- published: 03 Aug 2013
- views: 1079
The Mandan are a Native American people living in North Dakota. They are enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota. About half of the Mandan still reside in the area of the reservation; the rest reside around the United States and in Canada.
The Mandan historically lived along the banks of the Missouri River and two of its tributaries—the Heart and Knife Rivers—in present-day North and South Dakota. Speakers of Mandan, a Siouan language, the people developed a settled culture in contrast to that of more nomadic tribes in the Great Plains region. They established permanent villages featuring large, round, earth lodges some 40 feet (12 m) in diameter, surrounding a central plaza. While the bison was key to the daily life of the Mandan, it was supplemented by agriculture and trade.
The Mandan population was 3,600 in the early 18th century. In 1836, there were over 1,600 fullblood Mandans, but this number was estimated to have dropped to 125 by 1838. In the 1990s, 6,000 people were enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes.
Robert Mandan (born February 2, 1932) is an American actor, best known for his portrayals of playwright David Allen on the NBC serial From These Roots from 1958 to 1961, businessman Sam Reynolds on the serial Search for Tomorrow from 1965 to 1970, and Chester Tate on the satirical sitcom Soap from 1977 to 1981. During his time on Search for Tomorrow, he appeared in the Broadway musical Applause.
Mandan appeared on Match Game in 1978, Super Password in January 1985, and made appearances on The $20,000 Pyramid as well as The $25,000 Pyramid. In addition to his Soap years, he made some appearances with some of his fellow cast members on All Star Family Feud one-hour specials.
He played Mr. Kirby in NBC television's All-Star cast of You Can't Take it With You. He also played the ineffective but well-meaning Colonel Fielding on the television adaptation of the movie Private Benjamin in 1981, a disapproving father, James Bradford, on ABC's Three's a Crowd opposite John Ritter in 1984, and Peace Corps doctor Bruce Gaines, who married Mrs. Garrett in her final episodes on The Facts of Life in 1986.