title: Aegean Airlines

text: In August 2010, Aegean Airlines became the first airline to commit to upgrading its Airbus A320 family fleet with the FANS-B+ datalink system offered by Airbus. By March 2014, passenger cabins across the entire fleet were retrofitted with brand-new reclining Aviointeriors Columbus Two seats, which are thinner and lighter, allowing the addition of an extra row. In 2014, Aegean Airlines also completed the purchase of seven brand-new Airbus A320ceo (current engine option) aircraft to add to its fleet; all deliveries were completed by early 2016.


title: Aegean Airlines

text: In June 2018, Aegean firmed up a purchase agreement with Airbus for 10 A321neos and 20 A320neos, following a memorandum of understanding signed in March that year. The company also intended to lease up to 20 more Airbus aircraft.


title: Aegean Airlines

text: The Aegean Airlines livery is mostly "Eurowhite", featuring a thin red line towards the lower part of the fuselage. Above it, the fuselage is white and features the airline's name, written in dark blue using trademarked font series. Below the red line, the fuselage is painted grey. The Aegean Airlines logo, two seagulls flying in front of the sun, is featured on the tail of the aircraft. In addition to the standard livery, Aegean Airlines uses several non-standard liveries, such as one advertising Star Alliance as well as one celebrating the new Acropolis Museum.


title: Aegean Airlines

text: Miles+Bonus is the frequent flyer program of Aegean Airlines and its Olympic Air subsidiary. It is a rebranding of Miles&Bonus, the former frequent flyer program of Aegean as well as a replacement for Olympic Air's Travelair Club. Miles+Bonus has three tiers: Blue, Silver and Gold.


title: Aegean Airlines

text: Gold members of "Miles+Bonus", or those with Gold status in another Star Alliance airline, as well as passengers traveling on business class on an Aegean Airlines or other Star Alliance flight, all have access to the three Aegean Business Lounges in Athens, Thessaloniki and Larnaca.


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (16 September 1916 – 11 December 2004) was an Indian Carnatic singer from Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. She is the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay award in 1974 with the citation reading "Exacting purists acknowledge Srimati M. S. Subbulakshmi as the leading exponent of classical and semi-classical songs in the carnatic tradition of South India. She was the First Indian who performed in United Nations General Assembly in 1966."


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: Subbulakshmi (Kunjamma to her family) was born on 16 September 1916 in Madurai, Madras Presidency, to veena player Shanmukavadiver Ammal and Subramania Iyer. Her grandmother Akkammal was a violinist.


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: She started learning Carnatic music at an early age and trained in Carnatic music under the tutelage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and subsequently in Hindustani music under Pandit Narayanrao Vyas.


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: Her mother, from the devadasi community, was a music exponent and a regular stage performer, and Subbulakshmi grew up in an environment very conducive to musical learning. Her musical interests were also shaped by regular interactions with Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer, Mazhavarayanendal Subbarama Bhagavathar and Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar.


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: Subbulakshmi gave her first public performance, at the age of eleven, in the year 1927, in the 100 pillar hall inside the Rockfort Temple, Tiruchirappalli; with Mysore Chowdiah on the violin and Dakshinamurthy Pillai on the mridangam. This was organised by the Tiruchirappalli-based Indian National Congress leader F. G. Natesa Iyer.


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: In 1936 Subbulakshmi moved to Madras (now Chennai). She also made her film debut in "Sevasadan" in 1938. Her debut to the world of cinema was again opposite F. G. Natesa Iyer.


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: M.S. Subbulakshmi began her Carnatic classical music training under her mother Shanmukhavadivu; and later in Hindustani classical training under Pandit Narayan Rao Vyas. Subbulakshmi first recording was released when she was 10 years old.


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: Subbulakshmi gave her first performance at the prestigious Madras Music Academy in 1929, when she was 13 years old . The performance consisted of singing bhajans (Hindu hymns). The academy was known for its discriminating selection process, and they broke tradition by inviting a young girl as a key performer. Her performance was described as spellbinding and earned her many admirers and the moniker of musical genius from critics. Soon after her debut performances, Subbulakshmi became one of the leading Carnatic vocalists.


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: By the age of seventeen, Subbulakshmi was giving concerts on her own, including major performances at the Madras Music Academy.


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: She travelled to London, New York, Canada, the Far East, and other places as India's cultural ambassador. Her concerts at Edinburgh International Festival of Music and Drama in 1963; Carnegie Hall, New York; the UN General Assembly on UN day in 1966; Royal Albert Hall, London in 1982; and Festival of India in Moscow in 1987


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: In 1969 she was accompanied by Indian Railways Advisor SN Venkata Rao to Rameswaram, where she sang several songs in front of each idol in the Ramanathaswamy Temple. She shared a very cordial relation with Sree Ramaseva Mandali Bengaluru for whom she performed 36 concerts.


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: After the death of her husband Kalki Sadasivam in 1997, she stopped all her public performances. Her last performance was in 1997, before her retirement from public concerts.


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: M.S. also acted in a few Tamil films in her youth. Her first movie, "Sevasadanam", was released on 2 May 1938. F.G. Natesa Iyer was the lead actor, opposite Subbulakshmi, in this film, directed by K. Subramanyam. It was a critical and commercial success. Ananda Vikatan favourably reviewed the film on 8 May 1938:


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: Sevasadanam is one of the early Tamil films to be set in a contemporary social setting and to advocate reformist social policies.


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: The veteran Marxist leader N. Sankaraiah, has described Sevasadanam as an "unusual film" for choosing the subject of marriages between young girls and old men (which had social sanction). According to him, the film successfully broughtout the "sufferings of the girl" (acted by M.S.) and the "mental agony of the aged husband".(acted by F.G.Natesa Iyer).Tamil film critic and historian Aranthai Narayanan observes in his book"Thamizh Cinemavin Kathai" (The Story of Tamil Cinema) that "Seva Sadhanam proved a turning point in the history of Tamil cinema. In the climax, the aged husband, now a totally changed man, was shown as casting aside with utter contempt his 'sacred thread', which symbolises his Brahmin superiority. It came as a stunning blow to the then Brahmin orthodoxy."


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: MS Subbulakshmi also played the male role of Narada in "Savitri" (1941) to raise money for launching "Kalki", her husband's nationalist Tamil weekly. Her title role of the Rajasthani saint-poetess Meera in the eponymous 1945 film gave her national prominence. This movie was re-made in Hindi in 1947.


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had this to say about M.S. Subbulakshmi- "Who am I, a mere Prime Minister before a Queen, a Queen of Music". While Lata Mangeshkar called her "Tapaswini" (the Renunciate), Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan termed her "Suswaralakshmi" (the goddess of the perfect note), and Kishori Amonkar labelled her the ultimate eighth note or "Aathuvaan Sur", which is above the seven notes basic to all music. The great national leader and poet Sarojini Naidu called her "Nightingale of India". Her many famous renditions of bhajans include the chanting of Meenakshi Pancharatnam, Bhaja Govindam, Vishnu sahasranama (1000 names of Vishnu), Hari Tuma Haro and the Venkateswara Suprabhatam (musical hymns to awaken Lord Balaji early in the morning).


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: She was honoured as a resident artist Asthana Vidhwan of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) has installed a bronze statue of M.S. Subbulakshmi at the Poornakumbham circle in the temple town. It was unveiled by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy on 28 May 2006.


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: The Kancheepuram Saree shade known as MS Blue was named after her by the well known Congress party member and philanthropist, Sri Muthu Chettiyar when they met at the residence of Sri R. Aiyadurai and Smt. Thangam Aiyadurai at Lady Desikachari Road, Madras, who were close friends of MS and Sadasivam.


title: M. S. Subbulakshmi

text: She was bestowed with enormous prize moneys with these awards, most of which she donated to charity. She has given more than 200 charity concerts and raised well over Rs. 10,000,000. She was awarded honorary degrees from several Universities. She was an ardent devotee of Kanchi Mahaswamigal and she rendered his composition "Maithreem Bhajatha" (O World! Cultivate peace) in her concert at the UN in 1966. She made a 20-minute recording of "Venkatesa Suprabhatam" for HMV, the royalty from which goes to the Veda Patasala run by the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam. She donated many of the royalties on several best sold records to many charity organisations.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Blackfoot Confederacy, Niitsitapi or Siksikaitsitapi (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or "Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Blackfeet people: the "Siksika" ("Blackfoot"), the "Kainai or Blood" ("Many Chiefs"), and two sections of the Peigan or Piikani ("Splotchy Robe") – the Northern Piikani ("Aapátohsipikáni") and the Southern Piikani ("Amskapi Piikani" or "Pikuni"). Broader definitions include groups such as the "Tsúùtínà" (Sarcee) and "A'aninin" (Gros Ventre) who spoke quite different languages but allied with or joined the Blackfoot Confederacy.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Historically, the member peoples of the Confederacy were nomadic bison hunters and trout fishermen, who ranged across large areas of the northern Great Plains of western North America, specifically the semi-arid shortgrass prairie ecological region. They followed the bison herds as they migrated between what are now the United States and Canada, as far north as the Bow River. In the first half of the 18th century, they acquired horses and firearms from white traders and their Cree and Assiniboine go-betweens. The Blackfoot used these to expand their territory at the expense of neighboring tribes.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Today, three Blackfoot First Nation band governments (the Siksika, Kainai, and Piikani Nations) reside in the Canadian province of Alberta, while the Blackfeet Nation is a federally recognized Native American tribe of Southern Piikani in Montana, United States. Additionally, the Gros Ventre are members of the federally recognized Fort Belknap Indian Community of the Fort Belknap Reservation of Montana in the United States and the Tsuutʼina Nation is a First Nation band government in Alberta, Canada.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The four Blackfoot nations come together to make up what is known as the Blackfoot Confederacy, meaning that they have banded together to help one another. The nations have their own separate governments ruled by a head chief, but regularly come together for religious and social celebrations.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Originally the Blackfoot/Plains Confederacy consisted of three peoples ("nation", "tribes", "tribal nations") based on kinship and dialect, but all speaking the common language of Blackfoot, one of the Algonquian languages family. The three were the "Piikáni" (historically called "Piegan Blackfeet" in English-language sources), the "Káínaa" (called "Bloods"), and the "Siksikáwa" ("Blackfoot"). They later allied with the unrelated "Tsuu T'ina" ("Sarcee"), who became merged into the Confederacy and, (for a time) with the "Atsina," or A'aninin ("Gros Ventre").


