Mandan (Amerind tribe)

The Mandan are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains who have lived for centuries primarily in what is now North Dakota.

They are enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation.

About half of the Mandan still reside in the area of the reservation; the rest reside around the United States and in Canada.

The Mandan historically lived along both banks of the Upper Missouri River and two of its tributaries—the Heart and Knife rivers—in present-day North and South Dakota.

Speakers of Mandan, a Siouan language, they develop a settled, agrarian culture.

They establish permanent villages featuring large, round, earth lodges, some 40 feet (twelve mters) in diameter, surrounding a central plaza.

Matrilineal families live in the lodges.

The Mandan are a great trading nation, trading especially their large corn surpluses with other tribes in exchange for bison meat and fat.

Food is the primary item, but they also trade for horses, guns, and other trade goods.