In 1796 the Mandan were visited by the Welsh explorer John Evans, who was hoping to find proof that their language contained Welsh words. Some of these accompanied the Hidatsa to a new settlement near Fort Berthold in 1845; others followed later, as did members of the Arikara tribe. The lodges were located around the central plaza. Sometimes the hair would hang down the nose and would be curled upwards with a curling stick. In Philadelphia, an eccentric botanists asks why no trained botanists is on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The Mandan were originally divided into thirteen clans, which were reduced to seven by 1781, due to population losses in the smallpox epidemic. The Mandan connection may have faded away, but after his 1832 visit with the Mandan, artist George Catlin renewed the myth. Little Raven visits the fort, and he is given gifts. The last Mandan Sun dance ceremony (Okipa) was performed in 1889. Gass is impressed with the ability of the Indian hunters and their well-trained horses. The Sun Dance CeremonyThe rituals and ceremonies of the Mandan tribe and many other Great Plains Native Indians, included the Sweat Lodge ceremony, the Vision Quest and the Sun Dance Ceremony. Indian art,