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Each of these highly decentralized peoples were divided into many bands, which ranged in size from 10 to 30 lodges, or about 80 to 240 persons. The band was the basic unit of organization for hunting and defence.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Confederacy occupied a large territory where they hunted and foraged; in the 19th century it was divided by the current Canada–US international border. But during the late nineteenth century, both governments forced the peoples to end their nomadic traditions and settle on "Indian reserves" (Canadian terminology) or "Indian reservations" (US terminology). The South Peigan are the only group who chose to settle in Montana. The other three Blackfoot-speaking peoples and the Sarcee are located in Alberta. Together, the Blackfoot-speakers call themselves the "Niitsítapi" (the "Original People"). After leaving the Confederacy, the Gros Ventres also settled on a reservation in Montana.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: When these peoples were forced to end their nomadic traditions, their social structures changed. Tribal nations, which had formerly been mostly ethnic associations, were institutionalized as governments (referred to as "tribes" in the United States and "bands" or "First Nations" in Canada). The Piegan were divided into the North Peigan in Alberta, and the South Peigan in Montana.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Confederacy had a territory that stretched from the North Saskatchewan River (called "Ponoká'sisaahta") along what is now Edmonton, Alberta, in Canada, to the Yellowstone River (called "Otahkoiitahtayi") of Montana in the United States, and from the Rocky Mountains (called "Miistakistsi") and along the South Saskatchewan River to the present Alberta-Saskatchewan border (called "Kaayihkimikoyi"), east past the Cypress Hills. They called their tribal territory "Niitsitpiis-stahkoii" (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᐨᑯᐧ ᓴᐦᖾᐟ)- "Original People


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: s Land." To the east, the Innu and Naskapi called their territory "Nitassinan" – "Our Land." They had adopted the use of the horse from other Plains tribes, probably by the early eighteenth century, which gave them expanded range and mobility, as well as advantages in hunting.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The basic social unit of the "Niitsitapi" above the family was the band, varying from about 10 to 30 lodges, about 80 to 241 people. This size group was large enough to defend against attack and to undertake communal hunts, but was also small enough for flexibility. Each band consisted of a respected leader , possibly his brothers and parents, and others who were not related. Since the band was defined by place of residence, rather than by kinship, a person was free to leave one band and join another, which tended to ameliorate leadership disputes. As well, should a band fall upon hard times, its members could split up and join other bands. In practice, bands were constantly forming and breaking up. The system maximized flexibility and was an ideal organization for a hunting people on the northwestern Great Plains.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: During the summer, the people assembled for nation gatherings. In these large assemblies, warrior societies played an important role for the men. Membership into these societies was based on brave acts and deeds.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: For almost half the year in the long northern winter, the Niitsitapi lived in their winter camps along a wooded river valley. They were located perhaps a day's march apart, not moving camp unless food for the people and horses, or firewood became depleted. Where there was adequate wood and game resources, some bands would camp together. During this part of the year, buffalo also wintered in wooded areas, where they were partially sheltered from storms and snow. They were easier prey as their movements were hampered. In spring the buffalo moved out onto the grasslands to forage on new spring growth. The Blackfoot did not follow immediately, for fear of late blizzards. As dried food or game became depleted, the bands would split up and begin to hunt the buffalo.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: In midsummer, when the chokecherries ripened, the people regrouped for their major ceremony, the "Okan" (Sun Dance). This was the only time of year when the four nations would assemble. The gathering reinforced the bonds among the various groups and linked individuals with the nations. Communal buffalo hunts provided food for the people, as well as offerings of the bulls' tongues (a delicacy) for the ceremonies. These ceremonies are sacred to the people. After the "Okan", the people again separated to follow the buffalo. They used the buffalo hides to make their dwellings and temporary tipis.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: In the fall, the people would gradually shift to their wintering areas. The men would prepare the buffalo jumps and pounds for capturing or driving the bison for hunting. Several groups of people might join together at particularly good sites, such as Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. As the buffalo were naturally driven into the area by the gradual late summer drying off of the open grasslands, the Blackfoot would carry out great communal buffalo kills.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The women processed the buffalo, preparing dried meat, and combining it for nutrition and flavor with dried fruits into pemmican, to last them through winter and other times when hunting was poor. At the end of the fall, the Blackfoot would move to their winter camps. The women worked the buffalo and other game skins for clothing, as well as to reinforce their dwellings; other elements were used to make warm fur robes, leggings, cords and other needed items. Animal sinews were used to tie arrow points and lances to throwing sticks, or for bridles for horses.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Niitsitapi maintained this traditional way of life based on hunting bison, until the near extirpation of the bison by 1881 forced them to adapt their ways of life in response to the encroachment of the European settlers and their descendants. In the United States, they were restricted to land assigned in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851. Nearly three decades later, they were given a distinct reservation in the Sweetgrass Hills Treaty of 1887. In 1877, the Canadian Niitsitapi signed Treaty 7 and settled on reserves in southern Alberta.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: This began a period of great struggle and economic hardship; the Niitsitapi had to try to adapt to a completely new way of life. They suffered a high rate of fatalities when exposed to Eurasian diseases, for which they had no natural immunity.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Eventually, they established a viable economy based on farming, ranching, and light industry. Their population has increased to about 16,000 in Canada and 15,000 in the U.S. today. With their new economic stability, the Niitsitapi have been free to adapt their culture and traditions to their new circumstances, renewing their connection to their ancient roots.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Niitsitapi, also known as the Blackfoot or Blackfeet Indians, reside in the Great Plains of Montana and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Originally, only one of the Niitsitapi tribes was called Blackfoot or Siksika. The name is said to have come from the color of the peoples' moccasins, made of leather. They had typically dyed or painted the soles of their moccasins black. One legendary story claimed that the Siksika walked through ashes of prairie fires, which in turn colored the bottoms of their moccasins black.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Due to language and cultural patterns, anthropologists believe the Niitsitapi did not originate in the Great Plains of the Midwest North America, but migrated from the upper Northeastern part of the country. They coalesced as a group while living in the forests of what is now the Northeastern United States. They were mostly located around the modern-day border between Canada and the state of Maine. By 1200, the Niitsitapi were moving in search of more land. They moved west and settled for a while north of the Great Lakes in present-day Canada, but had to compete for resources with existing tribes. They left the Great Lakes area and kept moving west.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: When they moved, they usually packed their belongings on an A-shaped sled called a "travois." The travois was designed for transport over dry land. The Blackfoot had relied on dogs to pull the "travois"; they did not acquire horses until the 18th century. From the Great Lakes area, they continued to move west and eventually settled in the Great Plains.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Plains had covered approximately with the Saskatchewan River to the north, the Rio Grande to the south, the Mississippi River to the east, and the Rocky Mountains to the west. Adopting the use of the horse, the Niitsitapi established themselves as one of the most powerful Indian tribes on the Plains in the late 18th century, earning themselves the name "The Lords of the Plains." Niitsitapi stories trace their residence and possession of their plains territory to "time immemorial."


