Potande and the Mandan Fishery

Potande and the Mandan Fishery. . Pó is the root for fish in the Mandan language-pótande is the catfish. The Missouri River system, along with its larger tributaries such as the Heart River, supported fisheries that the Mandans drew upon as part of their subsistence from pre-contact times. Surveys of regional waterways conducted prior to mainstem reservoir construction have identified as many as 28 species potentially available to the villagers. These include catfish, bullhead, sturgeon, burbot, smallmouth buffalo, sucker, drum, minnow, sauger and perch.

Anthropologist Alfred Bowers reported that his Mandan informant Crows Heart relayed valuable information on angling and fish- trapping practices that included purchase of the specific rites associated with their construction and use. These willow-mat fish-trap structures either were set in the deeper but not too swift-flowing river pools or against sharp-facing riverbanks in suitable locations. Sizeable catches of catfish often were taken in this manner. Hook-and-line angling also was practiced by villagers. The neighboring Hidatsas at Knife River reportedly employed a form of movable weir or drag in addition to using bi-pointed gorges (similar to fishhooks) and traps to procure fish, according to the Native informants interviewed by anthropologist Gilbert L. Wilson.

Archaeological evidence recovered to date from investigations carried out at Double Ditch and other Mandan and Hidatsa villages of that time suggest that fish resources assumed varying degrees of importance in the overall subsistence practices of these specific groups. Villages such as On-A-Slant, Scattered Village, and Chief Looking's Village located at the Missouri-Heart River confluence seem to contain more fish remains and fishing-related artifacts (e.g., bone fishhooks) than the more northerly village sites such as Double Ditch. The reasons for the apparent differences await further investigation and research.

Captions: , A fish basket was placed in the fish trap. Bait attracted fish to the trap. , Fish scales have been recovered in large numbers including from suckers, cyprinids, and goldeneye along with fishooks in various stages , The construction of a fish trap consisted of four willow mats of a hundred osiers each. , The fish caught in the trap were dropped into a shallow pit dug into the sand near the shoreline.

Channel catfish are found throughout North Dakota.