Hidatsa Heritage Center Knife River

07/28/2021

Hidatsa Heritage Center celebrates with Red Rose,Rosella Hall Little Soldier. MHA Nation's oldest member. RED ROSE was born August 4th 1919 in Elbowoods to James Hall Sr. And Sarah Fredericks.

02/03/2021

SURVIVORS OF THE THREE HIDATSA VILLAGES: Statement of Poor Wolf (Gros Ventre) Chief " When I was a lad of 17, I had the smallpox which decimated our Gros Ventre and Mandan tribes. A few months after that time the Sioux attacked us; thinking to destroy all that were left from the face of the earth. There were about one hundred of my Gros Ventre (Hidatsa) people who were fighting men, or able to make some defense at the time. We were in three villages: Awahami the Mountain or East Village. Awatiha the Middle Village and Hidatsa the West Village. Of those survivors of the Small Pox epidemic of 1837, I remember the following who were able to do some fighting against the Sioux:

Of the East Village
Road Maker Head Chief, Smoke Tanned Hide (Second Chief) *Editors note-this man was the father of Sakakwea. Bear Seeking Something, What He Shoots With, Blackened Shield, Big Hand, Old Woman Crawling, Intestines (Guts), Dried Squash, Old Tail, ....Ghost, Black Panther, Old Woman, Spotted White Buffalo, Seven Bears, Poor Wolf, Shakes Tree.

Of the Middle Village Yellowhead (Head Chief) Bobtail Wolf (second Chief), Wolf Head, Blood Bag, Bear Hugs ,Left Hand Bull, Cut Tail, By the Cedar, The Ree, Fish Speared Him, Wa...,Missouri River, Prairie Chicken Bear, Yellow Handle, No Tears, Lips, White Duck, All Wet.

Hidatsa Village

The Red Point (Head Chief)
Moccasin String (Second Chief) White Fingernails, One Buffalo, Berry Necklace, Mule Skin Arrow Quiver ,Arrow Point Wound Dropped Off, The Ball Striker, Water Dropping In, White Buffalo Head, Bad Horn, Bull Looking a Something, Raven Hair, Long Hair ,Dog Crying ,White Crown(or head),Four Bears, His Spotted Many Horses ,Blood from the Mouth, Ghost Getting Black, Prairie Chicken Not Swimming ,Last Rock, Face to the Wind, Raven Paunch, Porcupine Pemmican, Red Drum, Blue Stone, Thin Shins, Walking Chief, Arm Flapping, Big Black, On the Flat, No Milk in the Breast, Wolf Different, Gun Guarding House, Raises Heart, Boat Tail, Foolish Chief ,Shoulder Yellow, Goose, Eagle Holder, Bear Heart

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02/03/2021

LEAN WOLF AKA Poor Wolf was a noted early tribal historian. He was born about 1820 at Knife River. His father was Buffalo Hide Tent and his Uncle was Road Maker At the age of twenty he went on his first War expedition and was a respected warrior by 1842. He exprienced the Small Pox epidemic of 1837. In about 1843 he and his band moved North upriver to establish Like A Fish Hook village. He was one of the first elders to convert to Christianity. He was knowledgeable of tribal history and gave accounts of Hidatsa people living and trading in the FT Buford area. One of his daughters Mrs White Duck became an informant for Bowers. Poor Wolf assisted Charles Hall missionary in compiling a list of the surviving men of the three Knife River Villages after the Rotting Face Face (Small Pox). If you are a descendent of Poor Wolf or have any additional information to share we would appreciate hearing from you. Sources: MHA Times 1/14/97 NDHD Ewald Collection

10/26/2020

Our featured biography today is BEARS ARM. Born at Like A Fishook Village about 1864. If you are a Bears Arm descendent or have any additional information on this man we would love to hear from you.

10/15/2020

Now featuring Hidatsa Biographies. Please comment on our research, add comments to your knowledge or relation to this individual and please let us know if we got something wrong.

06/29/2018

In case any of you are wondering how are Hidatsa Heritage Center in Stanton fared during last nights LOW CAP storm; we have some tree damage. Our new roof held and our proud old cottonwoods are still standing.

01/16/2018

Awa'giiihahge Mir'ish -January- The moon of the time when the ground changes.

11/08/2017

Ba'hcida (Winter)The Moon(Miri'sh) of the Freezing Rivers.or Mira'aba Aruha'aci Mirish...(the moon when the leaves fall) November. The movement of the geese always signaled the time for the Hidatsa to also move into their winter camps. Buffalo Bird Woman recalled how the lodges in the tall timber of the winter camps were smaller and more rudely built. Some had additional smaller rooms with an added passageway where the old people and little children slept to stay warmer. Even after uniting at Like A Fish Hook village; the Tribes continued this tradition of utilizing winter camps. Buffalo Bird woman recalls two, one; near the confluence of the Little Missouri and the Missouri rivers nearer the north bank where her Mother, Cold Medicine died of yet another Small Pox outbreak when she was six years old; and another in the area of the Confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers in the winter in which her son Good Bird was born shortly after the move. Foolish Woman gave an account of pictographs of winter counts at Independence in 1929. Foolish Woman accounts that in the winter of 1838, the Winter camp was down in the old Cold Harbor where there is a creek known by the tribes as Musselshell creek. That winter a man by the name Turtle did his first deed of Valor by striking an enemy and a man by the name of Four Bears killed seven Sioux, and brought one white horse back. In the winter of 1844 Foolish Woman recounts that a man by the name of Hand was appointed chief of the winter camp. In 1846 a man by the name of One Bull located the winter camp and he took the same site for the village. That winter there was chickenpox (or small pox?). The next winter 1848 Man With Long Hair established the winter camp in the same place. He is said to have been quite an orator. You will find his oration in Washington yet. There were many buffalo again. They came right into the village. The Winter Solstice also signaled the time for story telling, which was not allowed by the Hidatsa during other times of the year. This was the time when the important stories of our Tribe and oral traditions were passed on around the lodge fires in the long winter days and evenings. Photos by Claryca Mandan, Winter Lodge courtesy ND Historical Society Paul Ewald Collection.

10/19/2017

09/26/2017

The Moon of the Falling Leaves(September) Maagiru'u Miri'sh
was a busy time for the Hidatsa, final food preparations for the winter were made. Stores of Dried meat, squash, corn, beans, and berries were set aside for the coming winter. The Black Mouth Society would select a Winter Chief to choose a site along the river bottom for the coming move to Winter Camp. A new site was required each winter to ensure adequate firewood and protection from the elements. The Winter Chief would then select his own Camp Crier who would tell the people when to get ready for the move. A long line of Dog Travois and horses, warriors,and women and children would then leave the three Hidatsa villages bound for their temporary winter home; where new smaller earth lodges were built. Today the scars of these travois trails north of the villages are still visible.

09/18/2017

When the corn was ready in the feild,the family would send out word of an appointed time for assistance with the harvest to the young men. The next day young men from the community would come often singing songs and laughing and teasing. They would assist the family in harvesting all the corn and braiding the seed corn. Sometimes as much as 20 strings with ten ears,to a string was saved for next year's planting. Then the young men were paid for their work with a huge feast. Art by Frederick N Wilson

08/29/2017