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.
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.
