Fort Mandan (winter) — Patrick Gass: January 1, 1805
At the Mandan villages, the party was welcomed warmly and offered food. After the meal, their hosts placed a bowl of food before a buffalo head and invited it to eat, reflecting a belief that treating the head respectfully would draw living buffalo to the area and ensure a successful hunt. The entry also notes geographic observations about a possible dividing ridge and a mountain shown on some maps running east and west south of the Assiniboine river, perhaps 90 to 100 miles from the Mandan villages.
lages. They treated us friendly and gave us victuals. After
we were done eating they presented a bowlful to a buffaloe
head, saying ‘‘eat that.” Their superstitious credulity is so
great, that they believe by using the head well the living
dividing ridge: and on some maps a mountain is laid down running east and west,
south of the Assiniboin river and lake, which would appear to be not more than go
or 100 miles from the Mandan villages.
LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION 67
buffaloe will come and that they will get a supply of meat.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
villages. They treated us in a friendly way and gave us food. After we were done eating, they presented a bowlful to a buffalo head, saying "eat that." Their superstitious belief is so strong that they believe by treating the head well, the living dividing ridge: and on some maps a mountain is shown running east and west, south of the Assiniboin river and lake, which would appear to be not more than 90 or 100 miles from the Mandan villages.
LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION 67
buffalo will come and they will get a supply of meat.
This modernization is AI-generated for accessibility. The original above is the authoritative version.
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