Arikara villages near present-day Mobridge — Patrick Gass: October 10, 1804
The expedition visited an Arikara village of about 60 lodges, where Patrick Gass recorded a detailed description of how the dome-shaped earth lodges were constructed using forked posts, poles, willow branches, grass, and clay, with a buffalo-skin door and a smoke hole at the top. He noted that women did most of the labor and raised corn, beans, and an unfamiliar variety of tobacco suited only for smoking. Gass crossed back to the boat in a bowl-shaped buffalo-hide boat paddled by two women. Captains Lewis and Clark held a council with the Indians and distributed presents.
to the lodges, about 60 in number. The following is a de-
scription of the form of these lodges and the manner of
building them.
In a circle of a size suited to the dimensions of the intended
lodge, they set up 16 forked posts five or six feet high, and
lay poles from one fork to another. Against these poles they
lean other poles, slanting from the ground, and extending
about four inches above the cross poles: these are to receive
LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION 47
the ends of the upper poles, that support the roof. They
next set up four large forks, fifteen feet high, and about ten
feet apart, in the middle of the area; and poles or beams
between these. The roof poles are then laid on extending
from the lower poles across the beams which rest on the
middle forks, of such a length as to leave a hole at the top
for a chimney. The whole is then covered with willow
branches, except the chimney and a hole below to pass
through. On the willow branches they lay grass and lastly
clay. At the hole below they build a pen about four feet wide
and projecting ten feet from the hut; and hang a buffaloe
skin at the entrance of the hut for a door. This labour like
every other kind is chiefly performed by the squaws. They
raise corn, beans and tobacco. Their tobacco is different
from any I had before seen: it answers for smoking, but not
for chewing. On our return, I crossed from the island to the
boat, with two squaws in a buffaloe skin stretched on a frame
made of boughs, wove together like a crate or basket for that
purpose. Captain Lewis and Captain Clarke held a Council
with the Indians, and gave them some presents.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
We went to the lodges, about 60 in number. The following is a description of the form of these lodges and the manner of building them.
In a circle of a size suited to the dimensions of the intended lodge, they set up 16 forked posts five or six feet high, and lay poles from one fork to another. Against these poles they lean other poles, slanting from the ground, and extending about four inches above the cross poles: these are to receive the ends of the upper poles that support the roof. They next set up four large forks, fifteen feet high and about ten feet apart, in the middle of the area, with poles or beams between them. The roof poles are then laid on, extending from the lower poles across the beams which rest on the middle forks, of such a length as to leave a hole at the top for a chimney. The whole is then covered with willow branches, except the chimney and a hole below to pass through. On the willow branches they lay grass and lastly clay. At the hole below they build a pen about four feet wide and projecting ten feet from the hut, and hang a buffalo skin at the entrance of the hut for a door. This labor, like every other kind, is chiefly performed by the squaws. They raise corn, beans, and tobacco. Their tobacco is different from any I had seen before: it works for smoking, but not for chewing.
On our return, I crossed from the island to the boat with two squaws in a buffalo skin stretched on a frame made of boughs woven together like a crate or basket for that purpose. Captain Lewis (Capt. Lewis) and Captain Clarke (Capt. Clark) held a council with the Indians and gave them some presents.
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