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The Hidatsa called themselves Nuxbaaga ( Original People ) |
| The
Hidatsa, also known as the Minitari and the Gros Ventre
Of The Missouri. The French and English traders called them Gros Ventre, mistaking them for an Algonquian-speaking tribe living in north-central Montana. In the early 18th century identify three related village groups to which the term Hidatsa is applied. These groups are identified as: The Hidatsa Proper, largest of the three. The Awatixa, a smaller group. The Awaxawi. The three Hidatsa village groups spoke distinct dialects. Their language belongs to the Siouan branch. The Hidatsa were a sedentary people who lived in circular lodges roofed with earth. After their separation from the Crow, with whom they were united before the historic period, they occupied several agricultural villages on the upper Missouri River in North Dakota and were in alliance with the occupants of other villages, the Arikara and the Mandan. They had a complex social organization and elaborate ceremonies, including the sun dance. The smallpox epidemic of 1837-1838 reduced the Hidatsa to about 500 people. The remaining Mandan and Hidatsa united, and moved farther up the Missouri in 1845. They eventually settled at Like-a-fishhook bend near Fort Berthold. They were joined there by the Arikara in 1862. Together with the Arikara and Mandan many Hidatsa reside on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. |
