128 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BuLL. 185 
HISTORY 
Most of the details regarding the history of the dance hall were 
obtained from Robert W. Rietz, Fort Berthold Agency, in correspond- 
ence with Robert L. Stephenson, Acting Chief, Missouri Basin Project. 
Other historical details were obtained from George Metcalf of the 
Missouri Basin Project and from Arthur Mandan of the Fort 
Berthold Reservation. The dance hall was constructed in 1918 under 
the direction of John Doran, one-time watchman at Elbowoods, 
N. Dak., who was also a local contractor in the Town of Garrison, 
N. Dak. Although this hall was constructed entirely of wood and was 
a modern building in some respects, it had many characteristics of the 
prehistoric and historic earthlodges excavated in the area by the Mis- 
souri Basin Project. 
The Indians who built the hall were a proximity group of Mandan 
and Hidatsa living south and west of the Missouri River, who had 
broken away from a local Mandan-Hidatsa group, led by Old Dog 
of Elbowoods. It is generally claimed that members of all three 
tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara) were represented in the orig- 
inal group which was called the “Santee Dancing Society”; however, 
the names of participating Arikara, if any, are not known. Two 
Hidatsa, Bird-Lying-Down (on whose allotment the hall was con- 
structed) and White Body, were leaders of the group. They pro- 
moted the building of the hall and, later, the formation of a separate 
eroup which developed its own hereditary positions. Opinions dif- 
fer with a wide range of reasons for the split into separate groups. 
Some people feel that there was a political basis m which the two 
groups backed two different United States Senators, each of whom 
promised to act in their interests. Other people claim that there were 
“too many leaders.” Rietz (personal communication) believes that 
the split “seems to have come about because of the distances involved 
and the locally developed ambitions of district leaders, following the 
spread of the people over an increasing area at that time.” 
Although the structure was called a dance hall, it served for any 
type of community activity and was used by any person or group of 
persons in that vicinity. Customarily the same “announcer” served 
for all affairs. Actually the announcer was a modified position of a 
ceremonial leader. This hall was last used in 1946, although, when 
visited in July 1953 by Robert L. Stephenson, it was still in good 
condition. 
DESCRIPTION 
Briefly, the structure had 4 center posts, 13 sides, a double door, a 
cupola, and a flagpole (pl. 18, a). 
Center posts—The four center posts (fig. 17, ¢ and d) were each 
composed of four boards nailed together and overlapping each other 
