798 



MANDAN 



[b. A. : 



Arikara. The same causes soon reduced 

 the other villages to 5, whose inhabitants 

 subsequently joined those in the Arikara 

 country, for;ning 2 villages, which in 1776 

 were likewise merged. Thus the whole 

 tribe was reduced to 2 villages, Metuta- 

 hanke and Ruptari, situated about 4 m. 

 below the mouth of Knife r., on opposite 

 sides of the Missouri. These two villages 

 were visited by Lewis and C'lark in 1804. 

 In 1837 they were almost destroyed V)y 

 smallpox, only 31 souls out of 1,600, ac- 

 cording to one account, being left, al- 

 though other and probably more reliable 

 accounts make the number of survivors 

 from 125 to 145. After that time they oc- 

 cupied a single village. In 1845, when 

 the Hidatsa removed from Knife r. , some 

 of the Mandan went with them, and others 

 followed at intervals. According to Mat- 

 thews, some moved up to the village at 

 Ft Berthold as late as 1858. By treaty at 

 the Mandan village, July 30, 1825, they 

 entered into peaceable relations with the 

 United States. They participated in the 

 Ft Laramie (Wyo. ) treaty of Sept. 17, 

 1851, by which the boundaries of the 

 tribes of the N.W. were defined, and in 

 the unratified treaty of Ft Berthold, Dak., 

 July 27, 1866. By Executive order of 

 Apr. 12, 1870, a large reservation was set 

 apart for the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Ari- 

 kara Indians in North Dakota and Mon- 

 tana, along Missouri and Little Missouri 

 rs., which included the Mandan village, 

 then situated on the left bank of the 

 Missouri in lat. 47° 34', Ion. 101° 48^ 

 By agreement at Ft Berthold agency, Dec. 

 14, 1866, the Mandan, Arikara, and Hi- 

 datsa ceded that portion of their reserva- 

 tion N. of lat. 48°, and e. of a n. and s. 

 line 6 m. w. of the most westerly point of 

 the big bend of Missouri r., s. of lat. 48°. 

 Provision was also made for allotment in 

 severalty of the remaining portion. 



According to Maximilian the Mandan 

 were vigorous, well made, rather above 

 medium stature, many of them being ro- 

 bust, broad-shouldered, and nuiscular. 

 Their noses, not so long and arched as 

 those of the Sioux, were sometimes aqui- 

 line or slightly curved, sometimes quite 

 straight, never broad; nor had they such 

 high cheek bones as the Sioux. Some of 

 the women were robust and rather tall, 

 though usually they were short and broad- 

 shouldered. The men paid the greatest 

 attention to their headdress. They some- 

 times wore at the back of the head a long, 

 stiff ornament made of small sticks en- 

 twined with wire, fastened to the hair and 

 reaching down to the shoulders, which 

 was covered with porcupine quills dyed 

 of various colors in neat patterns. At the 

 upper end of thisornament an eagle feather 

 was fastened horizontally, the quill end 

 of which was covered with red cloth and 



the tip ornamented with a bunch of horse- 

 hair dyed yellow. These ornaments varied 

 and were symbolic. Tattooing was prac- 

 tised to a limited extent, mostly on the 

 left breast and arm, with black parallel 

 stripes and a few other figures. 



The Mandan villages were assemblages 

 of circular clay-covered log huts placed 

 close together without regard to order. 

 Anciently these were surrounded with 

 palisades of strong jiosts. The huts were 

 slightly vaulted and were provided with 

 a sort of portico. In the center of the 

 roof was a square opening for the exit 

 of the smoke, over which was a circular 

 screen made of twigs. The interior was 

 spacious. Four strong pillars near the 

 middle, with several crossbeams, sup- 

 ported the roof. The dwelling was cov- 

 ered outside with matting made of osiers, 

 over which was laid hay or grass, and 

 then a covering of earth. "The beds 

 stand against the wall of the hut; they 

 consist of a large square case made of 

 parchment or skins, with a square en- 

 trance, and are large enough to hold sev- 

 eral jiersons, who lie very conveniently 

 and warm on skins and blankets." They 

 cultivated maize, beans, gourds, and the 

 sunflower, and manufactured earthen- 

 ware, the clay being tempered with flint 

 or granite reduced to powder by the actioii 

 of fire. Polygamy was common among 

 them. Their beliefs and ceremonies were 

 similar to those of the Plains tribes gen- 

 erally. The Mandan have always been 

 friendly to the United States, and since 

 1866 a number of the men have been en- 

 listed as scouts. 



In Lewis and Clark's time the Mandan 

 were estimated to number 1,250, and in 

 1837 1,600 souls, but about the latter date 

 they were reduced by smallpox to be- 

 tween 125 and 150. In 1850 the number 

 given was 150; in 1852 it had apparently 

 increased to 385; in 1871, to 450; in 1877 

 the number given was 420; it was 410 

 in 1885, and 249 in 1905. 



There were, according to Morgan ( Anc. 

 Soc, 158, 1877), the following divisions, 

 which seem to have corresponded with 

 their villages before consolidation: (1) 

 Horatamumake (Kharatanumanke), (2) 

 Matonumake (Matonumanke), (3) See- 

 pooshka (Sipushkanumanke), (4) Tana- 

 tsuka (Tanetsukanumanke), (5) Kitane- 

 make (Khitanumanke), (6) Estapa 

 (Histapenumanke), and (7) Meteahke. _ 



In addition tothe workscited, seeCatlin 

 (1) North American Indians, 1841, (2) 

 0-kee-pa, 1867; Coues, Lewis and Clark 

 Exped., 1893; Orig. Jour. Lewisand Clark, 

 1904-05; Dorsey (1) A Study of Siouan 

 Cults, nth Rep. B. A. E., 1894,(2) Siouan 

 Sociologv, 15th Rep. B. A. E.,1897; Hay- 

 den, Ethnog. and Philol. Mo. Val., 1862; 

 McGeein 15th Rep. B. A. E., 1897; Mat- 



