View 4: The Full Set

When viewing all of the items as a set, the perspective on their purpose becomes clearer. The Pikuni Blackfeet were a tribe that heavily relied on hunting bison for food and supplies; as such, less cultural importance and resources were allocated to hunting other game. Even in the case of this set of tools, they ultimately served the purpose of hunting smaller animals so their skins and other body parts could be used in the creation of tools that assisted in hunting bison. The Pikuni Blackfeet were often reported as being a very hostile, aggressive tribe by neighbors, but this was the result of their dependence on the bison and their need to occupy spaces where they roamed. Tools made from the skins of animals hunted with bows such as this one were often used in both traditional buffalo hunting, as well as causing “Buffalo Jumps”, in which buffalo were forced off of cliffs to their deaths to make hunting them easier. Aside from the bison, however, this tool set was part of an important loop in tool creation; the animals hunted with the bow were used to make more bows, arrows, and quivers.