Who Are the Mandan?
Have you ever heard of a Native American tribe that never went to war with another? Sounds quite surprising. This peaceful tribe is known as the Mandan. The peaceful Mandan lived in the plains region and relied on buffalo for food, clothing, and shelter. The Mandan called themselves “Us” or “We the people;” their name means “River Dwellers.” They occupy what is now known as the forests of North Dakota. They settled by the present day Missouri River between 1000 and 1400.
With their Hidatsa friends and neighbors, the Mandan Indians lay at the center of trade along the Upper Missouri River, inhabiting what is now central North Dakota. The Mandan lived in two villages, Matootonha and Rooptahee. Matootonha was located on the western bank of the Missouri, while Rooptahee was directly north, on the river’s eastern bank.
In Mandan culture, the village was the focus of political, economic and ceremonial activity. It represented a collective of households, all striving together to better each family, clan and the village itself. A sacred cedar post stood at the center of the Mandan village, symbolizing the tribe’s primary cultural hero. The post was surrounded by an open plaza, and at the north end of the plaza was the village’s primary medicine lodge. Forty or fifty additional lodges populated the plaza. The more powerful a family was, or the more significant that family’s ceremonial duties were, the closer its lodge would be to the center. Throughout most of the year, the Mandans lived in these permanent lodges. But in the winter, to avoid brutal storms, they constructed temporary lodges in wooded, low-lying areas adjacent to the river.
In fields that surrounded the villages, the Mandans grew their harvests. Crops included corn, beans, squash and tobacco. When the fall came, a diversity of Indian tribes and Europeans descended on the Mandan villages, bringing a rich and varied assortment of goods. At the high point of trade, Crees, Cheyennes, Assiniboins, Crows and even enemy Teton Sioux could be counted among the attending delegations. Everything from meat products to horses to musical instruments was exchanged for Mandan corn.
In Mandan culture, the village was the focus of political, economic and ceremonial activity. It represented a collective of households, all striving together to better each family, clan and the village itself. A sacred cedar post stood at the center of the Mandan village, symbolizing the tribe’s primary cultural hero. The post was surrounded by an open plaza, and at the north end of the plaza was the village’s primary medicine lodge. Forty or fifty additional lodges populated the plaza. The more powerful a family was, or the more significant that family’s ceremonial duties were, the closer its lodge would be to the center. Throughout most of the year, the Mandans lived in these permanent lodges. But in the winter, to avoid brutal storms, they constructed temporary lodges in wooded, low-lying areas adjacent to the river.
In fields that surrounded the villages, the Mandans grew their harvests. Crops included corn, beans, squash and tobacco. When the fall came, a diversity of Indian tribes and Europeans descended on the Mandan villages, bringing a rich and varied assortment of goods. At the high point of trade, Crees, Cheyennes, Assiniboins, Crows and even enemy Teton Sioux could be counted among the attending delegations. Everything from meat products to horses to musical instruments was exchanged for Mandan corn.