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Native American Legends: Kipitaakii (Old-Lady)

Name: Kipitaakii
Also spelled: Kipitaki, Kiipitakii
Tribal affiliation: Blackfoot
Pronunciation: kih-pih-tah-kee
Also known as: Old-Woman, Old Woman, Old Lady, Old-Lady, Old Lady Coyote, Old Woman Coyote
Type: Culture hero, transformer, goddess
Related figures in other tribes: Waynaboozhoo (Ojibway), Gluskabi (Abenaki), Kohkumthena (Shawnee)

 Old Lady and her husband, Napi (Old Man), are the culture heroes and Transformer figures of the Blackfoot tribe. Like other Algonquian culture heroes, Old Lady is often portrayed as a foolish being or even a troublemaker, but she is also a benevolent creator figure who frequently helps the people or teaches them important knowledge. In some Blackfoot Indian legends both Old Man and Old Woman are associated with coyotes (some Blackfoot storytellers even call them "Old Man Coyote" and "Old Lady Coyote," as the Crow Indians do.) In other Blackfoot legends Old Man and Old Woman have no particular connection with coyotes and are instead described as the first man and woman made by the Creator, who in turn made the rest of humankind.

Old Lady Stories

*Old Man and Old Woman * The Origin of Death * Old Woman Chooses Death:
    Blackfoot legends about Old-Woman bringing death to the world.

Recommended Books of Related Native American Legends
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Mythology of the Blackfoot Indians:
    Collection of traditional Blackfoot legends and folktales, including several about Old Man and Old Woman.
Indian Legends from the Northern Rockies:
    Anthology of folklore from the Blackfoot and other Northern Plains tribes.

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Additional Resources

 Blackfoot myth
 Blackfoot tribe
 Blackfoot Indian symbols
 Blackfoot colors
 Montana languages
 The Great Plains map
 Algonkian legends



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