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Niitsitapi main source of food on the plains was the American bison (buffalo), the largest mammal in North America, standing about tall and weighing up to . Before the introduction of horses, the Niitsitapi needed other ways to get in range. The buffalo jump was one of the most common ways. The hunters would round up the buffalo into V-shaped pens, and drive them over a cliff (they hunted pronghorn antelopes in the same way). Afterwards the hunters would go to the bottom and take as much meat as they could carry back to camp. They also used camouflage for hunting. The hunters would take buffalo skins from previous hunting trips and drape them over their bodies to blend in and mask their scent. By subtle moves, the hunters could get close to the herd. When close enough, the hunters would attack with arrows or spears to kill wounded animals.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The people used virtually all parts of the body and skin. The women prepared the meat for food: by boiling, roasting or drying for jerky. This processed it to last a long time without spoiling, and they depended on bison meat to get through the winters. The winters were long, harsh, and cold due to the lack of trees in the Plains, so people stockpiled meat in summer. As a ritual, hunters often ate the bison heart minutes after the kill. The women tanned and prepared the skins to cover the tepees. These were made of log poles, with the skins draped over it. The tepee remained warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and was a great shield against the wind.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The women also made clothing from the skins, such as robes and moccasins, and made soap from the fat. Both men and women made utensils, sewing needles and tools from the bones, using tendon for fastening and binding. The stomach and bladder were cleaned and prepared for use for storing liquids. Dried bison dung was fuel for the fires. The Niitsitapi considered the animal sacred and integral to their lives.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Up until around 1730, the Blackfoot traveled by foot and used dogs to carry and pull some of their goods. They had not seen horses in their previous lands, but were introduced to them on the Plains, as other tribes, such as the Shoshone, had already adopted their use. They saw the advantages of horses and wanted some. The Blackfoot called the horses "ponokamita" (elk dogs). The horses could carry much more weight than dogs and moved at a greater speed. They could be ridden for hunting and travel.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Horses revolutionised life on the Great Plains and soon came to be regarded as a measure of wealth. Warriors regularly raided other tribes for their best horses. Horses were generally used as universal standards of barter. Medicine men were paid for cures and healing with horses. Those who designed shields or war bonnets were also paid in horses. The men gave horses to those who were owed gifts as well as to the needy. An individual's wealth rose with the number of horses accumulated, but a man did not keep an abundance of them. The individual's prestige and status was judged by the number of horses that he could give away. For the Indians who lived on the Plains, the principal value of property was to share it with others.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: After having driven the hostile Shoshone and Arapaho from the Northwestern Plains, the Niitsitapi began in 1800 a long phase of keen competition in the fur trade with their former Cree allies, which often escalated militarily. In addition both groups had adapted to using horses about 1730, so by mid-century an adequate supply of horses became a question of survival. Horse theft was at this stage not only a proof of courage, but often a desperate contribution to survival, for many ethnic groups competed for hunting in the grasslands.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Cree and Assiniboine continued horse raiding against the Gros Ventre (in Cree: "Pawistiko Iyiniwak" – "Rapids People" – "People of the Rapids"), allies of the Niitsitapi. The Gros Ventres were also known as "Niya Wati Inew", "Naywattamee" ("They Live in Holes People"), because their tribal lands were along the Saskatchewan River Forks (the confluence of North and South Saskatchewan River). They had to withstand attacks of enemies with guns. In retaliation for Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) supplying their enemies with weapons, the Gros Ventre attacked and burned in 1793 South Branch House of the HBC on the South Saskatchewan River near the present village of St. Louis, Saskatchewan. Then, the tribe moved southward to the Milk River in Montana and allied themselves with the Blackfoot. The area between the North Saskatchewan River and Battle River (the name derives from the war fought between these two tribal groups) was the limit of the now warring tribal alliances.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Blackfoot war parties would ride hundreds of miles on raids. A boy on his first war party was given a silly or derogatory name. But after he had stolen his first horse or killed an enemy, he was given a name to honor him. Warriors would strive to perform various acts of bravery called counting coup, in order to move up in social rank. The coups in order of importance were: taking a gun from a living enemy and or touching him directly; capturing lances, and bows; scalping an enemy; killing an enemy; freeing a tied horse from in front of an enemy lodge; leading a war party; scouting for a war party; stealing headdresses, shields, pipes (sacred ceremonial pipes); and driving a herd of stolen horses back to camp.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Niitsitapi were enemies of the Crow, Cheyenne ("kiihtsipimiitapi" – ″Pinto People″), and Sioux (Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota) (called "pinaapisinaa" – "East Cree") on the Great Plains; and the Shoshone, Flathead, Kalispel, Kootenai (called "kotonáá'wa") and Nez Perce (called "komonóítapiikoan") in the mountain country to their west and southwest. Their most mighty and most dangerous enemy, however, were the political/military/trading alliance of the Iron Confederacy or "Nehiyaw-Pwat" (in Plains Cree: "Nehiyaw" – 'Cree' and "Pwat" or "Pwat-sak" – 'Sioux, i.e. Assiniboine') – named after the dominating Plains Cree (called "Asinaa") and Assiniboine (called "Niitsísinaa" – "Original Cree"). These included the Stoney (called "Saahsáísso'kitaki" or "Sahsi-sokitaki" – ″Sarcee trying to cut″), Saulteaux (or Plains Ojibwe), and Métis to the north, east and southeast.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: With the expansion of the "Nehiyaw-Pwat" to the north, west and southwest, they integrated larger groups of Iroquois, Chipewyan, Danezaa ("Dunneza" – 'The real (prototypical) people'), Ktunaxa, Flathead, and later Gros Ventre (called "atsíína" – "Gut People" or "like a Cree"), in their local groups. Loosely allied with the "Nehiyaw-Pwat", but politically independent, were neighboring tribes like the Ktunaxa, Secwepemc and in particular the arch enemy of the Blackfoot, the Crow, or Indian trading partners like the Nez Perce and Flathead.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Shoshone acquired horses much sooner than the Blackfoot and soon occupied much of present-day Alberta, most of Montana, and parts of Wyoming, and raided the Blackfoot frequently. Once the Piegan gained access to horses of their own and guns, obtained from the HBC via the Cree and Assiniboine, the situation changed. By 1787 David Thompson reports that the Blackfoot had completely conquered most of Shoshone territory, and frequently captured Shoshone women and children and forcibly assimilated them into Blackfoot society, further increasing their advantages over the Shoshone. Thompson reports that Blackfoot territory in 1787 was from the North Saskatchewan River in the north to the Missouri River in the South, and from Rocky Mountains in the west out to a distance of to the east.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Between 1790 and 1850, the "Nehiyaw-Pwat" were at the height of their power; they could successfully defend their territories against the Sioux (Lakota, Nakota and Dakota) and the Niitsitapi Confederacy. During the so-called Buffalo Wars (about 1850 – 1870), they penetrated further and further into the territory from the Niitsitapi Confederacy in search for the buffalo, so that the Piegan were forced to give way in the region of the Missouri River (in Cree: "Pikano Sipi" – "Muddy River", "Muddy, turbid River"), the Kainai withdrew to the Bow River and Belly River; only the Siksika could hold their tribal lands along the Red Deer River. Around 1870, the alliance between the Blackfoot and the Gros Ventre broke, and the latter began to look to their former enemies, the Southern Assiniboine (or Plains Assiniboine), for protection.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Anthony Henday of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) met a large Blackfoot group in 1754 in what is now Alberta. The Blackfoot had established dealings with traders connected to the Canadian and English fur trade before meeting the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1806. Lewis and Clark and their men had embarked on mapping the Louisiana Territory and upper Missouri River for the United States government.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: On their return trip from the Pacific Coast, Lewis and three of his men encountered a group of young Blackfoot warriors with a large herd of horses, and it was clear to Meriwether Lewis that they were not far from much larger groups of warriors. Lewis explained to them that the United States government wanted peace with all Indian nations, and that the US leaders had successfully formed alliances with other Indian nations. The group camped together that night, and at dawn there was a scuffle as it was discovered that the Blackfoot were trying to steal guns and run off with their horses while the Americans slept. In the ensuing struggle, one warrior was fatally stabbed and another shot by Lewis and presumed killed.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: In subsequent years, American mountain men trapping in Blackfoot country generally encountered hostility. When John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, returned to Blackfoot country soon after, he barely escaped with his life. In 1809, Colter and his companion were trapping on the Jefferson River by canoe when they were surrounded by hundreds of Blackfoot warriors on horseback on both sides of the river bank. Colter's companion, John Potts, did not surrender and was killed. Colter was stripped of his clothes and forced to run for his life, after being given a head start (famously known in the annals of the West as "Colter's Run.") He eventually escaped by reaching a river five miles away and diving under either an island of driftwood or a beaver dam, where he remained concealed until after nightfall. He trekked another 300 miles to a fort.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: In the context of shifting tribal politics due to the spread of horses and guns, the Niitsitapi initially tried to increase their trade with the HBC traders in Rupert's Land whilst blocking access to the HBC by neighboring peoples to the West. But the HBC trade eventually reached into what is now inland British Columbia.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: By the late 1820s, [this prompted] the Niitsitapiksi, and in particular the Piikani, whose territory was rich in beaver, [to] temporarily put aside cultural prohibitions and environmental constraints to trap enormous numbers of these animals and, in turn, receive greater quantities of trade items.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The HBC encouraged Niitsitapiksi to trade by setting up posts on the North Saskatchewan River, on the northern boundary of their territory. In the 1830s the Rocky Mountain region and the wider Saskatchewan District were the HBC's most profitable, and Rocky Mountain House was the HBC's busiest post. It was primarily used by the Piikani. Other Niitsitapiksi nations traded more in pemmican and buffalo skins than beaver, and visited other posts such as Fort Edmonton.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Meanwhile, in 1822 the American Fur Company entered the Upper Missouri region from the south for the first time, without Niitsitapiksi permission. This led to tensions and conflict until 1830, when peaceful trade was established. This was followed by the opening of Fort Piegan as the first American trading post in Niitsitapi territory in 1831, joined by Fort MacKenzie in 1833. The Americans offered better terms of trade and were more interested in buffalo skins than the HBC, which brought them more trade from the Niitsitapi. The HBC responded by building Bow Fort (Peigan Post) on the Bow River in 1832, but it was not a success.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: In 1833, German explorer Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied and Swiss painter Karl Bodmer spent months with the Niitsitapi to get a sense of their culture. Bodmer portrayed their society in paintings and drawings.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Contact with the Europeans caused a spread of infectious diseases to the Niitsitapi, mostly cholera and smallpox. In one instance in 1837, an American Fur Company steamboat, the "St. Peter's", was headed to Fort Union and several passengers contracted smallpox on the way. They continued to send a smaller vessel with supplies farther up the river to posts among the Niitsitapi. The Niitsitapi contracted the disease and eventually 6,000 died, marking an end to their dominance among tribes over the Plains. The Hudson's Bay Company did not require or help their employees get vaccinated; the English doctor Edward Jenner had developed a technique 41 years before but its use was not yet widespread.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Like many other Great Plains Indian nations, the Niitsitapi often had hostile relationships with white settlers. Despite the hostilities, the Blackfoot stayed largely out of the Great Plains Indian Wars, neither fighting against nor scouting for the United States army. One of their friendly bands, however, was attacked by mistake and nearly destroyed by the US Army in the Marias Massacre on 23 January 1870, undertaken as an action to suppress violence against settlers. A friendly relationship with the North-West Mounted Police and learning of the brutality of the Marias Massacre discouraged the Blackfoot from engaging in wars against Canada and the United States.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: When the Lakota, together with their Cheyenne and Arapaho allies, were fighting the United States Army, they sent runners into Blackfoot territory, urging them to join the fight. Crowfoot, one of the most influential Blackfoot chiefs, dismissed the Lakota messengers. He threatened to ally with the NWMP to fight them if they came north into Blackfoot country again. News of Crowfoot's loyalty reached Ottawa and from there London; Queen Victoria praised Crowfoot and the Blackfoot for their loyalty. Despite his threats, Crowfoot later met those Lakota who had fled with Sitting Bull into Canada after defeating George Armstrong Custer and his battalion at the Battle of Little Big Horn. Crowfoot considered the Lakota then to be refugees and was sympathetic to their strife, but retained his anti-war stance. Sitting Bull and Crowfoot fostered peace between the two nations by a ceremonial offering of tobacco, ending hostilities between them. Sitting Bull was so impressed by Crowfoot that he named one of his sons after him.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Blackfoot also chose to stay out of the North- West Rebellion, led by the famous Métis leader Louis Riel. Louis Riel and his men added to the already unsettled conditions facing the Blackfoot by camping near them. They tried to spread discontent with the government and gain a powerful ally. The North-West Rebellion was made up mostly of Métis, Assiniboine (Nakota) and Plains Cree, who all fought against European encroachment and destruction of Bison herds. The Plains Cree were one of the Blackfoot's most hated enemies; however, the two nations made peace when Crowfoot adopted Poundmaker, an influential Cree chief and great peacemaker, as his son. Although he refused to fight, Crowfoot had sympathy for those with the rebellion, especially the Cree led by such notable chiefs as Poundmaker, Big Bear, Wandering Spirit and Fine-Day.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: When news of continued Blackfoot neutrality reached Ottawa, Lord Lansdowne, the governor general, expressed his thanks to Crowfoot again on behalf of the Queen back in London. The cabinet of John A. Macdonald (the current Prime Minister of Canada at the time) gave Crowfoot a round of applause.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: During the mid-1800s, the Niitsitapi faced a dwindling food supply, as European-American hunters were hired by the U.S government to kill bison so the Blackfeet would remain in their reservation. Settlers were also encroaching on their territory. Without the buffalo, the Niitsitapi were forced to depend on the United States government for food supplies. In 1855, the Niitsitapi chief Lame Bull made a peace treaty with the United States government. The Lame Bull Treaty promised the Niitsitapi $20,000 annually in goods and services in exchange for their moving onto a reservation.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: In 1860, very few buffalo were left, and the Niitsitapi became completely dependent on government supplies. Often the food was spoiled by the time they received it, or supplies failed to arrive at all. Hungry and desperate, Blackfoot raided white settlements for food and supplies, and outlaws on both sides stirred up trouble.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Events were catalyzed by Owl Child, a young Piegan warrior who stole a herd of horses in 1867 from an American trader named Malcolm Clarke. Clarke retaliated by tracking Owl Child down and severely beating him in full view of Owl Child's camp, and humiliating him. According to Piegan oral history, Clarke had also raped Owl Child's wife. But, Clarke was long married to Coth-co-co-na, a Piegan woman who was Owl Child's cousin. The raped woman gave birth to a child as a result of the rape, which oral history said was stillborn or killed by band elders. Two years after the beating, in 1869 Owl Child and some associates killed Clarke at his ranch after dinner, and severely wounded his son Horace. Public outcry from news of the event led to General Philip Sheridan to dispatch a band of cavalry, led by Major Eugene Baker, to find Owl Child and his camp and punish them.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: On 23 January 1870, a camp of Piegan Indians were spotted by army scouts and reported to the dispatched cavalry, but it was mistakenly identified as a hostile band. Around 200 soldiers surrounded the camp the following morning and prepared for an ambush. Before the command to fire, the chief Heavy Runner was alerted to soldiers on the snowy bluffs above the encampment. He walked toward them, carrying his safe-conduct paper. Heavy Runner and his band of Piegans shared peace between American settlers and troops at the time of the event. Heavy Runner was shot and killed by army scout Joe Cobell, whose wife was part of the camp of the hostile Mountain Chief, further along the river, from whom he wanted to divert attention. Fellow scout Joe Kipp had realized the error and tried to signal the troops. He was threatened by the cavalry for reporting that the people they attacked were friendly.