Blackfoot Piegan man with war-bonnet and coup-stick, by Edward S. Curtis, 1910. Vintage image restored by Kathy Weiser-Alexander.

Today, the Piegan Indians, or Pikuni branch of the Blackfoot Indians, numbering about 6,000, primarily reside on the Blackfoot Indian Reservation in Montana. Part of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the word "Piegan” or "Pikuni” means "people having badly dressed robes.” When white settlers began to push westward, the Piegan were the southernmost tribe of the Blackfoot, roaming through the Rocky Mountains on the south side of Marias River of Montana and along both banks of the Missouri River. Despite their name, they were known for their beautiful craftwork designs in their tepees, clothing, weapons and riding equipment. Most exceptional were their war bonnets. Their reservations was established in 1855 when they were estimated to have numbered about 2,500. Like other tribes who were moved to reservations, their population feel to just a little more than 2,000 by the turn of the century. Vintage image restored by Kathy Weiser-Alexander.