Kainai Nation

Blood Tribe
Kainai Nation
Band No. 435
Káínaa

Shield of the Kainai Nation
People	Blackfoot
Treaty	Treaty 7
Headquarters	Stand Off
Province	Alberta
Land[1]
Main reserve	Blood 148
Other reserve(s)	Blood 148A
Land area	1362.639 km2
Population (2021)[1]
On reserve	4,572[2]
Total population	12,963
Government[1]
Chief	Roy Fox
Council	Floyd Big Head Clarence Black Water Diandra Bruised Head Winston Day Chief Tony Delaney Dorothy First Rider Martin Heavy Head Travis Plaited Hair Richard Red Crow Maria Russell Piinaakoyim Tailfeathers Marcel Weasel Head
Website
bloodtribe.org

The Kainai Nation (Blackfoot: ᖿᖱᖻᖳ, romanized: Káínaa or ᖿᖱᖻᖷ, romanized: Káínawa, Blood Tribe) is a First Nations band government in southern Alberta, Canada, with a population of 12,800 members in 2015,^[3] up from 11,791 in December 2013.^[4]

Akáínaa translates directly to 'many chief' (from aká, 'many' and nínaa, 'chief') while Káína translates directly to 'many chief people'. The enemy Plains Cree call the Kainai mihkowiyiniw,^[5] 'stained with blood', thus 'the bloodthirsty, cruel', therefore, the common English name for the tribe is the Blood tribe.

The Kainai speak a language of the Blackfoot linguistic group; their dialect is closely related to those of the Siksika and Piikani. They are one of three nations comprising the Blackfoot Confederacy.

At the time treaties such as Treaty 7 were signed, the Kainai were situated on the Oldman, Belly, and St. Mary rivers west of Lethbridge, Alberta. The Kainai reserve Blood 148 is currently the largest in Canada with 4,570 inhabitants^[6] on 1,410 km² (545 sq mi) and is located 200 kilometres (120 mi) south of Calgary.