What was the difference between the Sioux and the mandan tribe?

Answer 1

The Sioux were not a tribe, but a group of many tribes speaking similar but not identical languages.

Let's suppose you mean the Oglala Lakota tribe and compare them with the Mandans.

The Mandans spoke a Siouan language called Nuptare and Nuetare (two dialects); this means the language belonged to the Siouan language family, just like Crow, Assiniboine and Hidatsa. The Oglalas spoke Lakota, a dialect of the Lakota/Nakota/Dakota group of languages.

The Mandans lived most of the year in large semi-permanent villages of earth lodges (some with over 50 of these lodges) surrounded by protective stockades, only using small tipi-style lodges when occasionally hunting out on the Plains. The Oglala only ever lived in tipis, moving constantly in search of buffalo herds; they were true nomads.

The Mandans grew many varieties of maize, beans, squash and sunflowers in large cultivated fields; young girls spent days on platforms at the edge of each field to scare away birds and "sing to the maize". They also hunted deer and buffalo on the Plains. The Oglala people grew no crops of any kind, eating almost entirely meat from large game animals; they also gathered wild plant foods in season.

The Oglalas had seven warrior societies: Kit Fox, Badgers, Brave Hearts, White Badges, Crow Carriers, Silent Eaters, Wand Carriers (or Bare Lance Owners). The Mandans had eight age-graded warrior societies including the Dog Soldiers, Crazy Dogs, Young Dogs and Black Mouths.