DENSMORD] MANDAN AND HIDATSA MUSIC 47 
were assembled, and joined in the dancing. From time to time a 
Goose Woman would ask one of these girls to leave the dance and 
go to her home. There she spread a robe on the ground and gave 
the girl a feast. The girl ate all she could and her parents were 
permitted to take what was left except a little which the girl herself 
was required to take to the singers in the lodge.. After all the young 
girls had thus been entertained by the Goose Women and had re- 
turned to the lodge the singers sang a “cleansing song,” and the 
young girls “ cleansed” themselves with sprigs of fresh sage. Mean- 
time the sheaves of sage were placed upright against one of the posts 
of the lodge. At the close of the meeting the Goose Women carried 
the bundles of sage to their own homes. As they left the lodge a 
buffalo robe was spread for them to walk upon, and they stepped on 
it as they went from the lodge, carrying the sheaves of sage in their 
arms. 
Tue Buackx Mouts Sociery 
After Good Fur Robe had organized the Goose Women Society 
he selected the bravest men of the tribe and organized a society of 
warriors. According to Bear-on-the-flat the name that Good Fur 
Robe gave the society meant “ Brave Warriors.” It was the duty 
of members of this society to defend the village and also to keep 
order within it. Their commands were arbitrary and obeyed by all. 
Good Fur Robe instructed them to blacken the lower part of their 
faces in the same manner as one branch of the Goose Women Society. 
This custom gave the society its present name. The insignia of the 
society consisted of two rods “ about the length of a spear,” to which 
raven skins were attached. Wounded Face said that the head of 
the bird was fastened tightly near the top of the rod and the body 
of the bird hung loosely. These rods were carried in war and a 
member of the society, having placed one of the rods upright in the 
ground, was not allowed to retreat from the place. However, if he 
were seen to be in mortal danger, a comrade could release him by 
snatching the rod and carrying it away. (Cf. Fox Society, p. 109.) 
The following tradition concerning the origin of this society was 
related to Doctor Lowie by Wounded Face: “ Long ago Good Fur 
Robe assembled the middle-aged men. To the leader he gave one 
cornstalk and to the rear man another. ‘ When the enemy chase 
you,’ he instructed them, ‘ plant these in the ground and do not 
run away.’ Sometimes a cornstalk has five branches at the top. 
Later a stick with a spearhead was made to represent the cornstalks ; 
owl wing feathers were tied to its side, as well as crow or raven wing 
feathers and a raven head. ... They painted their faces black. 
® This is noted also among the age societies on p. 108, 
