The flourishing culture of the Mandan Indians and their neighbors, the Hidatsas. In 1833-34 Alexander Philipp Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied, a German prince, and Karl Bodmer, a Swoss artist, spent the winter with the Mandan Indians in what is today North Dakota. Maximilian kept a detailed journal. Bodmer painted portraits, landscapes, and scenes of everyday life. They viewed Native American life and culture through the eyes of European strangers, yet they were sympathetic observers who left a vivid word-and-picture record of their journey to the unspoiled western frontier. This is the story of their adventure and the people who befriended them...