| |
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site was established October
26, 1974. The 1,758 acre site preserves historic and archaelogical remnants
of the culture and agricultural lifestyle of the Northern Plains Indians.More
than fifty archaeological sites suggest a possible 8,000 year span of inhabitation,
ending with five centuries of Hidatsa earthlodge village occupation. The
circular depressions at the three village sites are up to 40 feet in diameter
and are a silent testimony to the people that lived here.
Explore the lives of the Northern Plains Indians on the Upper Missouri.
Step into a reconstructed earthlodge and imagine boiling buffalo meat in
a clay pot or pounding corn with a mortar and pestle. View the artistry
of everyday and ceremonial clothing, bags, and implements. Listen to memories
of traditional Hidatsa Indian life, then walk through the past to the Sakakawea
site, where earthlodge depressions hint of their life in a vibrant village,
alive with games, ceremonies, and trade.
The park contains remnants of historic and prehistoric American Indian villages,
last occupied in 1845 by the Hidatsa and Mandan. The site contains an array
of artifacts of Plains Indian culture.
|
|