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Following the death of Heavy Runner, the soldiers attacked the camp. According to their count, they killed 173 Piegan and suffered just one U.S Army soldier casualty, who fell off his horse and broke his leg, dying of complications. Most of the victims were women, children and the elderly, as most of the younger men were out hunting. The Army took 140 Piegan prisoner and then released them. With their camp and belongings destroyed, they suffered terribly from exposure, making their way as refugees to Fort Benton.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: As reports of the massacre gradually were learned in the east, members of the United States congress and press were outraged. General William Sherman reported that most of the killed were warriors under Mountain Chief. An official investigation never occurred, and no official monument marks the spot of the massacre. Compared to events such as the massacres at Wounded Knee and Sand Creek, the Marias Massacre remains largely unknown. But, it confirmed President Ulysses S. Grant in his decision not to allow the Army to take over the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as it had been suggesting to combat corruption among Indian agents. Grant chose to appoint numerous Quakers to those positions as he pursued a peace policy with Native Americans.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Cree and Assiniboine also suffered from the dwindling herds of the buffalo. By 1850 herds were found almost exclusively on the territory of the Blackfoot. Therefore, in 1870 various "Nehiyaw-Pwat" bands began a final effort to get hold of their prey, by beginning a war. They hoped to defeat the Blackfoot weakened by smallpox and attacked a camp near Fort Whoop-Up (called "Akaisakoyi" – "Many Dead"). But they were defeated in the so-called Battle of the Belly River (near Lethbridge, called "Assini-etomochi" – "where we slaughtered the Cree") and lost over 300 warriors. The next winter the hunger compelled them to negotiate with the Niitsitapi, with whom they made a final lasting peace.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The United States passed laws that adversely affected the Niitsitapi. In 1874, the US Congress voted to change the Niitsitapi reservation borders without discussing it with the Niitsitapi. They received no other land or compensation for the land lost, and in response, the Kainai, Siksika, and Piegan moved to Canada; only the Pikuni remained in Montana.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The winter of 1883–1884 became known as "Starvation Winter" because no government supplies came in, and the buffalo were gone. That winter, 600 Niitsitapi died of hunger.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: In efforts to assimilate the Native Americans to European-American ways, in 1898, the government dismantled tribal governments and outlawed the practice of traditional Indian religions. They required Blackfoot children to go to boarding schools, where they were forbidden to speak their native language, practise customs, or wear traditional clothing. In 1907, the United States government adopted a policy of allotment of reservation land to individual heads of families to encourage family farming and break up the communal tribal lands. Each household received a farm, and the government declared the remainder "surplus" to the tribe's needs. It put it up for sale for development. The allotments were too small to support farming on the arid plains. A 1919 drought destroyed crops and increased the cost of beef. Many Indians were forced to sell their allotted land and pay taxes which the government said they owed.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: In 1934 the Indian Reorganization Act, passed by the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, ended allotments and allowed the tribes to choose their own government. They were also allowed to practise their cultures. In 1935, the Blackfeet Nation of Montana began a Tribal Business Council. After that, they wrote and passed their own Constitution, with an elected representative government.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Family was highly valued by the Blackfoot Indians. For traveling, they also split into bands of 20-30 people, but would come together for times of celebration. They valued leadership skills and chose the chiefs who would run their settlements wisely. During times of peace, the people would elect a peace chief, meaning someone who could lead the people and improve relations with other tribes. The title of war chief could not be gained through election and needed to be earned by successfully performing various acts of bravery including touching a living enemy. Blackfoot bands often had minor chiefs in addition to an appointed head chief.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Within the Blackfoot nation, there were different societies to which people belonged, each of which had functions for the tribe. Young people were invited into societies after proving themselves by recognized passages and rituals. For instance, young men had to perform a vision quest, begun by a spiritual cleansing in a sweat lodge. They went out from the camp alone for four days of fasting and praying. Their main goal was to see a vision that would explain their future. After having the vision, a youth returned to the village ready to join society.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: In a warrior society, the men had to be prepared for battle. Again, the warriors would prepare by spiritual cleansing, then paint themselves symbolically; they often painted their horses for war as well. Leaders of the warrior society carried spears or lances called a "coup" stick, which was decorated with feathers, skin, and other tokens. They won prestige by "counting coup", tapping the enemy with the stick and getting away.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Members of the religious society protected sacred Blackfoot items and conducted religious ceremonies. They blessed the warriors before battle. Their major ceremony was the Sun Dance, or Medicine Lodge Ceremony. By engaging in the Sun Dance, their prayers would be carried up to the Creator, who would bless them with well-being and abundance of buffalo.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Women's societies also had important responsibilities for the communal tribe. They designed refined quillwork on clothing and ceremonial shields, helped prepare for battle, prepared skins and cloth to make clothing, cared for the children and taught them tribal ways, skinned and tanned the leathers used for clothing and other purposes, prepared fresh and dried foods, and performed ceremonies to help hunters in their journeys.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Sage and sweet grass are both used by Blackfoot and other Plains tribes for ceremonial purposes and are considered sacred plants. Sage and sweet grass are burned with the user inhaling and covering themselves in the smoke in a process known widely as smudging. Sage is said to rid the body of negative emotions such as anger. Sweet grass is said to draw in positive energy. Both are used for purification purposes. The pleasant and natural odor of the burning grass is said to attract spirits. Sweet grass is prepared for ceremony by braiding the stems together then drying them before burning.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Sweet grass is also often present and burned in pipe-smoking mixtures alongside bearberry and red willow plants. The smoke from the pipe is said to carry the users prayers up to the creator with the rising smoke. Large medicine bags often decorated with ornate beaded designs were used by medicine men to carry sage, sweet grass, and other important plants. Blackfoot also used sweet grass smoke, or sachets of sweet grass in their clothing, as an effective insect repellent.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: They apply a poultice of chewed roots Asclepias viridiflora to swellings, to "diarrhea rash", to rashes, to the sore gums of nursing infants and to sore eyes. They also chew the root of Asclepias viridiflora for sore throats, and use the plant to spice soups, and use the fresh roots for food. They make use of Viola adunca, applying an infusion of the roots and leaves to sore and swollen joints, giving an infusion of the leaves and roots to asthmatic children, and using the plant to dye their arrows blue. They put Carex in moccasins to protect the feet during winter horse stealing expeditions.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: In the Blackfoot culture, men were responsible for choosing their marriage partners, but women had the choice to accept them or not. The male had to show the woman's father his skills as a hunter or warrior. If the father was impressed and approved of the marriage, the man and woman would exchange gifts of horses and clothing and were considered married. The married couple would reside in their own tipi or with the husband's family. Although the man was permitted more than one wife, typically he only chose one. In cases of more than one wife, quite often the male would choose a sister of the wife, believing that sisters would not argue as much as total strangers.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: In a typical Blackfoot family, the father would go out and hunt and bring back supplies that the family might need. The mother would stay close to home and watch over the children while the father was out. The children were taught basic survival skills and culture as they grew up. It was generally said that both boys and girls learned to ride horses early. Boys would usually play with toy bows and arrows until they were old enough to learn how to hunt.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: They would also play a popular game called shinny, which later became known as ice hockey. They used a long curved wooden stick to knock a ball, made of baked clay covered with buckskin, over a goal line. Girls were given a doll to play with, which also doubled as a learning tool because it was fashioned with typical tribal clothing and designs and also taught the young women how to care for a child. As they grew older, more responsibilities were placed upon their shoulders. The girls were then taught to cook, prepare hides for leather, and gather wild plants and berries. The boys were held accountable for going out with their father to prepare food by means of hunting.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Typically clothing was made primarily of softened and tanned antelope and deer hides. The women would make and decorate the clothes for everyone in the tribe. Men wore moccasins, long leggings that went up to their hips, a loincloth, and a belt. Occasionally they would wear shirts but generally they would wrap buffalo robes around their shoulders. The distinguished men of bravery would wear a necklace made of grizzly bear claws.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Boys dressed much like the older males, wearing leggings, loincloths, moccasins, and occasionally an undecorated shirt. They kept warm by wearing a buffalo robe over their shoulders or over their heads if it became cold. Women and girls wore dresses made from two or three deerskins. The women wore decorative earrings and bracelets made from sea shells, obtained through trade with distant tribes, or different types of metal. They would sometimes wear beads in their hair or paint the part in their hair red, which signified that they were old enough to bear children.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Similar to other Indigenous Peoples of the Great Plains, the Blackfoot developed a variety of different headdresses that incorporated elements of creatures important to them; these served different purposes and symbolized different associations. The typical war bonnet was made from eagle feathers, because the bird was considered powerful. It was worn by prestigious warriors and chiefs (including war-chiefs) of the Blackfoot. The straight-up headdress is a uniquely Blackfoot headdress that, like the war bonnet, is made with eagle feathers. The feathers on the straight-up headdress point directly straight upwards from the rim (hence the name). Often a red plume is attached to the front of the headdress; it also points straight upward.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The split-horn headdress was very popular among Northern Plains Indians, particularly those nations of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Many warrior societies, including the Horn Society of the Blackfoot, wore the split-horn headdress. The split-horn headdress was made from a single bison horn, split in two and reshaped as slimmer versions of a full-sized bison horn, and polished. The horns were attached to a beaded, rimmed felt hat. Furs from weasels (taken when carrying heavy winter coats) were attached to the top of the headdress, and dangled from the sides. The side furs were often finished with bead work where attached to the headdress. A similar headdress, called the antelope horn headdress, was made in a similar fashion using the horn or horns from a pronghorn antelope.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Blackfoot men, particularly warriors, sometimes wore a roach made from porcupine hair. The hairs of the porcupine are most often dyed red. Eagle and other bird feathers were occasionally attached to the roach.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Buffalo scalps, often with horns still attached and often with a beaded rim, were also worn. Fur "turbans" made from soft animal fur (most often otter) were also popular. Buffalo scalps and fur turbans were worn in the winter to protect the head from the cold.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Blackfoot have continued to wear traditional headdresses at special ceremonies. They are worn mostly by elected chiefs, members of various traditional societies (including the Horn, Crazy Dog and Motokik societies), powwow dancers and spiritual leaders.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: One of the most famous traditions held by the Blackfoot is their story of sun and the moon. It starts with a family of a man, wife, and two sons, who live off berries and other food they can gather, as they have no bows and arrows, or other tools (albeit a stone axe). One night, the man had a dream: he was told by the dream to get a large spider web and put it on the trail where the animals roamed, and they would get caught up and could be easily killed with the stone axe he had. The man had done so and saw that it was true. One day, he came home from bringing in some fresh meat from the trail and discovered his wife to be applying perfume on herself. He thought that she must have another lover since she never did this before. He then told his wife that he was going to move a web and asked if she could bring in the meat and wood he had left outside from a previous hunt. She had reluctantly gone out and passed over a hill. The wife looked back three times and saw her husband in the same place she had left him, so she continued on to retrieve the meat. The father then asked his children if they went with their mother to find wood, but they never had. However they knew the location in which she retrieved it from.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The man set out and found the timber along with a den of rattlesnakes, one of which was his wife's lover. He set the timber on fire and killed the snakes. He knew by doing this that his wife would become enraged, so the man returned home. He told the children to flee and gave them a stick, stone, and moss to use if their mother chased after them. He remained at the house and put a web over his front door. The wife tried to get in but became stuck and had her leg cut off. She then put her head through and he cut that off also. While the body followed the husband to the creek, the head followed the children. The oldest boy saw the head behind them and threw the stick. The stick turned into a great forest. The head made it through, so the younger brother instructed the elder to throw the stone. He did so, and where the stone landed a huge mountain popped up. It spanned from big water (ocean) to big water and the head was forced to go through it, not around. The head met a group of rams and said to them she would marry their chief if they butted their way through the mountain. The chief agreed and they butted until their horns were worn down, but this still was not through. She then asked the ants if they could burrow through the mountain with the same stipulations, it was agreed and they get her the rest of the way through. The children were far ahead, but eventually saw the head rolling behind them. The boys wet the moss and wrung it out behind themselves. They were then in a different land surrounded by an expanse of water (the 'new land' is commonly interpreted as Russia, with the expanse of water being the Bering Strait). The head rolled into the water and drowned. The children decided to build a raft and head back. Once they returned to their land, however, they discovered that it was now occupied by the Crow people and the Snake people, so they decided to split up.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: One brother was simple and went north to discover what he could and make people. The other was smart and went south to make white people. He taught them how to forge and make advanced weapons, which is how the Blackfoot people believe the whites became so technologically advanced. The simple brother created the Blackfoot nation and was unable to teach them anything. He became known as Left Hand, and later by the Blackfoot as Old Man (or Napiw, the Creator). The woman still chases the man: she is the moon and he is the sun, and if she ever catches him, it will always be night.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The creation myth is part of the oral history of the Blackfoot nation. It was said that in the beginning, Napio floated on a log with four animals. The animals were: Mameo (fish), Matcekups (frog), Maniskeo (lizard), and Sopeo (turtle). Napio sent all of them into the deep water, one after another. The first three had gone down and returned with nothing. The turtle went down and retrieved mud from the bottom and gave it to Napio.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: He took the mud and rolled it in his hand and created the earth. He let it roll out of his hand and over time, it has grown to what it is today. After he created the earth, he created women first, followed by men. He had them living separately from one another. The men were shy and afraid, but Napio said to them to not fear and take one as their wife. They had done as he asked, and Napio continued to create the buffalo and bows and arrows for the people so that they could hunt them.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The largest ethnic group in the Confederacy is the "Piegan", also spelled "Peigan" or "Pikuni". Their name derives from the Blackfoot term "Piikáni". They are divided into the Piikani Nation ("Aapátohsipikáni" ("the companion up there") or simply "Piikáni") in present-day Alberta, and the South Peigan or Piegan Blackfeet ("Aamsskáápipikani") in Montana, United States. A once large and mighty division of the Piegan were the Inuk'sik ("the humans") of southwestern Montana. Today they survive only as a clan or band of the South Peigan.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The modern Kainai Nation is named for the Blackfoot-language term "Káínaa", meaning "Many Chief people". These were historically also called the "Blood," from a Plains Cree name for the Kainai: "Miko-Ew", meaning "stained with blood" (i.e. "the bloodthirsty, cruel"). The common English name for the tribe is Blood or the Blood tribe.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Siksika Nation's name derives from "Siksikáwa," meaning "Those of like". The Siksika also call themselves "Sao-kitapiiksi," meaning "Plains People".


