Associated Tribes

A map of northwest and north-central states with Yellowstone National Park and tribal reservations
Yellowstone National Park has 27 associated tribes. Note: Map shows Tribal reservations; it does not show historic territory.

NPS / Yellowstone Spatial Analysis Center

 

Today, there are 27 associated Tribes who have ancestral and modern connections to the park.

  • Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana
  • Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana
  • Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River Reservation, South Dakota
  • Coeur D'Alene Tribe
  • Comanche Nation, Oklahoma
  • Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation
  • Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
  • Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
  • Crow Creek Sioux Tribe of the Crow Creek Reservation, South Dakota
  • Crow Tribe of Montana
  • Eastern Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming
  • Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe of South Dakota
  • Fort Belknap Indian Community of the Fort Belknap Reservation of Montana
  • Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma
  • Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana
  • Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of the Lower Brule Reservation, South Dakota
  • Nez Perce Tribe
  • Northern Arapaho Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming
  • Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Montana
  • Oglala Sioux Tribe
  • Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota
  • Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation
  • Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation, South Dakota
  • Spirit Lake Tribe, North Dakota
  • Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North & South Dakota
  • Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota
  • Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota
 
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Park History

Learn about Yellowstone's story from the earliest humans to today.

Rifle and powder horn with a map etched on side resting on fur.
European Americans Arrive

In the late 1700s, fur traders traveled the Yellowstone River in search of Native Americans with whom to trade.

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Expeditions Explore Yellowstone

Formal expeditions mapped and explored the area, leading to the nation's understanding of the region.

Historic Moran water color of hot springs with group standing in distance
Birth of a National Park

Learn about Yellowstone's early days as a national park.

"For the benefit and enjoyment of the people" etched in concrete and surrounded in stone
Modern Management

Managing the national park has evolved over time and dealt with some complex issues.

Visitors standing on a boardwalk and taking pictures of the orange thermophiles of Grand Prismatic.
Today's National Park Service

The National Park Service manages over 80 million acres in all 50 states, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa.

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Timeline of Human History in Yellowstone

The human history of the Yellowstone region goes back more than 11,000 years.

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The Earliest Humans in Yellowstone

Human occupation of this area seems to follow environmental changes of the last 15,000 years.

Dead branches leaned up against a tree in a conical shape form a wickiup.
Historic Tribes

Many tribes have a traditional connection to this region and its resources.

Last updated: April 18, 2025

Contact Info

Mailing Address:

PO Box 168
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190-0168

Phone:

307-344-7381

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