Introduction

Large Format Images

Kite Aerial Photography

Aerial Mosaics

Discussion

Related websites

Knife River Indian Villages
National Historical Site
North Dakota

by Shawn Salley

Introduction
Villages of Hidatsa and Mandan Indians are preserved at the Knife River Indian Villages National Historical Site. The National Historic Site, which was established in 1974, preserves the historic and archaeological remnants of the Northern Plains Indians. At these villages Lewis and Clark obtained the services of Sakakawea (Sacagawea) and her husband, Charbonneau, for there journey to the west coast. The Awatixa Hidatsa Village, which is now being eroded by the Knife River in the center of the park, is thought to be the original home of Sakakawea.

View of the Mandan Villages as visualized by George Catlin. The lodges are circular mounds built up with earth along the sides and the roof. George Catlin, 1837-39, oil.

The current remnants of the earth lodge structures are seen as depressions in the ground. These, however, are not depressions carved into the ground. The center of the lodge was once at ground level, and after the lodge was abandoned, the surrounding dirt collapsed from the lodge walls and roof to create the rim of the depressions. The circular features measure up to 12 meters (40 feet) in diameter.

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Link to the:

Big Hidatsa Site   Awatixa Village Site   Visitors Center Area

DOQ imagery from the southern portion of the National Historical Site. In this photo, the two villages closest to the visitors center are visible. Notice the pitted appearance of the earth lodges in and outside the mowed portions. 1 - Visitors Center, 2 - Awatixa Xi'e Village, 3- Awatixa Village (Sakakawea Site), 4 - Knife River.

QuickBird imagery of the Awatixa Village. This is the site traditionally thought to be Sakakawea's village. Notice how the Knife River is eroding into the village site.

DOQ imagery of the Big Hidatsa Village. The Hidatsa Village is north of the Awatixa and Awatixa Xi'e Sites. Notice several more earth lodges outside of the mowed path.

QuickBird imagery of the Big Hidatsa Village. This satellite image shows multiple earth lodge depressions that cannot be easily seen on the surface.

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High oblique kite aerial photograph taken from the Awatixa site looking south to the Awatixa Xi'e village and the visitors center. Circular patterns in the vegetation show many lodges between the two sites in the unmowed area.

Low oblique view of Knife River looking north. A portion of the Awatixa site is seen to the lower left.

A vertical shot of the Awatixa site shows how Knife River has eroded into the village destroying a portion of the village. Part of the park's management program is to minimize the erosion of the villages.

Low oblique view of the Big Hidatsa Village looking south toward the maintenance building. This is the largest maintained area of this historical site. The lodge structures are between 30 and 40 feet across.

An eastern view of the Big Hidatsa Village shows multiple lodges that are not in the maintained area. The small white patches in this area are animal burrows (squirrels and gophers).

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Mosaic view of the Big Hidatsa Village looking toward the southeast. Further to the east (not seen in the image) is the Missouri River. The Big Hidatsa Village lies on a river terrace of the Missouri River. Image processed by S. W. Salley ©, 4/05

Low oblique view of the Big Hidatsa Village looking south toward the maintenance building. The scale is more accurate around the maintained village site, yet the view becomes distorted towards the margins. The fragmented border is due to the absence of data. Image processed by S. W. Salley ©, 4/05

A mosaic vertical view of the Big Hidatsa Site. Since the kite was flown above this area, it is an accurate spatial representation of the village. After geo-referencing the image, an accurate scale is obtained. Image processed by S. W. Salley ©, 4/05

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• Knife River Indian Villages National Historical Site--see KNRI NHS.

• Lewis and Clark in North Dakota from North Dakota Geological Survey.

• Kite Aerial Photography of Knife River Indian Villages on the Lewis and Clark bicentennial space-age atlas

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Special thanks to Knife River Indian Villages NHS for
permission to conduct kite aerial photography.

This web presentation is for the fulfillment of:
ES 555: Small-Format Aerial Photography
as outlined in the Emporia State University's Earth Science Curriculum. 

Please direct questions to the author.