The Sweet Grass Hills

The Sweet Grass Hills possess special significance to the Blackfeet Indians and to other tribes on the northern Great Plains. According to legend, the creator Napí fashioned the hills in the dim past out of rocks left over from the formation of the Rocky Mountains. Napí liked his creation so much that the hills became a favored resting place for the old trickster. Located in the heart of a fertile bison hunting ground, the hills served as a vantage point for game and as a lookout for enemies trespassing in Blackfeet territory. Because of their isolation and connection with the creation of the earth, they have deep cultural significance to the Blackfeet as a spiritual refuge where teen-age boys made vision quests to help guide them into adulthood. Many of the Blackfeet’s traditional stories take place in and around the hills. One of those involves the Blackfeet culture hero Kutoyis (Blood-Clot Boy) who sought to rid the world of evil in the early history of the world. It was in the Sweet Grass Hills that Kutoyis defeated Lizard or Frog Man after an epic battle that lasted many days. The Blackfeet paid tribute to his memory by naming the hills “Kutoyisiks” in his honor.