Description
This course examines the history and culture of the Hidatsa from pre-contract, through contact, to the present. Through the letters, reports, writings, and journals of early explorers, traders, merchants, and missionaries, and through the oral literature and teachings of the Hidatsa, the course will explore the Hidatsa way of life and the subsequent changes wrought by the immigrations of other peoples to Hidatsa territory. The Hidatsa Sun Dance and its importance to the Hidatsa culture wil be explored. The Earth Lodge as a symbol of the extended family and a woman's power of ownership will be examined, as will the economically beneficial agrarian practices of the Hidatsa women.