The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-12-31
INDIAN VILLAGE
IS INTERESTING
DR.. o. G. LIBBY. IN DEVILS LAKE
VISIT. ENLIsTS AID IN HIS
MoVEMENT-GAVE INTEREST"
ING ADDRESS ON HISTORY OF
INDIANS.

Devils Lake Journal: A discussion
of much interest to@all DESTROYS of
learning the early history of North
Dakota was given in the commercial
club rooms by Prof. o. G. Libby, mead
Of the historical department of the
state university and secretary or the
State Historical association. Indian
villages, in which Professor Libby has
done personal research work, was the
subject of his lecture. His purpose
was twofold; firstly, he wished to
create local interest in these villages,
and secondly he wished to collect and
preserve the early history of the
state. Especially anxious is Profess
sor Libby to arouse interest in this
dian village was discovered on Gra-
hams island, and he feels that it
would be an injustice to future gem
erations to allow this village to be
forgotten and destroyed.
There are three types of Indian viii
lagos in the state: the Mandan, Ari-
kara and Hidatsa. The tepees of the
circle, with the door opening inward.
The holy tepee or church stood in
the circumference Of the circle. The
Arikara village was likewise built in
a circle, but the holy tepee was ear
the center. The Hidatsa, of which
the Grahams island village is a type,
eene to have no particular system
and no church. Their services were
held in huts made of boughs outside
the village. Also there was about the
villages Of the first two an absence
Of refuse piles and an air of cleanli-
ness, while in the Hidatsa village the
spaces between the tepee circles were
haped up into ridges and various
sorts of debris showed everywhere oil
~ l.@,,N-t ~ ~ g., fhn avnn Syrfi0nd
made for them. Also it is worthy to
note in this connection that the trav-
elerst report swarms Of dogs In the
Hidatsa villages and a scarcity Of
dogs in the villages of the other
tribes. All this goes to prove that the
Hidatsa were a northern people mi
grating south, and the Mandans were
from the south where the disposal
of garbage was, an important matter.
The knowledge of these Indian viii
lagos was acquired through the la
borious personal research from the
tales of old Indians. and from the
histories OF Clarke and Lewis, who.
in their expedition in 1904, passed
through a Mandan village situated on
the Knife river in the vicinity of old
Fort Clarke. Drawings of Catlin and
Macmillan have also thrown much
light on the subject.
In the e 1889, LaVerendrye
made a trip into the Missouri valley
and visited what was enormously be
lieved to have been a Mandan village,
but which according to his descrip-
ton OF the village and according to
the geographical description of his
route, really was a Iidatsa village
In the long loop Of the Mouse river.
west and southwest Of the Turtle
mountains. What has lead to the con-
fusion is no doubt his name for the
Tribe visited. He called them the
aMantanne." An Indian who has Civ
en- some valuable information CON
lcerning the Fort Clarke village was
Bad Gun, Rushing War Eagle, son OF
lMa-ta-to-pe or -Four Bears, whose
portrait Catlin painted and which is
preserved at washington with the
other works of this famous painter,
From him the names OF the occupants
OF the tepees. were learned.
Various facts about the typical Ar
kara village ON Fort Berthold were
learned from Bull Neck, an Arikara,
who talked through an interpreter
Professor Libby first learned about
the Hidatsa village on Graham island
from conversation which he overheard
between Indians in the Turtle noun
tain region.