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Sarcee call themselves the "Tsu T'ina," meaning "a great number of people." During early years of conflict, the Blackfoot called them "Saahsi" or "Sarsi", "the stubborn ones", in their language. The Sarcee are from an entirely different language family; they are part of the Athabascan or Dené language family, most of whose members are located in the Subarctic of Northern Canada. Specifically, the Sarcee are an offshoot of the Beaver (Danezaa) people, who migrated south onto the plains sometime in the early eighteenth century. They later joined the Confederacy and essentially merged with the Pikuni ("Once had").


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Gros Ventre people call themselves the "Haaninin" ("white clay people"), also spelled "A'aninin." The French called them "Gros Ventres" ("fat bellies"), misinterpreting a physical sign for waterfall; and the English called them the Fall Indians, related to waterfalls in the mountains. The Blackfoot referred to them as the "Piik-siik-sii-naa" ("snakes") or "Atsina" ("like a Cree"), because of years of enmity. Early scholars thought the A'aninin were related to the Arapaho Nation, who inhabited the Missouri Plains and moved west to Colorado and Wyoming. They were allied with the Confederacy from circa 1793 to 1861, but came to disagreement and were enemies of it thereafter.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Today, many of the Blackfoot live on reserves in Canada. About 8,500 live on the Montana reservation of . In 1896, the Blackfoot sold a large portion of their land to the United States government, which hoped to find gold or copper deposits. No such mineral deposits were found. In 1910, the land was set aside as Glacier National Park. Some Blackfoot work there and occasional Native American ceremonies are held there.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: Unemployment is a challenging problem on the Blackfeet Reservation and on Canadian Blackfoot reserves, because of their isolation from major urban areas. Many people work as farmers, but there are not enough other jobs nearby. To find work, many Blackfoot have relocated from the reservation to towns and cities. Some companies pay the Blackfoot governments to lease use of lands for extracting oil, natural gas, and other resources. The nations have operated such businesses such as the Blackfoot Writing Company, a pen and pencil factory, which opened in 1972, but it closed in the late 1990s. In Canada, the Northern Piegan make traditional craft clothing and moccasins, and the Kainai operate a shopping center and factory.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: In 1974, the Blackfoot Community College, a tribal college, opened in Browning, Montana. The school is also the location of the tribal headquarters. As of 1979, the Montana state government requires all public school teachers on or near the reservation to have a background in American Indian studies.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: In 1986, the Kainai Nation opened the Red Crow Community College in Stand Off, Alberta. In 1989, the Siksika tribe in Canada completed the construction of a high school to go along with its elementary school.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Blackfoot continue many cultural traditions of the past and hope to extend their ancestors' traditions to their children. They want to teach their children the Pikuni language as well as other traditional knowledge. In the early 20th century, a white woman named Frances Densmore helped the Blackfoot record their language. During the 1950s and 1960s, few Blackfoot spoke the Pikuni language. In order to save their language, the Blackfoot Council asked elders who still knew the language to teach it. The elders had agreed and succeeded in reviving the language, so today the children can learn Pikuni at school or at home. In 1994, the Blackfoot Council accepted Pikuni as the official language.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The people have revived the Black Lodge Society, responsible for protecting songs and dances of the Blackfoot. They continue to announce the coming of spring by opening five medicine bundles, one at every sound of thunder during the spring. One of the biggest celebrations is called the North American Indian Days. Lasting four days, it is held during the second week of July in Browning. Lastly, the Sun Dance, which was illegal from the 1890s-1934, has been practiced again for years. While it was illegal, the Blackfoot held it in secret. Since 1934, they have practised it every summer. The event lasts eight days – time filled with prayers, dancing, singing, and offerings to honor the Creator. It provides an opportunity for the Blackfoot to get together and share views and ideas with each other, while celebrating their culture's most sacred ceremonies.


