DENSMORB] MANDAN AND HIDATSA MUSIC 61 
The Mandan material comprised in this section was supplied by 
Ben Benson, the last Mandan who has the hereditary right to sing 
the eagle-catching songs. He has in his possession the eagle catcher’s 
fetish, consisting of the skin of a wolverine, which he inherited 
from Iron Eyes, his father. He also has two “mushroom rattles” 
- (see pp. 62-63) which were used in certain ceremonies of the eagle 
camp. Iron Eyes gave four horses in exchange for the skin of the 
_ wolverine, though it was his by inheritance, and so great is the 
respect shown this fetish in the camp that it is seldom, if ever, taken 
from the lodge of its owner. In accordance with native custom, 
Ben Benson brought a witness with him for this important con- 
ference, selecting Water Chief, a leading member of the tribe, who 
occasionally made suggestions or was consulted by Benson. The 
interpreter was Mr. Fred Huber, an Hidatsa, as a Mandan inter- 
preter was not available and Benson spoke the two languages with 
equal fluency. 
Benson’s information is as follows: The man in charge of the eagle 
camp was called Old Wolverine, referring to the legend of the origin 
of the custom (pp. 64-69), and the office was hereditary, as already 
indicated. The duties of Old Wolverine included the selection of the 
place for the camp and the direction of all its arrangements. 
The eagle-catching camp was made in the autumn, soon after 
the corn harvest, and the people remained in it “until the ice was 
along the edge of the rivers and little pools.” The eagle traps 
were located out of sight of the camp and about a mile and a half 
distant from it. While in the eagle camp the men did not sleep at 
home, but in a large lodge, where they lay with their heads on one 
long log. 
An eagle trap consisted of a hollow in the ground covered with a 
matting. The foundation of this matting was of brush and it is said 
that grass and weeds were so cleverly interwoven with the brush 
and were placed above it in such a manner that a casual observer 
would not notice any difference between the trap and the hillside on 
which it was placed. The traps were usually located on the slope of 
a knoll or butte, about one-third the distance below the summit. It 
is said this location was chosen because the eagles were frequently 
seen to sweep to the ground just after flying over a knoll. Beside 
the woven matting, at the side next the summit of the knoll, the 
bait was fastened to the ground. This was usually a rabbit from 
which the skin had been removed, but a fox was sometimes used for 
the purpose. The eagle catcher seated himself in the hollow con- 
cealed by the brush matting, and when an eagle alighted on the mat- 
ting he secured it by reaching upward and grasping its feet. Traps 
were placed in locations where eagles were often seen, and much care 
2118°—23——_6 
