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.
Related Locations
Journal Entries (2)
Documents (1)
Cross-Narrator Analyses
Analyses that cite or discuss Black Buffalo — showing 4 of the most recent matches.
A Stolen Horse at the Mouth of the Teton
This analysis was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a human editor.The entries for September 24, 1804, capture the expedition's arrival…
Three Pens at the Bad River: Comparing Accounts of the Teton Standoff
The encounter at the mouth of the Bad River produced one of the richest cross-narrator records of the early expedition. Three enlisted…
Three Voices, One Standoff: Re-Encountering the Tetons on the Lower Missouri
The 30 August 1806 entries from Patrick Gass, John Ordway, and William Clark describe a single event: an armed riverine standoff with…
The Teton Sioux (Lakota): Gatekeepers of the Upper Missouri
Introduction: A Single Entry, A Defining ConfrontationThe journal record provided here is exceptionally limited — only one entry (September 25, 1804) explicitly…
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