132 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BuLu. 185 
and the roof was shingled above these boards in the same manner as 
the lower part of the dance hall roof. Two single 1X6’s formed a 
cross at the level of the cupola base. The height from the dance hall 
floor to base of the cupola (to top of the 4x4) was 12.55 feet. The 
height from the dance hall floor to the top of the cupola wall was 
18.9 feet. The eaves of both the cupola and the main structure ex- 
tended approximately 2 feet beyond the sides of the structure. A 
1X6 placed horizontally, with the wide dimension vertical, is nailed 
along the edge of the eaves (pl. 18). 
Miscellaneous.—Three stoves were used in the dance hall, as indi- 
cated by the presence of three flues. Two were on the south side and 
one on the north side. A wooden flagpole, approximately 12 feet 
high, extended vertically from the apex of the cupola roof (fig. 17, 
c). This flagpole was rectangular at the base, but 1.5 feet above the 
base the corners were trimmed, and from that point to the top the pole 
was octagonal. The base of the flagpole was wrapped with tin. 
GENERAL COMMENT 
This dance hall was perhaps the last remaining structure of its 
kind in the Northern Great Plains. The historical data pertaining 
to it portray a small phase of the ceremonial and social life of a 
specific group of Indians—Mandan, Arikara, and Hidatsa—during 
the early 20th century. It is a very small but illuminating portion 
of the history of a frequently migrating people who are now in the 
midst of a new migration, that of moving from their present homes 
on the Fort Berthold Reservation. Preservation of a record of the 
historical background and architectural details of this structure 
seemed imperative. 
Comparative analysis of the details of this structure, in use from 
1918 to 1946, reveals similarities to the earlier ceremonial structures 
built by these Indians. There is even some indication of an evolu- 
tionary sequence from the early rectangular ceremonial earthlodge to 
the circular one and finally to the present log structure described here. 
One is reminded, in such a sequence, of the development of the kiva 
in the American Southwest. This is not meant to imply any connec- 
tion between the two areas; it only points out a somewhat parallel 
development of a ceremonial structure as exemplified by the Santee 
Bottoms dance hall and its forerunners. 
