Black Buffalo
Black Buffalo (Un-tongar-Sar-bar) was a chief of the Brulé band of the Teton Sioux (Lakota) who played a central role in one of the most dangerous confrontations of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In late September 1804, near present-day Pierre, South Dakota, tensions escalated between the Corps and the Teton Sioux over tribute demands. While his fellow chief The Partisan provoked the crisis, Black Buffalo ultimately helped de-escalate the situation, allowing the expedition to continue upriver. The encounter demonstrated the power of the Teton Sioux as gatekeepers of Missouri River trade.
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Journal Entries (2)
Documents (1)
Cross-Narrator Analyses
AI-assisted scholarly analyses that cite or discuss Black Buffalo — showing 4 of the most recent matches.
Three Voices, One Standoff: Re-Encountering the Tetons on the Lower Missouri
On the return descent, the Corps meets the same Teton Sioux band that nearly came to blows with them in 1804. Gass,…
The Teton Sioux (Lakota): Gatekeepers of the Upper Missouri
At the mouth of the Bad River in late September 1804, the Corps of Discovery faced its most dangerous standoff. The Teton…
Three Pens at the Bad River: Comparing Accounts of the Teton Standoff
Sergeants Gass, Ordway, and Private Whitehouse each recorded the September 25 confrontation with the Teton Sioux. Their overlapping accounts reveal striking patterns…
A Stolen Horse at the Mouth of the Teton
On the eve of their tense encounter with the Teton Sioux, four expedition journalists record the theft of a horse, the arrival…
