The first supporting question, “Who are the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara?” helps students use primary sources to unwrap the context of the time and topic being examined. The Doctrine of Discovery and Manifest Destiny had an impact on the Three Affiliated Tribes, ultimately pushing them into an alliance and living together on one reservation. Complete the following task using the sources provided to build a context of the time period and topic being examined.
Formative Performance Task 1
Study sources A-B. Write a brief summary that answers the following questions:
- What types of sources are they (letters, photos, maps, diaries, etc.)?
- What is going on in these sources? What kind of information do they contain?
- Who created each of these sources?
- Who was the intended audience for each source?
- Why were these sources created?
- When were the sources created?
- What do the sources tell us about treaties and tribal sovereignty related to the Three Affiliated Tribes?
How do we know? What else can you find?
Featured Sources 1
The sources featured below are a combination of primary and secondary sources. Primary sources are the raw materials of history—original documents, personal records, photographs, maps, and other materials. Primary sources are the first evidence of what happened, what was thought, and what was said by people living through a moment in time. These sources are the evidence by which historians and other researchers build and defend their historical arguments, or thesis statements. When using primary sources in your lessons, invite students to use all their senses to observe, describe, and analyze the materials. What can they see, hear, feel, smell, and even taste? Draw on students’ knowledge to classify the sources into groups, to make connections between what they observe and what they already know, and to help them make logical claims about the materials that can be supported by evidence. Further research of materials and sources can either prove or disprove the students’ argument.
Secondary sources are accounts or interpretations of historical events, people, places, and ideas by someone who does not necessarily have firsthand experience of the subject. This is the material that historians and other researchers have written about primary sources and the events, ideas, and people of history. These are the products of historical work including exhibits, websites, documentaries, performances, books, and other publications. When students read or view secondary sources, they should pay careful attention to the bibliography. What sources did the author use? Is there reliable evidence to support their claims? When students read or view secondary sources, they should also explore additional sources, including primary sources, to get an accurate understanding of the context and if the author wrote a valid, accurate, and thoughtful interpretation. What is the author’s historical argument, or thesis statement? Are their claims logical and supported by evidence? Further research of materials and sources can either prove or disprove the students’ argument.
| Source A | Laws and Treaties Early Reservation Life |
| Source B |  http://www.digitalhorizonsonline.org/digital/collection/uw-ndshs/id/3786
This map was drawn on canvas by a Mandan man, Sitting Rabbit, in 1905 and layers geography with history. It measures 23 feet 4 inches by 17 ½ inches. Sitting Rabbit drew on the oral traditions of the Mandan and Hidatsa to draw the course of the Missouri River, its tributaries, and historic village locations. The left of this image is oriented to the cardinal direction south and begins on the South Dakota/North Dakota border. The upper edge of the map correlates with the west bank of the Missouri River, and the bottom edge with the east bank. The map is drawn in sections, so that Sitting Rabbit could stretch the curves of the river in a relatively straight line. He used both English and Mandan languages to identify specific locations. This map includes villages that by 1905 were known only in the long memory of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara people. Many of these villages were abandoned as other tribes moved through or settled in the region. The Three Affiliated Tribes, tended to move northward, settling into large villages which offered more protection against enemies. Near the mouth of the Heart River the Mandan built seven villages which around the year 1700 may have housed as many as 7,000 people. Sitting Rabbit included the modern cities of Mandan and Bismarck which can be identified by city street grids and railroad lines. Other landmarks overlap new and old features, such as an ancient Mandan Town in the midst of present-day Standing Rock Agency. Near Fort Clark are the five Knife River villages where Lewis and Clark visited the Mandan and Hidatsa during their winter at Fort Mandan. These are also the villages where the tragic smallpox epidemic of 1837 began, killing thousands of northern plains Indians and nearly destroying the Mandan and their culture. Following the epidemic, the Mandan and Hidatsa again moved upriver and built a new village called Like-a-Fishhook (identified as Fish-hook house on the map). This village was the home of the Mandan and Hidatsa in the later 19th century. Nearby Fort Berthold lent its name to the present-day reservation. Compare Sitting Rabbit’s map to a modern highway map. Do any state parks, historic sites, highways, towns, or other features correspond to locations on Sitting Rabbit’s map? How many names of creeks and rivers are the same on both maps? Key to Site Identification: Beaver Creek: called Warraconne on the Lewis and Clark map; Carp RiverHeart River:called Chiss-che-tar on the Lewis and Clark map; Riviere du coer Yellow Bank Village: modern Double Ditch Village State Historic Site Mountain Village: located in Knife River National Historic Site, home of Sakakawea Dip Creek: Deep Water Creek; known as Onion Creek to Lewis and Clark Hawk Creek: called Goose Creek on the Lewis and Clark Map; Shell Creek
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Learn more about the history and culture of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Sahnish (Arikara).