As the Corps of Discovery moved into the area that is now
the Dakotas, they encountered several Indian nations each with a unique
reaction to the expedition. For example, in South Dakota, the Yankton Sioux
were a friendly tribe while the Teton Sioux were very aggressive and wanted to
maintain their control of the Missouri River. When Lewis and Clark encountered
the Mandan and Hidatsa nations in North Dakota, they were impressed by their
skill in trading and their hospitality.
Compared to other nations, the Mandans and Hidatsas were very prosperous. The prosperity was most likely due to their
lifestyle. Since they were able to maintain stable villages, they were able to maintain stable villages, to use the fertile river
banks to grow nutritious foods (especially squash, corn, and beans), and to use
the traffic on the Missouri to trade with other nations.
Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1804-1805 near the Mandans and Hidatsas in their fort, which they named Fort Mandan (see the next blog).
While Lewis and Clark were with the Mandans, they decided to hire a French interpreter,
Toussant Charboneau, and one of his young wives, Sakakawea, who the Hidatsas kidnapped
from the Shoshone people as a child. She was probably about 16 or 17 years old when the expedition reached North Dakota. Lewis and Clark knew they would meet the Shoshone nation and that
they would need to trade with them. Sakakawea would be very helpful in
interpreting during negotiations. During the winter, Sakakawea gave birth to a
son named John Baptiste Charboneau whom the members of the expedition nicknamed
Pomp.
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| Entering the Indian Village Area |
We visited Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, which is known
for two excellent historical sites. The first site is the reconstruction of
Fort Abraham Lincoln, including the house in which Lt. Col. George Custer and
his wife lived while stationed there. The second site is the On-A-Slant Village
where we took a guided tour of the Mandan Village that was reconstructed on a
site that was previously occupied by the Mandans.
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| The Confluence of the Heart and Missouri Rivers |
The village was named because
it slanted toward the Heart River, and it was located at the confluence of the Heart River with the Missouri. The Mandans abandoned the village and moved further north along the Missouri River after a devastating
small pox epidemic and attacks by hostile tribes.The Mandans had
occupied the Heart River site from 1571 to 1780, over 200 years!
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| An Indentation From the Original Village |
Lewis and
Clark recognized the site as an abandoned village by the dish-like indentations where lodges had collapsed. The indentations remain today.
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| The Village |
Lodges were built by women out of logs for the frame
and earth for the rest. They were round in shape with a hole in the top
for the smoke from the fire to escape. The doorway was wood, and on the inside,
a buffalo robe would cover the opening.
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| Decorative Robe |
Lodges had decorative
features such as painted buffalo robes. The beds would also use buffalo robes
to make them more comfortable, and backrests were commonly used.
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| A Bed |
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| A Backrest |
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| Keel Boat Exhibit |
Park along the Bismarck Riverwalk and the North Dakota Heritage Center. We were hoping to take the Lewis and Clark Riverboat Cruise, but it only operated on the weekends by the time we were there. Drat!
Despite that, we had a wonderful time, and the weather was gorgeous while we were there.
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| Extra Large Sculpture of the Expedition at Keel Boat Park |
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