Arikara Indians

Arikara Quote

Chief White Shield (1798-1878) Arikara leader

Skin color makes no difference… My skin is red, but my grandfather was a white man. But why should that matter? It is not the color of the skin that makes me good or bad.

Native American Wisdom

The Arikara lived near the in the Missouri River in the Dakotas. They were expert farmers, and very proficient in growing corn and other crops. They also hunted a variety of game. The Arikara led very religious and ceremonial lives.

The area they occupied caused many conflicts with white traders, and led to many battles with Americans in the 1800s. These battles along with smallpox epidemics caused many Arikara deaths. In the mid 1800s, the Arikara set up at a reservation, and many of the approximately 2000 current Arikara live in a reservation in North Dakota.