How many Native American tribes are still connected to Yellowstone?

— There are 27 listed tribes who have historic connections to the lands and resources now found within Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Many think of YNP as an untouched wilderness, but human occupation in YNP goes back 11,000 years ago and includes an important history of indigenous peoples.



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In total, there are 26 current tribes that have historic connections to the lands and resources now found within Yellowstone National Park.

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No one “lived” in what is now Yellowstone Park, though obviously, tribes did live in the region, typically at lower elevations. The reason is evident to anyone who has spent any time in the area (which most revisionists have not).

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1896 Supreme Court case Ward v. Race Horse decided that the legislation that had established Yellowstone as a national park was the legal foundation for efforts to keep Indians off public land.

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The Crow Indians called Yellowstone “land of the burning ground” or “land of vapors” while the Blackfeet called it “many smoke.” The Flatheads called it “smoke from the ground.” The Kiowas called it “the place of hot water.” Only the Bannocks had a name that did not call to mind the park's thermal regions: “buffalo ...

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The fictional Broken Rock Indian Reservation is actually the Crow Indian Reservation. The reservation, home of the Crow Tribe, is the largest reservation in Montana, spanning about 3,600 square miles.

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Arrowheads made from Yellowstone obsidian have been found as far away as the Mississippi Valley, showing how important the natural resources of Yellowstone were for the Native Americans.

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The Yellowstone bison herd is a bison herd in Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. It is probably the oldest and largest public bison herd in the United States, estimated in 2020 to comprise 4,800 bison. The bison are American bison of the Plains bison subspecies.

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During historic times, a number of tribes are known to have used the Yellowstone area. However, the one group most closely associated with the park is the Shoshone. Trappers and early explorers of the region provide first-hand accounts of small bands of Shoshone in the park.

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One of those girls is played by Aminah Nieves, an indigenous actress who landed the very important role of Teonna Rainwater — a veritable prisoner of the Catholics (and ancestor of Gil Birmingham's Thomas Rainwater, who we eventually meet in Yellowstone) who can dish it out as much as she can take it.

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