Questions 1-11
Before the 1500’s, the western plains of North America
were dominated by farmers. One group, the Mandans, lived
in the upper Missouri River country, primarily in present-day
North Dakota. They had large villages of houses built close
together. The tight arrangement enabled the Mandans to protect
themselves more easily from the attacks of others who might
seek to obtain some of the food these highly capable farmers
stored from one year to the next.
The women had primary responsibility for the fields.
They had to exercise considerable skill to produce the desired
results, for their northern location meant fleeting growing
seasons. Winter often lingered; autumn could be ushered in by
severe frost. For good measure, during the spring and summer,
drought, heat, hail, grasshoppers, and other frustrations
might await the wary grower.
Under such conditions, Mandan women had to grow
maize capable of weathering adversity. They began as early as
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