The Mandan Indians were almost wiped out by the smallpox abpit 160 years ago.. During the eighteenth century, white explorers and trappers heard legends of a small, peaceful Indian tribe, some of whom had blue eyes, blond hair and spoke Welsh.

Finally, traders came upon the tribe living in what is now western North Dakota. Blue eyes, blond, even gray hair were, indeed, found among them, and many of their words were pure Welsh. Strong evidence has allied this tribe with a Welsh settlement on the Ohio River in the mid-fourteenth century. The most distinguishing feature of the Mandans was, by far their warmth and friendliness. Never hostile or the first to initiate an attack, they fiercely defended their villages. An aggressor always had the choice: the peace pipe..or the notched eagle feathers of war.