Arikara - These Indians, related to the Pawnee, were known to the white man also as the Arickaree and Ree.  the name Arikara means "Horns" or "Elk", and refers to the ancient manner in which these Indians wore their hair with two pieces of bone standing up, one on each side of the crest.

The Arikara orginally came from the Platte Valley in Nebraska.  In early days they were considered hostile to teh white man.  For a long time they were allied with the Mandan and Hidatsa, after smallpox and wars with the Dakota had reduced their number.  Later they were grouped with these tribes under the general name of "Fort Berthold Indians."

They were accomplished farmers, and long preserved the seed of a peculiar type of small eared corn.  They respected corn and called it "Mother," as the giver of life.  They were expert swimmers and sometimes captured buffalo disabled in a river while a herd was crossing.  They lived in earth lodges.  In 1900 the Arikara became citizens of the United States.  Arickaree in Washington County, Colorado, carries on the name.

Related Information within this Site
[ Mandan ][ Pawnee ][ Ree ]