Assiniboine (Assnipwan, Stone Sioux)

The Corps encountered the Assiniboine in North Dakota, but the tribe normally occupied what would become northeastern Montana and part of Canada. In November 1804, Assiniboine representatives arrived at the villages of the North Dakota Mandan for an annual trading festival. Each year they exchanged goods they obtained from the British for food and supplies. Their direct trade with the British Canadians provided them with more guns than most of the surrounding tribes, making them a formidable force in the newly acquired territory.

Lewis and Clark actively pursued trade relations with the area tribes, hoping to make a place for U.S. trade in the lands once dominated by the British. A foothold with the Mandan would establish steady trade with delegations of Sioux, Cheyenne, Crow, Assiniboine, Hidatsa, Cree and others.

The Corps' presence signaled a major change for the Assiniboine. They feared that new trade relations with the Americans would lead to conflict with the British. They announced that they would attack the Mandan rather than lose their vital and favorable system of trade.

No conflict with the Assiniboine resulted, but it would not be the last time that a lack of political and economic knowledge about the new territory would have unforeseen consequences for the Corps of Discovery. Expedition journals of 1805 tell of spotting the remains of what they assumed were Assiniboine camps but they never encountered anyone. In fact, the Corps would have no further contact with any tribe until they crossed most of Montana. They considered themselves fortunate, as they were no match for any tribe that considered them a threat.

Although they didn't know it, they had no time for trade negotiations, in any case. The portage at Great Falls and the unknown perils of the Rocky Mountains meant they could not delay if they hoped to survive and reach the Pacific. This also meant they would have to rely on the good will, and sometimes charity, of the tribes they would meet.

Today

The Canoe Paddler and Redbottom bands of the Assiniboine were two of the many groups that lived in or moved to the area that would become the Fort Peck Reservation in the latter half of the 19th Century.

It is believed that the Assiniboine were originally Sioux, but broke away in the 17th Century. The name Assnipwan means "stone Sioux" referring to the practice of using stones to cook.

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