By Sheridan Halvorson 2 nd period history

 Lived in present day North and South Dakota.  Two major rivers, the Knife River and the Missouri River.  Plentiful amounts of wood, water, soil, and many other natural resources.  Many wild plants and trees.  A lot of rolling hills and plains.

 Most of their mythology was based on a figure known as, Lone Man.  They believed that the world was created by rival dieties.  Thought that the Missouri River divided the two worlds.  Believed that every member of the tribe had four immortal souls.  The tribe honored the Lone Man.  Many myths and stories revolve around Lone Man.  They performed what is called and Okipa.  Religious celebration where warriors proved courage and gained approval of spirits.  Warriors would sacrifice their little fingers on each hand, each being cut off by a medicine man.

 Their language belongs to the Siouan language.  It is closely related to languages of the Hidatsa and Crow Indians.  Two main dialects, Nuptare and Nuetare.  Mandan had different grammatical that depend on gender of the address.  They have elements of sound symbolism.  Today descendents of Mandan Indians mainly speak English.

oThe Mandan society was organized according to a matrilineal clan system. oEach clan elected each of their own chief or leader. oThe people of the clan held their own common property also. oEach chief was elected by either a great achievement or accomplishment.

The Mandan Indians were farming people. Mandan women worked together to raise crops like beans, corn, squash and sunflowers. The men hunted wild game such as deer, antelope and took part in seasonal buffalo hunts. Animals were killed with spears or knives. Much of their food was meat and crops.

 The Mandan shelter was mainly an earth lodge covered with mud, sticks and hay.  Some lodges were for permanent use.  Such as food storage and surplus.  They lived in settled villages.  On hunting trips men would use a buffalo hide teepees.  Mandan people were not migratory people and didn’t have to move houses.

∆Mandan Indians used iron hoes. ∆Axes, metal pots that were good for trading. ∆Fish hooks, bone and stone tools. ∆Few arrowheads and buffalo hide scrapers.

 1738 was the time when they experienced their first encounter with the English.  About 1750 they were settled and had nine villages along the Heart River.  A smallpox outbreak occurred around  Around 1837 most of the people were destroyed by smallpox.  The tribe had their first encounter with Lewis and Clark around,  In 1833 an artist came to the tribe and painted images and pictures of their way of life.  During the 1880’s much of the tribe became abandoned.  So after many years in 1971 the last true blood Mandan Indian died.

 They wore mainly buffalo robes that were different from any other tribes.  The chiefs wore mountain sheep hides.  As for everyday clothing it was buckskin and wolf hides.  Mandan Indians chose to wear green masks at festivals and celebrations.  Feathers were mainly a sign of war.  Women wore the buckskin dresses and grass skirts.

Everyone in the tribe was included in entertainment. Had many ceremonies, celebrations, and festivals. They had a rain dance to honor the coming rains. A buffalo dance that lasted three nights, to bring and kill the buffalo. The Okipe which was a sun dance. Then finally a corn dance to pray for healthy and plentiful growth of their corn.

 Mandan people were very good artists.  They were known for crafts such as,  Beadwork  Pottery  Paintings  And buffalo hide paintings.  They would create masks and headdresses for special festivities and celebrations.

 The common war clothing was feathers, war paint, and buckskin skirts.  The Mandan encountered a major war with the during  Feathers usually symbolized war for the Mandan.  Main weapons were spears, knives, and bows and arrows.  Horses helped with getting around and was a main source of transportation during wars with other tribes and indians.

 The Mandan tribe had many to few domesticated items.  They had wild dogs to help around the tribe or clans.  Many horses.  Domesticated and farmed crops such as,  Corn  Beans  Squash  Sunflowers  And other fruits and vegetables.

Mandan men were hunters, and sometimes went to war to protect their families. The women were farmed in the fields and did mostly the child care and cooking. Only men were elected to be chiefs. Both genders were involved in storytelling, artwork, music, art and traditional medicine.

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