August 18, 1806
Monday 18th August 1806.
moderate rain last night, the wind of this morning from the S. E. as to
cause the water to be So rough that we Could not proceed on untill 8
a.m. at which time it fell a little & we proceeded on tho the waves
were yet high and the wind Strong. Saw Several Indians on either Side
of the river. at 9 A.M. I saw an Indian running down the beech and
appd. to be anxious to Speak to us I derected the Canoes to land. this
Indian proved to be the brother of the Chief we had on board and Came
down from his Camp at no great distance to take his leave of his
brother. the Chief gave him a par of Legins and took an effectunate
leave of his brother and we procedeed on haveing previously Sent on 2
canoes with hunters to kill Some meat at 2 P. M we overtook the Canoe
hunters, they had killed three deer which was divided and we halted and
Cooked Some dinner on the Sandbar. wind Still high and from the Same
point. The Chief pointed out Several places where he Said his nation
formerly lived and related Some extroadinary Stories of their
tredition. after Dinner we proceeded on, to a point on the N E. Side
opposit the remains of an old Mandan village a little below the
enterance of Chiss-che for River and the place we Encamped as we
assended this river 20th of October 1804 haveing come 40 miles today.
after landing which was a little before night the hunters run out into
the bottom and Killed four deer. The winds blew hard from the S. E. all
day which retarded our progress very much after the fires were made I
set my self down with the big white man Chiefe and made a number of
enquiries into the tredition of his nation as well as the time of their
inhabiting the number of Villages the remains of which we see on
different parts of the river, as also the cause of their evacuation. he
told me his nation first Came out of the ground where they had a great
village. a grape vine grew down through the Earth to their village and
they Saw light Some of their people assended by the grape vine upon the
earth, and Saw Buffalow and every kind of animal also Grapes plumbs &c.
they gathered Some grapes & took down the vine to the village, and they
tasted and found them good, and deturmined to go up and live upon the
earth, and great numbers climbed the vine and got upon earth men womin
and children. at length a large big bellied woman in climbing broke the
vine and fell and all that were left in the Village below has remained
there ever Since (The Mandans beleive when they die that they return to
this village) Those who were left on earth made a village on the river
below and were very noumerous &c. he Said that he was born in the
Village Opposit to our Camp and at that time his nation inhabited 7
villages as large as that and were full of people, the Sieoux and Small
pox killed the greater part of them and made them So weak that all that
were left only made two Small villages when Collected, which were built
near the old Ricaras village above. their troubles with the Scioux &
Pawnees or Ricaras Compelled them to move and build a village where
they now live.
he Said that the Menitarras Came out of the water to the East and Came
to this Country and built a village near the mandans from whome they
got Corn beens &c. they were very noumerous and resided in one village
a little above this place on the opposit Side. they quarreled about a
buffalow, and two bands left the village and went into the plains,
(those two bands are now known bye the title Pounch, and Crow Indians.)
the ballance of the Menetaras moved their village to where it now
Stands where they have lived ever Since-
