Both Blackfoot and Lakota are Native American tribes who lived in the American West. Blackfoot tribes lived and traveled in the north of Montana and North Dakota, stretching into Canada; the Lakota lived and traveled around The Great Lakes, eventually emigrating West to South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming.

The most fundamental similarity between the two tribes was their dependence on the American Bison for food and raw material. Both hunted the bison heavily, first on foot and then on horseback, for fur, meat, and bones to make tools and weapons; the Blackfeet especially used almost every part of the bison, allowing conservation as fewer animals needed to be hunted. As horses were introduced, both tribes expanded their territories and became more proficient at warfare. Both groups were persecuted by the United States government and citizens, and both engaged in significant battles with the U.S. military. With the expansion of the American Colonies, both tribes were forced to retreat, withdraw, and both became minority groups in the United States.