Arikara Tribe

Various spellings: Arikara, Ricara, Arickaree

Ancestral Homeland: near the Loup River in "Nebraska"

Federally recognized as: The Three Affiliated Tribes (Arikara, Mandan and Hidatsa)

Population: 1780 estimated 3,800; 1910: 444; 1980: 1536

Brief Timeline

 * Early 1799: Le Seyer a Spanish fur trader encountered the Arikara at present day-Fort Pierre, South Dakota
 * 1743 &amp; 1770: the tribe came into contact with French fur traders - along the Missouri River in South Dakota
 * 1794: pressured by the Sioux the tribe moved north above the Grand River
 * 1804: Lews and Clark expedition encountered the tribe
 * 1823: migrated to Northern Nebraska
 * 1825: Treaty
 * 1830: Sioux defeated the Arikara
 * 1832: intertribal conflict with the Sioux and Mandan led the tribe to resettle near Skidi Pawnee at the forks of the Platte River in Nebraska1835: migrated back to North Dakota
 * 1837: Smallpox epidemic- forced them to combine clans and mix family lines.
 * 1851: Treaty
 * 1862: the tribe joins Mandan and Hidatsa at Like-A-Fishhook Village
 * 1866: Treaty at Fort Berthold,
 * 1870: assigned to Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota
 * 1934: Assigned to Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota; sharing with the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes
 * 1951-1954: the tribe was relocated for construction of Garrison Dam

Brief History
In the 1700's the Arikara tribe came into contact with non-Indians and interacted with them through trade.

During the mid 1790's conflict with the Sioux, resulted in the tribe migrating to the Grand River area South Dakota where the Lewis and Clark Expedition located them in 1804.

The Tribe migrated again in 1823 to northern Nebraska, where in 1825 at Ricara Village, a peace treaty was signed which encouraged trade.

Tribal conflict with the Sioux and Mandan continued and the tribe once again in 1835 migrated settling near the Platte River in Nebraska

A smallpox epidemic in 1833 caused depopulation, one ramification was the tribal band combined which mixed family lines.

In 1862 the tribe joined the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes at Like-a-Fishhook Village, North Dakota

In 1870 the tribe is assigned to Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota, where in 1934 the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes joined them.

With the contruction of the Garrison Dam,1951-54, utilizing some of the land of the Fort Berthold Reservation, some tribal members were again required to relocate.

Additional References to the History of the Tribe
Frederick Webb Hodge, in his Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, gave a more complete history of the Arikara tribe, with estimations of the population of the tribe at various time periods. Additional details are given in John Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America and in David Bushnell's Villages of the Algonquian, Siouan and Caddoan Tribes West of the Mississippi.

For additional history of the tribe, read more....

Tribal Headquarters
Three Affiliated Tribes 404 Frontage Road New Town, ND 58763

Phone Number: 701-627-4781 Fax Number: 701-627-3503

Records
Agency Records

Corrrespondence and Census

Treaties


 * 1825 July 18,at Ricara Village, peace and trade
 * 1851 September 17,at Fort Laramie
 * 1866 July 27,at Fort Berthold (unratified) " we, the said Aricara tribe of Indians agree to do all in our power to prevent the introduction or use of spirituous liquors among our people, and to this end we agree that should any of the members of our tribe encourage the use of spirituous liquors, either by using it themselves, or buying and selling it, whosoever shall do so shall forfeit his claim to any annuities paid by the Government for the current year;"

Vital Records


 * Fort Berthold Agency, M959, births and deaths1924-1932, FHL Film: 576490 and deaths and marriages 1937-39, FHL Film: 576491

Important Web Sites

 * Three Affiliated Tribes Official Website
 * Arikara Indians Wikipedia
 * By-Laws of the Three Affiliated Tribes