheet. In 1896, Walter McClintock went to northwestern Montana as a member of U. S. Forest Service expedition. As it turned out, he spent the next four years living on the Blackfeet Reservation, the adopted son of Chief Mad Dog, a spiritual leader of the tribe. The Old North Trail records McClintock’s experiences among the Blackfeet. Describing daily life, hunts, and ceremonies, it is enriched by vignettes of warriors and medicine men, legends and mythical stories, reminiscences of the missionary Farther De Smet, and valuable information on such subjects as societies, proper names, songs, and beliefs. Since its first publication in 1910 it has remained the source par excellence on these proud people of the northern plains. Walter McClintock (1870–1949) also wrote The Tragedy of the Blackfoot (1930) and other books. McClintock Peak in Glacier National Park is named after him. In his new introduction Sidner J. Larson, an assistant professor of literature and languages at Lewis-Clark State College, Lewiston, Idaho, assesses McClintock’s work from the perspective of one intimately familiar with Blackfeet culture and also brings to bear the insights of an expert on Native American literature.
539 pp — ©1992
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