Blackfeet in the Lewis and Clark journals | Lewis & Clark Research Database

Blackfeet

The Blackfeet Confederacy (Niitsitapi), comprising the Piegan (Piikani), Blood (Kainai), and Siksika bands, dominated the northwestern Great Plains from the Saskatchewan River south into present-day Montana, controlling a territory rich in bison. The expedition's only violent encounter with any Native nation occurred on July 26–27, 1806, when Meriwether Lewis and a small party met a group of Piegan Blackfeet along the Two Medicine River; a confrontation over stolen horses and guns resulted in the deaths of two Blackfeet warriors, the only Native fatalities of the entire expedition. Lewis and Clark had learned of the Blackfeet's formidable military reputation during the winter at Fort Mandan, where the Hidatsa described them as aggressive enemies who blocked western tribes from accessing guns and trade goods. This incident inaugurated decades of Blackfeet hostility toward American traders and trappers entering their territory.

Portrait: Edward S. Curtis, Piegan Encampment, 1900 (public domain) / Wikimedia Commons

7 treaties 34 total items 19 mapped locations

Most Mentioned in Blackfeet-tagged Entries

People

Places

Wildlife

Elk (9)
Deer (6)
Buffalow (5)
buffaloe (5)
beaver (5)
wolves (4)
brown bear (2)
antilope (2)
Cow (2)
Wolf (2)

Biography

The Blackfeet (Niitsitapi) were the dominant military power of the Northern Plains, controlling a vast territory from the Saskatchewan River south to the Missouri headwaters. The expedition’s only violent encounter with Native peoples occurred with a Piegan Blackfeet band on the Two Medicine River in July 1806.

Lewis and a small party encountered eight Piegan warriors and camped together. During the night or early morning, the warriors attempted to steal the expedition’s horses and rifles. In the ensuing fight, two Blackfeet were killed — one stabbed by Reubin Field, one shot by Lewis.

This violent encounter had lasting consequences. The Blackfeet remained hostile to American trappers and traders for decades, and the incident colored U.S.-Blackfeet relations well into the 19th century. Historians debate whether Lewis could have handled the situation differently.

The Blackfeet Confederacy consisted of three allied nations: the Siksika (Blackfoot proper), the Kainai (Blood), and the Piikani (Piegan). Today the Blackfeet Nation is headquartered in Browning, Montana.

Territory & Encounter Locations

Pin color = Planning (1801–1804) Westward (1804–1805) Fort Clatsop (1805–1806) Return (1806) Post (1806–1812)

Master expedition route Approximate territory

Note: the longest gap between tagged appearances is about 10 months (May 30, 1805 → Mar 23, 1806). No journal entries during that window were explicitly tagged with this nation.

Treaties (7)

Agreement with the Blackfeet, 1895 (ratified by Act of June 10, 1896)

Agreement with the Gros Ventre, Piegan, Blood, Blackfeet, and River Crow, 1886-87 (ratified by Act of May 1, 1888)

Agreement with the Indians of Blackfeet Agency, 1886-87 (ratified by Act of May 1, 1888)

Executive Order, 1875 (addition to Blackfeet Reserve: Gros Ventre, Piegan, Blood, Blackfeet, River Crow)

Treaty of Fort Laramie, 1851: Blackfoot territory (1855 common hunting ground)

Treaty of Fort Laramie, 1851: Blackfoot territory (Musselshell to Missouri; redefined by the 1855 Blackfeet Treaty)

Treaty with the Blackfoot et al., 1855

Art (2)

Running Fight Between Crees and Blackfeet, Old Style Warfare

Charles M. Russell, 1895

Watercolor and graphite on paper

Blackfeet Burning Crow Buffalo Range

Charles M. Russell, 1907

halftone print

Tent of Many Voices (8)