Blackfoot language

Lily Gladstone, the first Indigenous best actress winner at the Golden Globes, delivered her speech in the Blackfoot language.

About Blackfoot language:

• The Blackfoot language, or Siksiká, is an Algonquian language spoken by the Blackfoot or Niitsitapi people in the northwestern plains of North America.
• There are four dialects of the Blackfoot language, with three spoken in Alberta, Canada (Siksiká, Kainai, Aapátohsipikani) and one in the United States (Aamsskáápipikani).
  • Siksiká is spoken southeast of Calgary, Kainai between Cardston and Lethbridge in Alberta, Aapátohsipikani west of Fort MacLeod, and Aamsskáápipikani in northwestern Montana.
• The name “Blackfoot” is likely derived from the blackened soles of the leather shoes traditionally worn by the people.
• It is identified as a pitch accent language, indicating that pitch variations play a significant role in distinguishing word meanings.
• The language has witnessed a decline in native speakers since the 1960s, leading to its classification as “severely endangered” by the UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger.

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