Monday, August 01, 2011

Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site

The Knife River Indian Villages are the  site of the Mandan and Hidatsa villages that welcomed Lewis & Clark during the winter of 1804. These villages were the home of Sakakawea, the Indian woman who helped guide the Lewis & Clark Expedition westward.

The many uses of the buffalo......

Example of the summer earthlodge built by the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes.
Inside of earthlodge.....

We happened to visit the Knife River Indian Villages, located in Stanton, ND, during the Northern Great Plains Culture Fest, so there were lots of different presentations of Indian life on the grounds of the Historical Site.



Traditional Pottery demo by Wade Haakenson

Flint Knapping demo by Dave Swetmon.  The flint mines in this area of ND is what gave the Knife River it's name.  There were also ongoing presentations of bead work, rope making and storytelling through out the day.Posted by Picasa

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