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Holding On To Culture: The Effects Of The 1837 Smallpox Epidemic On Mandan And Hidatsa, Jayne Reinhiller
Holding On To Culture: The Effects Of The 1837 Smallpox Epidemic On Mandan And Hidatsa, Jayne Reinhiller
Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research
The Mandan and Hidatsa tribes located in modern day North Dakota have a rich history characterized by elaborate social and religions structures and trade based economic systems; however, because of their stationary lifestyles and increased European and American trade, the Mandan and Hidatsa faced substantial loses during the 1837 smallpox epidemic. The tribal decimation altered both social and ceremonial structures resulting in a new and collective identity and a new ceremonial structure. Through the analysis of the anthropological studies of Alfred Bowers and the journals of fur traders and explorers like F. A. Chardon, Meriwether Lewis, and William Clark, it …