The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1923-01-25
Mandans, Mysterious Indians of Upper Missouri River who Cultivated
Pleasant Gardens and Made Pottery, Reduced from 5000 to $50 Souls

outer side r placed split wooc
pieces, seven feet long, in a slant
ing direction; one end resting or
the ground and the other leaning
against the ~cross-logs or beams
Upon these beams rest rafters
about the size of a mans leg and
II to Is feet long, slanting enough
to drain off the rain, and laid Sc
close to each other as to touch.
The upper ends of the rafters are
supported upon stout pieces OF
squared timber, which last are sup
ported by four thick posts about
five feet in circumference, IS feet
out of the ground and Is feet
asunder, forming a square. Over
these squared timbers others of
equal size are laid, crossing them
at right angles, leaving an opening
about four feet square. This serves
for chimney and windows, as there
are no other openings to admit
light, and when it rains this open
ing is covered. The whole roof is
well thatched with willows, laid on
to a thickness of six inches or
more, fastened together in a very
compact manner and. we'll secured
to the rafters. Over the whole is
spread about. n foot of earth"
Village Well Fortified
The Mandans we're not a warlike
tribe, fighting only defensive bat
ties. That they fortified their vii
lagos strongly is told by Catlin as
follows:
"The ground on which the Man
dan village is at present built was
selected for defense, be-
ing on a bank forty or fifty feet
above the river bed. The greater
part of this bank is nearly per-
pendicu1ar and of solid rock. The
suddenly changing its curse
70 a .right-angle, protects two sides
IF the village, which is built upon
his promontory or angle; they
nave therefore but one side to pro-
.ect, which is effectually done by.
/ strong piquet (~stockade), and a
Itch inside it of three or four feet
n depth. The piquet is composed
If timbers of a foot or nor in dia-|
meter, and IS feet high, set firmly
n the ground at a sufficient dis
ance from each other to admit of
Weapons to be fired between. Their
,arlier Notifications were much
tronger and more complete.
"The village has a most novel
ppearance to the stranger; their
edges are closely grouped toge-
her, leaving just room enough for
and riding between them,
nd appear from without to be
uilt. entirely of dirt. The floors
+ these dwellings are of earth, but
Q hardened by use and swept SO
lean and tracked by bare and moe
asined feet that they have almost
polish and would scarcely soil
lie whitest linen. The Mandans
eep on bedsteads similar in form
!, ours, but generally not quite so
igh; made of round poles rudely
shed together with thongs" i
DR.. Washington Matthews, who
we'd among these Indians on the
ort Bertholdsreservation in North
akota from 1866 to 1872, and
no, through exhaustive investiga-
ons, is an authority on the sub |
ct, states that the earth lodge, in /
nilar forms, has been found from /
orth Dakota to Kansas, in the '
issouri valley and that, at a very $
rly date, they Undoubtedly; exist I
in the Mississippi river valley U
far. south as Louisiana, and as :
r east as Tennessee. The only
es in existence 20 years ago were1
ose found on the Fort Bertho1d
servation.
Picturesque Village
. typical Mandan village is des- /.
bed as follows: