North Dakota – Iron Bear Chief
The leader of the Rees tribe in North Dakota’s Fort Berthold Indian Reservation was Chief Bear, who was also known as the Big Iron Bear. He served as head of the Arikara band in the 1860s, when it was still known as the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. Two years before the state of North Dakota created a reservation for them, he posed alone in this 1868 photo.
The clan’s history was solid, dating back to the fifteenth century when Arikara families were recognized for having a few canines per household. In reality, a handful of families owned around 40 to 50 dogs who would assist them while hunting regularly.