Mato-tope

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Mandan Chief Mato-tope by George Catlin
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Mandan Chief Mato-tope by George Catlin

Mato-tope (also known as Ma-to-toh-pe or Four Bears) (c.1795 - July 30, 1837) was a chief of the Mandan tribe. He became friends with artist Karl Bodmer in 1833, and became chief in the year 1836. Around that time, a smallpox epidemic wiped out most of his tribe, leaving a mere 125 survivors out of a population of 1,600. He died on July 30, 1837. Many believed that he died of smallpox, but George Catlin claimed that he starved himself to death out of grief from the death of his family.

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