During the course of Lewis and Clark’s journey through nearly 8,000 miles of poorly-charted territory, they encountered 11 of the 14 tribes then living in the upper Missouri River area. On the Great Plains they met the Arikara, Hidatsa, Sioux, Gros Ventre, and Mandans, even spending their first winter with the Mandans. In what is now Montana they came in contact with the Assiniboine, Salish, Flathead, Crow, and Blackfeet. (As an aside, all eight of Montana's tribal governments have expressed interest in participating in the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial.) Beyond the Continental Divide, they encountered (in part) the Shoshone, Nez Perce, Walla Walla, Wishram, Clatsop, Chinook, and Tillamook Indians.

For some of the tribes, the arrival of Lewis and Clark marked the first time they had ever seen a white or black man (York, William Clark's slave, was the expedition's lone black member). Others had a little contact with whites as fur traders worked their way west, and some even had ongoing trade relationships with whites.

Teepee at sunset (Click for a larger image)

Most of the Indian tribes Lewis and Clark encountered were friendly. In fact, the expedition would have likely starved, frozen or met some other unfortunate end a number of times without the help of tribes along the way. However, relations between Indians and the Corps of Discovery did become tense on occasion.

On the return trip through Montana, the Corps broke into two exploring parties. Lewis took a small group north to explore the Marias River, and Clark took the rest of the crew to explore the Yellowstone. At Three Forks, the party split again. Clark took a group to the Yellowstone and Ordway took nine men to Great Falls. At one point on the return trip there were five different groups. Lewis's party encountered eight Blackfeet warriors, who camped with them and during the night attempted to take their rifles and horses. In the fight that broke out, one of Lewis's men stabbed an Indian to death, and Lewis shot another in the belly. The rest of the Indians fled. Fearful of the conflict that would almost certainly arise, the white explorers hurried to catch up with the rest of the group on the Missouri River.

On the Yellowstone, Clark had troubles of his own. Many of the party's horses were taken by the Crow, but since returning the horses proved unsuccessful, Clark continued East via the Yellowstone River in handmade watercraft.

Lewis and Clark were under orders by the president to make careful ethnographic notes on the Indians they encountered, including notes on their language, dress and customs. They were also expected to initiate an official relationship between the United States government and tribal leaders.

The captains would explain to the Indians that they had come from a great land in the east populated by whites, then tell the Indians that their land was now a part of the United States and that Thomas Jefferson was now their “great white father.” Lewis and Clark would present the tribal leaders with a peace medal, which featured a handshake and a peace pipe on the front and a profile of the president on the back. Along with the medal, they would offer the Indians gifts of trade goods and put on a military display, marching around and discharging their weapons.

How effective the message was depended on how well the two groups communicated. With some tribes, sign language and gestures were the only method of communication. If translation was possible through Sacagawea, the message would be better understood. Still, it was likely difficult for many tribes to understand the message being delivered because of language barriers.

For every tribe throughout the West, the arrival of the Corps of Discovery marked the beginning of a rapid change in their way of life. Lewis and Clark sparked an unstoppable westward expansion, and with it came the growth of government. Within 50 years of the Corps' journey, three Indian reservations were established in Montana; by the 1880s, the buffalo were hunted to near extinction and three more reservations were established.