title: Blackfoot Confederacy

text: The Blackfeet Nation in Montana have a blue tribal flag. The flag shows a ceremonial lance or coup stick with 29 feathers. The center of the flag contains a ring of 32 white and black eagle feathers. Within the ring is an outline map of the Blackfoot Reservation. Within the map is depicted a warrior's headdress and the words "Blackfeet Nation" and "Pikuni" (the name of the tribe in the Algonquian native tongue of the Blackfoot).


title: Troy Deeney

text: Troy Matthew Deeney (born 29 June 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains club Birmingham City.


title: Troy Deeney

text: Deeney started his professional career at Walsall. He spent a brief spell on loan with Southern League Premier Division club Halesowen Town during the 2006–07 season. He transferred to Championship club Watford in 2010 and captained the team to promotion to the Premier League in the 2014–15 season. After 11 years and more than 400 matches with Watford, he left the club as a free agent in August 2021 and signed for Birmingham City.


title: Troy Deeney

text: Deeney was born in Birmingham, West Midlands, one of three children born to his parents, and grew up in Chelmsley Wood. At the age of 10, Deeney and his mother were assaulted by his father, leading to visits from social services. The couple split when Deeney was 11 with his mother taking custody of their children. He maintained a relationship with his father, who was a drug dealer in Deeney's local area. Deeney was expelled from school when he was 14, before returning at the age of 15 but left at 16 without any GCSEs. Since 2012 he has earned GCSEs in English, Science and Maths.


title: Troy Deeney

text: Deeney was invited by the Aston Villa academy to take part in a four-day summer trial at the age of 15 with a view to earning a youth contract; however, he missed the first three days as he "knew there was a game on the last day" and was not offered terms by Villa. After leaving school in 2004 he had begun training as a bricklayer, earning £120 a week, and joined Chelmsley Town. He made his debut on 9 October 2004 in a 2–1 victory against Mile Oak Rovers, only coming into the first team as several players were unavailable because the game was an early kick-off – it had been brought forward to avoid clashing with England's 2006 World Cup Qualifier against Wales. After holding down a regular place in the team, Deeney went on to win Chelmsley Town's Player of the Year for the 2005–06 season.


title: Troy Deeney

text: Deeney was spotted by Walsall's Head of Youth Mick Halsall, who only attended the match because his son was also playing, and because the match he was scheduled to attend had been postponed. Deeney was playing while drunk, but scored seven goals in an 11–4 win. He was offered a trial by the then League Two club, but only attended after his Chelmsley manager got him out of bed and paid for his taxi. After signing for Walsall on 18 December 2006, Deeney was instantly sent out to Halesowen Town on loan for the rest of the 2006–07 season.


title: Troy Deeney

text: He scored his first professional competitive goal for Walsall against Millwall in a 2–1 win in September 2007. This turned out to be his only goal of the 2007–08 season, and the 2008–09 season started similarly, with him managing only two goals in the first half of the season. However, the introduction of Chris Hutchings as manager coincided with Deeney finding a goalscoring touch. Helped by the fact that his new manager started playing him in his favoured striking position, instead of on the right wing as the previous manager Jimmy Mullen had, Deeney scored nine goals in Hutchings' first 12 matches in charge. On 9 September 2009, it was announced that Deeney had signed a new two-year deal until 2011. In the 2009–10 season, Deeney scored 14 goals to finish as Walsall's top scorer and was awarded the club's Player of the Year award.


title: Troy Deeney

text: On 4 August 2010, Deeney handed in a written transfer request amid interest from several Championship clubs. He had been told he was to leave Walsall earlier in the summer, and had slackened his pre-season training in protest at the club's hardline stance when trying to sell him. He signed for Watford two days later for an initial fee of £250,000 rising up to £500,000 on a two-year contract that lifted his salary from £1,200 to £6,000 a week. Walsall also negotiated a 20% sell-on fee for any profit were Watford to sell him in the future, something that later would complicate potential transfers away from the club according to Deeney in 2018. On the same day Deeney signed for Watford, he played a part in their 3–2 win against Norwich City on the opening day of the season, coming on for Marvin Sordell in the second half. Deeney found his poor pre-season meant he struggled for fitness in comparison to his new teammates. He scored his first Watford goal against Notts County in the first round of the League Cup on 24 August. Deeney went on to make 40 appearances for Watford in his first season, scoring three goals from 20 starts, although he was mainly deployed on the wing by Malky Mackay.


title: Troy Deeney

text: At the beginning of the 2011–12 campaign, Deeney initially found it hard to acquire a starting spot in the team as many of his early season matches saw him consigned to a bench role. He soon found his way into the starting eleven and amassed a total of 46 appearances under the management of Sean Dyche in his preferred position as striker. In March, Deeney signed a new contract to the end of the 2012–13 season. He finished 2011–12 as Watford's top goalscorer with 12 goals in all competitions and also won the Goal of the Season Award for his goal against Ipswich Town in March 2012.


title: Troy Deeney

text: Deeney made his first appearance for Watford, after his release from prison, against Bristol City at Vicarage Road on 22 September 2012. The match finished 2–2, with Deeney coming on in the second half and hitting the post. He started the next match against Huddersfield Town on 29 September, and scored the winner from a spot kick in the 3–2 away win. He scored a memorable double against his boyhood club, Birmingham City, as Watford ran out 4–0 winners on 16 February 2013.


title: Troy Deeney

text: In March 2013, Deeney signed a new contract with Watford, keeping him at the club until 2016. Deeney netted another brace in a 4–0 win over Blackburn Rovers on 20 April 2013, taking his tally to 18 for the season. Six days later, he scored his 19th goal of the season in the next match against Leicester, scoring the first goal in an important 2–1 away win for Watford.


title: Troy Deeney

text: On 12 May 2013, Watford faced Leicester City in the play-off semi-final second leg at Vicarage Road. In one of the most dramatic ends to a play-off match in history, Deeney scored a goal deep into injury time to qualify for the Championship Play-off final at Wembley. After Manuel Almunia saved a penalty taken by Anthony Knockaert and a rebound, Watford charged down to the other end, and Deeney lashed in the winning goal in the seventh minute of added time – an ecstatic Deeney celebrated the goal by jumping into the crowd.


title: Troy Deeney

text: After scoring 20 goals in the 2012–13 season, Deeney scored the only goal as Watford beat Birmingham City 1–0 in the opening match of the 2013–14 season. A week later on 10 August, Deeney scored a hat-trick as Watford thrashed Bournemouth 6–1 at Vicarage Road. In doing so, he became the first "Hornets" player to score a hat-trick in a match since Michael Chopra in 2003, and the first one to do so at Vicarage Road since David Connolly on 7 December 1996. It was also Deeney's first career hat-trick.


title: Troy Deeney

text: Netting a brace in a 4–1 win away against Sheffield Wednesday on 29 March 2014, Deeney took his 2013–14 season tally to 20 goals. In the process, he became the first Watford player to score 20 or more goals in consecutive seasons in all competitions since Luther Blissett managed the feat in 1983.


