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At this point Biddle describes (i, pp. 129-132) the location, history, and mutual
relations of the tribes about Fort Mandan. There are five villages, "the residence
of three distinct nations: the Mandans, the Ahnahaways, and the Minnetarees."
The Mandan may number about 350 warriors. The Ahnahaway ("the people whose
village is on a hill") live at the mouth of Knife River, in a village called Mahaha;
"they are called by the French, Soulier Noir or Shoe Indians, by the Mandans
Wattasoons; and their whole force is about fifty men." Half a mile above Mahaha
on the Knife River is a village of the Minitaree surnamed Metaharta ("of the
willows"), numbering 150 warriors; and farther up that stream is another, of the
Minitaree proper, who have 450 men. "These Minnetarees are part of the great
nation called Fall Indians, who occupy the intermediate country between the Missouri
and the Saskaskawan. The name of Grosventres, or Bigbellies, is given to
these Minnetarees, as well as to all the Fall Indians." Mooney says (U. S. Bur.
Ethnol. Rep., 1892-93, p. 955) that Grosventres signifies "belly-people" (i. e.,
grasping and selfish, "spongers"); that the Arapaho division of that name are the
"Gros Ventres of the Prairie"; while the Hidatsa or Minitaree with whom Lewis
and Clark wintered, are sometimes called "Gros Ventres of the Missouri." See
McGee's interpretation of the term Grosventres (ut supra, 1893-94, p. 197).
Valuable information regarding all these tribes is given by Washington Matthews, in
his Ethnography and Philology of the Hidatsa Indians.—Ed.