Mandan social and ceremonial organization
By: by Alfred W. Bowers ; foreword by Gerard Baker.
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Lincoln
Language: eng
Number of pages: 407
Subjects: Mandan Indians -- Social life and customs; Mandan Indians -- Rites and ceremonies; Mandan Indians -- Religion; Social structure -- Great Plains
Description: "Generations before the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery wintered in the northern Plains, the Mandan Indians farmed along the banks of rivers. The traditional world of the Mandans comes to life in this classic account by anthropologist Alfred W. Bowers. Based on years of research and conversations with Crows Heart and ten other Mandan men and women, Bowers offers a detailed reconstruction of their way of life in earlier times. Featured here are overviews of how their households function, the makeup of their clan and social systems and kinship network, and a valuable look at the entire Mandan life cycle, from birth and naming through adulthood, marriage, and death."

"Mandan Social and Ceremonial Organization also includes descriptions and analyses of Mandan ceremonies, legends, and religious beliefs, including origin myths, the Okipa Ceremony, sacred bundles, Corn ceremonies, the Eagle-Trapping Ceremony, Catfish-Trapping Ceremony, and the Adoption Pipe Ceremony. Many of these practices and beliefs remain vital and relevant for Mandans today. A comprehensive look at the legacy and traditional roots of present-day Mandan culture, Mandan Social and Ceremonial Organization is a classic ethnography of an enduring North American Native community."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 397-399) and index.
Originally published: Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1950 in series: University of Chicago publications in anthropology. Social anthropological series.