title: Troy Deeney

text: Deeney scored again, this time against Burnley in a 1–1 draw on 5 April 2014, to become the first Watford player to score 20 league goals in consecutive seasons since Cliff Holton managed the feat in 1961. The striker won both the Watford Player of the Season award for 2013–14 and also won the Players' Player of the Year at the end of season awards on 2 May 2014.


title: Troy Deeney

text: Following the departure of Manuel Almunia, Deeney was named the Watford captain by manager Giuseppe Sannino prior to the 2014–15 campaign. During the course of the 2014–15 Championship season, Deeney helped Watford earn promotion to the Premier League. In the process he became the first player in Watford history to score 20 or more goals in three consecutive seasons (2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15).


title: Troy Deeney

text: On 8 August 2015, Deeney made his Premier League debut, captaining the "Hornets" in their 2015–16 season opener, a 2–2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park. On 24 October, he scored his first Premier League goal as Watford defeated Stoke City 2–0 at the Britannia Stadium. On 21 November, Deeney scored a penalty against Manchester United in the 87th minute to equalise; just after that, he scored an own goal in the 90th minute to help Manchester United secure a 2–1 victory over Watford in a dramatic change of events at Vicarage Road. Deeney would extend his goal streak to five in six matches with the opener in a 2–0 win against Norwich City on 5 December 2015. On 13 February 2016, he scored twice in a 2–1 away win over Crystal Palace and in the process extended the Eagles' winless run in the league to nine matches.


title: Troy Deeney

text: On 1 July 2016, Deeney signed a new five-year deal with Watford. He opened his 2016–17 goalscoring account on 10 September at West Ham United's new home venue, the London Stadium, equalising in a 4–2 comeback victory. Deeney scored his 100th Watford goal in all competitions on 26 December 2016 with a penalty in a 1–1 home draw against Crystal Palace, ending a ten-match goalless run. He became the fifth player to reach a century of goals for Watford. Since summer 2018 he has given up gambling entirely and alcohol in weeks Watford are playing.


title: Troy Deeney

text: In April 2019 Deeney (and Watford team-mates Adrian Mariappa and Christian Kabasele) were subjected to racist comments on social media.


title: Troy Deeney

text: In May 2020, following the Premier League's suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Deeney initially refused to return to non-contact training with his teammates. He said he did not wish to put his five-month-old child at risk, who has breathing difficulties, saying "it only takes one person to get infected within the group and I don't want to be bringing that home." Deeney eventually returned to training and captained Watford in their first game back against Leicester City, playing the full 90 minutes. On 11 July, he scored two second-half penalties to come from behind and win at home against Newcastle United, giving Deeney his first goals of the restarted season. Deeney revealed after the game he had been suffering from a right knee injury since the restart, but vowed to see out the end of the season as club captain and try to save Watford from relegation. Following this announcement, Deeney was often substituted in the second half of most games for the remainder of the season to ease the workload on his knee. He scored again in a 3–1 loss against West Ham United on 17 July, later coming off in the second half. In Watford's final game of the season against Arsenal, Deeney played the full 90 minutes and scored a penalty in the first half, but was unable to prevent Watford losing 3–2, finishing in 19th and suffering relegation to the EFL Championship. After this loss, it was highly speculated that Deeney had played his last game for the club; Deeney commented, saying he was "unsure" about his future at Watford.


title: Troy Deeney

text: Despite widespread rumours of his impending departure and reported interest from Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion and Fenerbahçe, Deeney remained with Watford throughout the summer transfer window and came off the bench during their 1–0 win over Luton Town on 26 September 2020. Watford secured immediate promotion back to the Premier League on 24 April 2021, after a 1–0 home victory over Millwall.


title: Troy Deeney

text: Deeney came on as a 79th-minute substitute for Tom Cleverley in Watford's first match since their return to the top flight on 14 August 2021, helping secure a win after beating Aston Villa 3–2 at home


title: Troy Deeney

text: Deeney made his final appearance for Watford as a 78th-minute substitute, replacing Ken Sema in a 2–0 away loss to Brighton & Hove Albion on 21 August.


title: Troy Deeney

text: On 30 August 2021, Deeney left Watford as a free agent after eleven years with the club; he had made 419 appearances for the team and scored 140 goals.


title: Troy Deeney

text: On 30 August 2021, Deeney signed a two-year contract with Birmingham City, the team he has supported since childhood. He made his debut, as a 67th-minute substitute for Lukas Jutkiewicz in a 2–0 home victory over Derby County on 10 September, and five days later scored his first Birmingham goal, a late penalty in a 4–1 loss at home to Fulham.


title: Troy Deeney

text: In October 2015, Deeney revealed that he had twice rejected invitations to play for Jamaica internationally and that he harboured an ambition of playing for England. Deeney originally believed he was eligible to play for Northern Ireland but that possibility was quickly ruled out as neither his parents nor grandparents are from Northern Ireland. Having never been selected for England at a youth level, Deeney remains uncapped.


title: Troy Deeney

text: Deeney is divorced from his wife Stacy, with whom he had a son, Myles, and a daughter, Amelia. He has been in a relationship with model Alisha Hosannah since July 2018. He is a lifelong supporter of Birmingham City and has the club crest tattooed on his calf.


title: Troy Deeney

text: His brother, Ellis, is a semi-professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder. Ellis started his career at Aston Villa, where he was captain of their academy team before being released.


title: Troy Deeney

text: On 25 June 2012, Deeney was sentenced to ten months' imprisonment after pleading guilty to a charge of affray, having attacked a group of students outside a nightclub. "The Guardian" reported that a "30-second video clip, which was played to the court several times, clearly showed both Troy Deeney and Brennan [Deeney's friend] kicking out at the "defenceless" students, one of whom received repeated blows to the head as he lay injured". He was released after serving almost three months of the sentence. Deeney has cited his grief surrounding his father's death from cancer in May 2012 as a reason for the behaviour leading to his arrest.


title: Troy Deeney

text: In March 2020, Deeney was hospitalised with COVID-19 and spent five days in hospital with a high temperature and kidney and intestine issues. He was on a ventilator for four days and admitted that he "struggled for breath" in Watford's last match before lockdown.


title: Troy Deeney

text: In October 2020, Deeney began working as a guest writer for "The Sun", penning a fortnightly column for the paper's sports section. He is also a weekly guest on TalkSport's Monday morning breakfast show, appearing alongside Laura Woods and Ally McCoist. In April 2021, he launched a podcast, "Deeney Talks".


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: Joe Marcus Johnson (born June 29, 1981) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Iso Joe", he played high school basketball for Little Rock Central High School and college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. After two years with Arkansas, he declared for the 2001 NBA draft where he was drafted 10th overall by the Boston Celtics.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: Johnson is a seven-time NBA All-Star and has also played for the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets, while having also represented the United States national team. While playing for the Hawks, he earned the nickname "Iso Joe" for his skills on isolation plays. He is one of 50 NBA players to score 20,000 career points.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Johnson was a member of the William E. Thrasher Boys & Girls Club as a youngster and attended Little Rock Central High School, a school that had produced other athletes including Baseball Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson and Bill Dickey, as well as football player Fred Williams and collegiate football coach Houston Nutt.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: In his freshman season at Arkansas in 1999–2000, Johnson was named to the SEC All-Freshman team and SEC All-Tournament team after averaging 16.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Johnson led Arkansas to the 2000 SEC men's basketball tournament championship.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: In his sophomore season in 2000–01, Johnson was named to the All-SEC second team and SEC All-Tournament team, while also receiving honorable mention All-American honors. In 30 games, he averaged 14.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: Following his sophomore season at Arkansas, Johnson declared for the 2001 NBA Draft where he went on to be selected with the 10th overall pick by the Boston Celtics. Through the first half of the 2001–02 season, Johnson played 48 games for the Celtics and made 33 starts, as he averaged 6.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He was later traded to the Phoenix Suns on February 20, 2002 along with Randy Brown, Milt Palacio and a first-round pick in exchange for Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: Johnson became a force with Phoenix as he averaged 14.0 points per game in his three and a half seasons with the Suns, becoming a clutch three-point shooter as he averaged 39.3% from the three-point arc during his tenure with the Suns.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: During the 2004–05 campaign, Johnson and the Suns posted a 62–20 record. Johnson's three point accuracy improved dramatically between 2004 and 2005, shooting 30.5% on threes in 2004 and 47.8% in 2005, and shooting .556 in the 2005 playoffs. In the 2005 NBA playoffs, Johnson required surgery to repair a left orbital bone fracture sustained following a dunk attempt against the Dallas Mavericks in the second round. Johnson missed the remainder of the series against the Mavericks as well as the first two games of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. When he returned, Johnson wore a face mask for protection. The Suns fell to the eventual NBA champion Spurs, 4 games to 1.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: In the summer of 2005, Johnson became a highly touted restricted free agent and expressed a desire to leave the Suns to assume a larger role on the Atlanta Hawks. Johnson grew upset with Phoenix's initial offers to re-sign him feeling they were well below his market value. This rift eventually led to Johnson requesting the Suns not match Atlanta's $70 million offer. On August 19, 2005, a deal was finalized and Johnson was involved in a sign-and-trade deal with the Hawks for future teammate Boris Diaw and two future first-round draft picks.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: In his first season as a Hawk, Johnson led Atlanta in several categories: points (20.2 per game), assists (6.5), steals (1.26), three-point field goals made (128) and minutes (40.7). He was one of only five players in the league to average at least 20 points and six assists in the 2005–06 season, along with Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Gilbert Arenas. Johnson was also the only Hawk to play in all 82 games in 2005–06.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: Johnson scored a career-high 42 points on March 7, 2006 against the Golden State Warriors and recorded a career-high 17 assists on March 13, 2006 against the Milwaukee Bucks. He recorded his first career triple-double on February 1, 2006 with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists against the Charlotte Bobcats.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: Johnson continued his development in the 2006–07 season, when he averaged 25.0 points, 4.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. His scoring average ranked ninth in the league. Johnson also shot a career-best 47.1% from the field and was subsequently named to the 2007 Eastern Conference All-Star team, replacing the injured Jason Kidd.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: In 2008, Johnson made the 2008 All-Star Game as a reserve. He also was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month twice during the season. Johnson averaged 21.7 points per game on the season, leading the Hawks to their first playoff appearance in nine years. In Game 4 of the Hawks' first-round matchup against the Boston Celtics, Johnson scored 35 points, including 20 in the 4th quarter, leading the Hawks to a 97–92 victory.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: Despite finishing with the worst record (37-45) among the 2008 NBA Playoffs contingent, the Hawks played very even with the heavily favored and eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics, taking the Eastern Conference No. 1 seed all the way to Game 7. The year marked a turning of the page for the Atlanta franchise, once considered among the least successful in pro sports.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: The following year, Johnson registered his second career triple-double on December 23, 2008 in a Hawks win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. He eclipsed the 10,000-point plateau for his career with his first basket during a 110–107 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on January 31, 2009, a bank shot assisted by Marvin Williams. On March 19, 2010, Johnson hit a game-winning buzzer beater in overtime against the Charlotte Bobcats.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: On July 8, 2010, Johnson re-signed with the Hawks to a six-year, $123.7 million contract, which, at the time, made him the NBA's highest-paid player. The signing occurred during one of the most star-studded free agency summers in league history, highlighted by LeBron James’"Decision" TV special. Among others who signed high-profile deals were Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Amar'e Stoudemire, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Dirk Nowitzki.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: On July 11, 2012, Johnson was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Jordan Farmar, Anthony Morrow, Jordan Williams, Johan Petro, DeShawn Stevenson and a 2013 first round draft pick. After a slow start to the 2012–13 season, Johnson began to pick up his play in December, with a 32-point game against the Golden State Warriors on December 7 and a game-winning buzzer beater in double overtime against the Detroit Pistons on December 14. After scoring 33 points in a road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 2, he hit another game winner in double overtime two days later to beat the Washington Wizards. In a 113–111 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on February 19, Johnson made the game-tying three-pointer with just under three seconds to go in regulation and went on to hit the game-winning pull-up jump shot in overtime. With this win, the Nets snapped a thirteen-game losing streak against the Bucks. The next game the Nets played, Johnson injured his left heel and was forced to miss three games. He made his return on March 1 against the Dallas Mavericks.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: On November 15, 2013, Johnson made his first game-winning basket of the season against the Phoenix Suns as he went in for a layup to give the Nets their first road win of the 2013–14 season. On December 16, 2013, Johnson recorded a career-high 10 three-pointers in a 130–94 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. In the third quarter, Johnson scored 29 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field including 8-of-10 three-pointers. On January 2, 2014, after the Nets were down by sixteen points, Johnson made his second game-winning basket of the season to lead the Nets to a 95–93 win to give Oklahoma City Thunder its second home loss of the season. Johnson later earned his seventh All-Star game selection.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: In just the second game of the 2014–15 season on November 1, Johnson scored a season-high 34 points on 14-of-23 shooting to help the Nets defeat the Detroit Pistons, 102-90. On February 25, in a game against the New Orleans Pelicans, he became just the seventh player in NBA history to record 18,000 career points and 1,600 career three-pointers made.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: On November 14, 2015, in a loss to the Golden State Warriors, Johnson appeared in his 1,072nd NBA regular season game, matching Michael Jordan for 77th on the all-time list. On November 28, in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, he extended his streak of making at least one field goal to 900 regular season games, the longest active streak. He extended that streak to 919 games on January 6, 2016 in a loss to the Toronto Raptors. Three days later, he hit two three-pointers against the Detroit Pistons, thus surpassing Peja Stojaković for 11th on the career three-pointers list. On January 24, in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, he became the 31st player in NBA history to reach 40,000 minutes. On February 5, he recorded season highs of 27 points and 11 assists in a 128–119 win over the Sacramento Kings. On February 8, he recorded 12 points and 8 assists against the Denver Nuggets, and hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to lift the Nets to a 105–104 win. In that game, he passed Scottie Pippen for 52nd place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. In the following game two days later, Johnson failed to score against the Memphis Grizzlies, going scoreless in a regular season game for the first time since December 6, 2003, ending the NBA's longest active streak with at least one field goal. He had a basket in 937 straight games. On February 25, Johnson was waived by the Nets in a buyout agreement.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: On February 27, 2016, Johnson signed with the Miami Heat. The next day, he made his debut and first start for the Heat in a 98–81 win over the New York Knicks, recording 12 points, three rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes. In his second game for the Heat on March 1 against the Chicago Bulls, Johnson scored 24 points and passed Reggie Theus for 50th on the NBA's career scoring list. On March 12, he scored a season-high 28 points in a 112–104 overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors. Johnson helped the Heat advance to the second round of the playoffs, where they were defeated 4–3 by the Raptors.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: On July 8, 2016, Johnson signed a two-year, $22 million contract with the Utah Jazz. He joined the Jazz with the intention being to come off the bench behind Gordon Hayward. But with an injury to Hayward during preseason, Johnson was thrust into the starting line-up in his absence. He made his debut for the Jazz in their season opener on October 25, scoring a team-high 29 points in a 113–104 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. With Hayward's return to line-up on November 6 to face the New York Knicks, Johnson came off the bench for the first time since December 9, 2003. On February 8, 2017, Johnson highlighted a 27-point performance with six three-pointers on eight attempts in a 127–94 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. On April 15, 2017, Johnson scored a team-high 21 points off the bench and hit a game-winning floater at the buzzer to give the Jazz a 97–95 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Eight days later in Game 4, Johnson again paced the Jazz with 28 points off the bench to give them a 105–98 victory and tie the series with the Clippers at 2–2. The Jazz went on to eliminate the Clippers with a 104–91 victory in Game 7, closing out the first-round series 4–3 to earn the franchise's first postseason series victory since 2010.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: On February 8, 2018, Johnson was acquired by the Sacramento Kings in a three-team trade that involved the Jazz and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Three days later, he was waived by the Kings before appearing in a game for them.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: On February 14, 2018, Johnson signed with the Houston Rockets. He made his debut for the Rockets later that day, scoring nine points in 31 minutes off the bench in a 100–91 win over the Sacramento Kings.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: On September 19, 2019, Johnson returned to the NBA, signing with the Detroit Pistons. He was later waived by the team on October 21, 2019, with final cuts looming.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: On August 27, 2019, Johnson was named BIG3 MVP. On September 1, 2019, he won his first BIG3 championship with the Triplets, defeating the Killer 3's.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: Johnson competed for Overseas Elite in The Basketball Tournament 2020, helping them to the semifinals. He was named to the All-Tournament team.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: On December 22, 2021, Johnson signed a 10-day contract with the Boston Celtics to return to the franchise that drafted him after the team was granted a hardship exception. His appearance that same night against the Cleveland Cavaliers marked a 19-year, 305-day gap between his stints with the Celtics, which is the longest gap in NBA history. He also made his lone basket in that appearance, making him the second player along with Dirk Nowitzki to score a basket with the same team at the age of 20 and at the age of 40.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: On March 5, 2006, Johnson was one of 23 NBA players named to the 2006–08 United States national team and played for the United States national team in the 2006 FIBA World Championship. He helped USA win the bronze medal by defeating Argentina in the third place game after a loss to Greece in the semi-finals. In nine games, Johnson averaged 7.3 points.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: In February 2021, Johnson was selected to the 14-player roster for the final round of the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup qualification. On February 19, he scored 11 points and had a team best plus-25 point differential in a 93–77 victory over the Bahamas. On February 20, he had 11 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 blocks in a 96–75 victory against Mexico.


title: Joe Johnson (basketball)

text: Johnson's mother, Diane, is a former state psychiatric hospital nurse. She raised her only son by herself in Little Rock, benefiting from the help of a close family that included her mother and brothers. She was diagnosed in 2008 with multiple myeloma, a rare and typically incurable cancer of bone marrow plasma cells. She died in 2018.


title: Messiah (Handel)

text: Messiah (HWV 56) is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel. The text was compiled from the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter by Charles Jennens. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742 and received its London premiere nearly a year later. After an initially modest public reception, the oratorio gained in popularity, eventually becoming one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music.


title: Messiah (Handel)

text: Handel's reputation in England, where he had lived since 1712, had been established through his compositions of Italian opera. He turned to English oratorio in the 1730s in response to changes in public taste; "Messiah" was his sixth work in this genre. Although its structure resembles that of opera, it is not in dramatic form; there are no impersonations of characters and no direct speech. Instead, Jennens's text is an extended reflection on Jesus as the Messiah called Christ. The text begins in Part I with prophecies by Isaiah and others, and moves to the annunciation to the shepherds, the only "scene" taken from the Gospels. In Part II, Handel concentrates on the Passion of Jesus and ends with the "Hallelujah" chorus. In Part III he covers the resurrection of the dead and Christ's glorification in Heaven.


title: Messiah (Handel)

text: Handel wrote "Messiah" for modest vocal and instrumental forces, with optional settings for many of the individual numbers. In the years after his death, the work was adapted for performance on a much larger scale, with giant orchestras and choirs. In other efforts to update it, its orchestration was revised and amplified, such as Mozart's . In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the trend has been towards reproducing a greater fidelity to Handel's original intentions, although "big "Messiah"" productions continue to be mounted. A near-complete version was issued on 78 rpm discs in 1928; since then the work has been recorded many times.