Observations on their Language. 59 



second, the same number, and both may raise about three hundred and 

 fifty men. 



•'On the same side of the river, and at the distance of four miles from 

 the lower Mandan village, is another called Mahaha. It is situated on a 

 high plain at the mouth of Knife-river, and is the residence of the Ahna- 

 haways. This nation, whose name indicates that they were " people whose 

 village is on a hill," formerly resided on the Missouri, about thirty miles 

 below where they now live. The Assiniboins and Sioux forced them to a 

 spot five miles higher, where the greatest part of them were put to death, 

 and the rest emigrated to their present situation, in order to obtain an 

 asylum near the Minnetarees. They are called by the French Soulier 

 Noir, or Shoe Indians; by the Mandans, Wattasoons, and their whole 

 force is about fifty men. 



"On the south side of tbe same Knife-river, half a mile above the 

 Mahaha, and in the same open plain with it, is a village of Minnetarees, 

 surnamed Metahartay, who are about one hundred and fifty men in 

 number. On the opposite side of Knife-river, and one and a half miles 

 above this village, is a second of Minnetarees, Avho may be considered as 

 the proper Minnetaree nation. It is situated in a beautiful low plain, and 

 contains four hundred and fifty w^arriors. ****** 



"The inhabitants of these five villages, all of which are within the dis- 

 tance of six miles, live in harmony with each other. The Ahnahaways 

 understand in part the language of the Minnetarees ; the dialect of the 

 Mandans differs widely from both ; but their long residence together has 

 insensibly blended their manners, and occasioned some approximation m 

 language, particularly as to objects of daily occurrence and obvious to 



At the present time the Mandans occupy a small village about 

 three miles above Fort Clarke, on the right bank of the Mis- 

 souri, and do not number over 250 or 800 souls. The Ahnaha- 

 ways mentioned by Lewis and Clarke were undoubtedly a por- 

 tion of the Mandan nation, but I cannot discover any trace of 

 their existence at this time. In 1833, when the Prince Neu 

 Wied made his visit to the Upper Missouri, he remarks that the 

 two Mandan villages were located the one about 300 paces above 

 i'ort Clarke, and the other about three miles higher up, on the 

 ^ side of the river. It is evident that the former is now oc- 

 i by the Arickaras, while the latter is in possession of the 

 remnant of the Mandan nation now living. At the period 

 : mentioned (1838) the first village was composed of 6o 

 ---, with about 150 warriors, and the latter 38 huts with 83 

 warriors, both villages perhaps possessing 900 to lOOO souls. 



Our knowledge of this nation obtained from the American 

 I'lir Company, commences in the year 1829, when, through that 

 company, the Fur-trade on the Upper Missouri was established 

 on a more solid basis than it had been by the I rench traders 

 Anterior to the above date, the latter had been trading with 

 taese Indians in their usual way, by building wintering houses, 



