Diplomatic Record
Council with the Teton Sioux at Bad River
The record of the most dangerous diplomatic confrontation of the expedition, when Teton Sioux chiefs Black Buffalo and The Partisan demanded tribute for passage up the Missouri River. The multi-day standoff nearly erupted into armed conflict and demonstrated the Teton Sioux's determination to control trade on the upper Missouri.
The encounter began with a council on September 25, 1804, where communication was hampered by the lack of a competent Sioux interpreter. After distributing gifts, tensions escalated when warriors seized the bow cable of a pirogue. Clark drew his sword and Lewis ordered the swivel gun loaded and aimed. Only the intervention of Chief Black Buffalo prevented bloodshed. The standoff continued for three days before the expedition was able to depart. Clark later wrote that the Teton Sioux were “the vilest miscreants of the savage race.”
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