Portal:Indigenous peoples of North America/Selected article/October

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The Mandan are a Native American tribe that historically lived along the banks of the Missouri River and its tributaries, the Heart and Knife rivers in present-day North and South Dakota. Unlike many neighboring tribes in the Great Plains region, the Mandan practiced agriculture and established permanent villages. These villages were composed of round earthen lodges surrounding a central plaza. In addition to farming, the Mandan gathered wild plants and berries and hunted buffalo. Unlike other tribes in the region which led a nomadic existence following herds of buffalo, the Mandan developed a religious ceremony to bring the buffalo closer to their villages. This ceremony, known as the Okipa, served not only to attract buffalo but to renew the world for another year.

Archaeological research suggests the Mandan people migrated from the Ohio River valley to the banks of the Missouri River. They were first encountered by Europeans along the Missouri in 1738. The Mandan's friendliness and willingness to trade brought many traders and fur trappers to their villages over the next century. By the turn of the 19th century, because of attacks by neighboring tribes and epidemics of smallpox and whooping cough, the numbers of the Mandan had diminished dramatically. Beginning in 1837, a major smallpox outbreak reduced the number of Mandan to approximately 125.This number is given by most sources though there is some controversy regarding it. With such meager numbers, the Mandan banded together with two neighboring tribes, the Arikara and Hidatsa.