The Indians
 

    The expedition encountered nearly 50 different Native American Tribes along their journey. Each tribe was greeted with a "meeting ceremony." This ceremony consisted of the captains explaining to the tribal members that their land now belonged to the United States. They also stated that President Thomas Jefferson was to be their new "Great Father."  They would give the Indians a peace medal. Then they performed a type of parade, which consisted of marching and shooting their guns. The corps learned that many of the Indian tribes they encountered along their journey were vastly different. Yet, all of the Indian tribes played an important role in the expedition.

Here is some useful information on the most important tribes that Lewis and Clark encountered on the expedition.

The Missouri
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/idx_mis.html

The Oto
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/idx_oto.html

The Yankton Sioux
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/idx_yan.html

The Teton Sioux
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/idx_tet.html

The Arikara
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/idx_ari.html

The Mandan
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/idx_man.html

The Hidatsa
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/idx_hid.html

The Assiniboin
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/idx_ass.html

The Blackfeet
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/idx_bla.html

The Shoshones
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/idx_sho.html

The Nez Perce
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/idx_nez.html

The Walla Walla
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/idx_wal.html

The Wishram
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/idx_wis.html

The Tillamook
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/idx_til.html

The Clatsop
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/idx_cla.html

The Chinook
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/idx_chi.html
 
 
 

 Back to Main Page