The Arikara, or “Sahnish,” lived as a semi-nomadic people on the Great Plains.

The Hidatsa, or “Nuxbaaga” are considered a parent tribe to the Crow in Montana. The Mandan, or “Nueta,” were prosperous farmers and traders, noted for their excellent maize cultivation and crafting of Knife River flint. The native lands of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara people once extended from North Dakota across the Missouri River basin through western Montana and Wyoming. On the return trip, the expedition brought the Mandan chief Sheheke with them back to Washington, DC. Because of her role in salvaging the expedition, she was honored with an image on the U.S. Sakakawea then joined the expedition as an interpreter and native guide. Lewis and Clark stayed with the Mandan when they passed through the Upper Missouri region on their expedition to the Northwest, including five months in the winter of 1804–1805.

The reservation stretches across 988,000 acres of wide-open plains and grasslands, and along both sides of the longest river in North America, the majestic Missouri River, or its native name of “Awati.” The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes, is located on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in central North Dakota.

Visitor Centers and Museums along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail