Who Are the Arikara?
The Arikara (also Sahnish or Ree) are a Caddoan-speaking people of the northern Plains, now part of the Three Affiliated Tribes on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota, with approximately 1,500 enrolled. They speak Arikara, a Caddoan language related to Pawnee, with fewer than 10 fluent first-language speakers remaining—critically endangered. Unlike their Siouan-speaking neighbors Mandan and Hidatsa, the Arikara migrated north from the central Plains, bringing Caddoan language and culture to the upper Missouri. They shared earth lodge village culture with the Mandan and Hidatsa but maintained distinct identity through language and traditions.
Caddoan Origins
The Arikara separated from the Skidi Pawnee several centuries ago, migrating northward along the Missouri River. They brought Caddoan ceremonial traditions and language to the northern Plains, where they adopted earth lodge architecture similar to their Siouan neighbors. Arikara villages were strategically located along the Missouri, controlling trade routes. They initially had tense relationships with the Sioux, engaging in conflicts over territory and trade. Their position between nomadic Sioux and village-dwelling Mandan-Hidatsa required diplomatic skill—alliances shifted depending on circumstances.
US Scouts
The Arikara provided scouts for the US Army in conflicts against the Sioux, most famously at the Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876). Arikara scouts served with Custer's 7th Cavalry; several were killed or wounded in the battle. This alliance with the US military—driven by traditional enmity with the Sioux—created controversy. When survivors of Little Bighorn, including Sioux and Arikara, later shared the Fort Berthold Reservation, historical conflicts complicated relationships. The scout legacy is remembered differently by Arikara (as honorable military service) and by some Sioux (as collaboration with oppressors).
Contemporary Arikara
Modern Arikara are the smallest of the Three Affiliated Tribes, facing unique challenges in maintaining distinct identity. Garrison Dam's flooding (1953) displaced communities and destroyed cultural sites. Language preservation is desperate—Arikara is among the most endangered languages in North America. The tribe works with linguists to document and teach what remains. Cultural revitalization includes ceremonies, traditional arts, and historical documentation. How the Arikara preserve language and culture as a minority within a confederation, while navigating oil wealth's impacts, shapes this corn people's survival on the northern Missouri.
References
- Parks, D. R. (1996). Myths and Traditions of the Arikara Indians
- Meyer, R. W. (1977). The Village Indians of the Upper Missouri: The Mandans, Hidatsas, and Arikaras
- Parks, D. R. (2001). \"Arikara\" (Handbook of North American Indians, Vol. 13)