146 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 77 
the earth lodges were much deeper in the Hidatsa villages than in 
the two Mandan sites. In the former the extreme depth below the 
“highest part of the rim was often three feet and very commonly 
over two feet,” but on the Mandan sites the depressions were quite 
shallow. And “in many cases it was observed that in and near the 
Hidatsa villages were mounds of debris of varying heights, while 
nothing of the kind was seen on or near Mandan sites.” (Libby, 
(1), p. 500.) Noting these characteristic features of the two groups 
of villages, or rather of the villages of the two tribes, should reduce 
the difficulty of identifying other ancient sites in the upper Missouri 
Valley. 
The several quotations already made refer to the earth-covered 
lodges of the Hidatsa, but the same people also made use of the 
typical skin tipi, although less often mentioned by the early writers. 
They probably resembled the structures used by the Crow. On 
November 8, 1833, when Maximilian was returning to Fort Clark 
from the mouth of the Yellowstone, he wrote: “ At twelve o’clock we 
were opposite the first Manitari summer village, and saw, on the other 
side, many Indians. . . The invitations to land became more vocifer- 
ous and numerous.” Going ashore “ we were immediately conducted, 
by a distinguished man, Ita-Widahki-Hisha (the red shield), to his 
tent, which stood apart on the prairie, on the summit of the bank. 
The white leather tent was new, spacious, and handsomely orna- 
mented with tufts of hair of various colours, and at each side of the 
entrance, finished with a stripe and rosettes of dyed porcupine quills, 
very neatly executed. It had been well warmed by a good fire, a most 
refreshing sight to us. We took our seats around it, with the numer- 
ous family, the brother and uncle of the chief, young men, women, 
and children. The chief had rather a long beard, like the Punca 
chief, Shudegacheh, and his right breast was tattooed with black 
stripes. . . A large dish of boiled maize and beans was immediately 
set before us; it was very tender and well dressed, and three of us 
eat out of the dish with spoons made of the horn of buffalo, or big- 
horn; after which the red Dacota pipe went round.” (Maximilian, 
(1), p. 316.) This must have been a beautiful example of the buffalo- 
skin tipi, new and white, decorated with quillwork and tufts of hair. 
Continuing down the Missouri to Fort Clark they passed women 
in their “ round leather boats,” and saw others, “ proceeding towards 
the river, with their boats hanging on their heads and down their 
backs.” 
An example of a “ bull-boat” and paddle is shown in plate 35, b. 
It was collected among the Hidatsa and is now preserved in the 
collection of the National Museum. It is a specimen of great interest 
and rarity, though once so extensively used by the tribes of the Mis- 
