Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-10-26

Grand Forks Herald. Dr. Libby, of
the department of history, spent some
time this last summer collecting relics
of the Mandan Indians for the mus
cum of the State Historical society
toms of an almost extinct tribe will
with other finds of a similar charac
ter loaned by different people through
out the state, form the chronological
exhibit of the state of North Dakota
at the ST. Louis exposition. DR.. Lib
by. who has charge of the work of
preparing the exhibit, is doing every
thing in his power to make it an at
tractive feature of the exposition, es-
pecially to North Dakotans. The col
lection has proved very interesting to
all who have seen it, The Mandans
have had sad history, being driven
by fierce foes from their native camp
ing grounds on the Ohio river further
north and west ever growing fewer
and weaker. until at last in their
struggles with the Rees they were
practically exterminated The most
fruitful locality in which to search
near the site of old Fort Abraham
Lincoln on the Missouri river, about
nine miles below Mandan 1t is here
Dr. Libby got the state historical So
ciety' collection, and many other
searchers have had their labors here
well rewarded.
The Mandans were a very neat and
orderly tribe, carefully cleaning about
their wigwams every day. and throw
ing the refuse on garbage heaps out
side the village is from these gar
bage heaps that many of the interest
thrown out by mistake The Indians
seem to have discovered that they
could make many articles needed in
everyday life, including ornaments
easier and better ont Of bone than any
other substance, and among the finds
bone implements We're most numer
GUS Weapons of war and the chase
were of stone. The collection con
tains several fine spades made of the
, shoulder blades of some animal The
; projecting ridges were removed. prob
; ably by cutting a groove on both sides
with sharp stone and then breaking
the projections off and smoothing thu
t place by rubbing on stone Th'
blade edge was sharpened in the sam'
way. NOtches were cut in the blade
by means of which a handle was fas
tened on. and the Indian had spade
Some of the spades in the collection
, show the evidence of much use ant
others are in better condition. ant
, there is one shoulder blade that evi
| IDENTIFY was selected to make spade
, out of, but the work was never com
pleted. There are number of bones
, hammers made out of pieces of elk
horn with a fragment of prong left
for head One piece of an elk horn
about an inch and half in diameter
and a foot and a half long showed
: where it had been cut from the mair
horn and the cutting was such a
{ could only have been done with 9
t steel implement. pointing. as do some
' other things in the collection, to the
5 fact that the Indians were beginning
e to make the acquaintance of steel.
Among the larger bone implement:
4 were several ribs with what had beer
1 round holes in the center These haC
0 been used to straighten arrows with
r it is thought. There are at least ;
hundred bone avis in the collection
Some were made by breaking frag
ments of bone from some round o
fiat bone and rubbing them smootl
and pointing them on stone. Th
a collection contains round bon
: showing the growing preparatory t
g breaking the fragment Off and stone
r were shown. one having the mark
e by pointing the avis. Other awl
# were made by pointing the leg an
h wing bones of game birds. Quite
n number of ornaments of differen
; kinds were to be seen-amOng theT
s bone beads and string of bone al
e ticles with holes drilled in them ths
d were probably strung on string an
e worn as a bracelet Among the rare
e specimens is drilled implemel
IS which DR.. Libby suggests was proba
as ly used as a needle There were Sc
eral round bone disks about the 81