The languages spoken by Caddoan Peoples are Caddo, Kitsai, Wichita, Pawnee, and Arikara. Just prior to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Caddoan-speaking nations had inhabited the plains from southeastern Texas to North Dakota. For more on the Caddo Nation, see Freeman-Custis Expedition.
Caddoan-speaking Nations Encountered
The Pawnees
Although Clark referred to the Pawnee often and included them in the Estimate of the Eastern Indians, the journals do not document any face-to-face encounters.
The Arikaras
by Kristopher K. TownsendSpelled variously in the expedition journals, Clark sometimes called the Arikara people Pawnee due to their similar linguistic origins—both were Caddoan-speaking people. Weakened by smallpox and Sioux attacks, they would have significant impact on American fur trade interests on the Upper Missouri and affect the lives of several expedition members.