We are a group of Blackfoot-led Indigenous and non-indigenous researchers, artists, students, and Elders working to connect historical Blackfoot items held in collections in Europe with the Niitsitapi.

Mootookakio’ssin leverages digital imaging techniques, art-based public engagement, and spatial web technologies to enable Blackfoot people to interact with their historical objects and recover and shape their own narratives surrounding them.

The name, Mootookakio’ssin, was given to the project by Dr. Leroy Little Bear in November 2020. In english, it means distant awareness.

Elders from Kainai, Piikani, Siksika, and Amskapipiikani are directing the project. The digital imagery belongs to the Blackfoot people and will be accessed online through the Blackfoot Digital Library microsite, now available at https://mootookakiossin.ca. You can learn more about the project’s protocols here.

Activities

Parfleche Bag on Mootookakiossin.ca

You can now explore and learn about the Blackfoot items we imaged at mootookakiossin.ca