Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 17 



lodges, and Awaxawi site 32 to have approximately 20 lodges. The 

 exact number at the latter site is not definitely known, since the site 

 has been partially destroyed. 



Bradbury (1904, vol. 5, p. 162) also distinguished the Awaxawi as 

 a separate tribe from the other two Hidatsa village groups of which 

 he said "It is stated by Mr. Lewis that the two villages or bands can 

 raise six hundred warriors but the number at this time is probably 

 much less." It was at this time, according to traditions largely sub- 

 stantiated by recent tree ring studies, that one group under Strong 

 Jaw moved out of the Hidatsa village to buUd on the Little Missouri 

 near the mouth of Cherry Creek (WUl, 1946). Concerning the 

 Awaxawi, Bradbury (1904, p. 163) wrote that — • 



In our way to the Mandans we passed through the small village belonging to 

 the Ahwahhaways, consisting of not more than eighteen or twenty lodges. This 

 nation can scarcely muster fifty warriors, and yet they carry on an offensive war 

 against the Snake and Flathead Indians. 



Catlin in 1832 did not recognize the Awaxawi as a separate tribe, 

 writing: 



The Minitarees (people of the willows) are a small tribe of about 1,500 souls, 

 residing in three villages of earth-covered lodges, on the banks of Knife river; a 

 small stream, so called, meandering through a beautiful and extensive prairie, 

 and uniting its water with the Missouri. [Catlin, 1841, vol. 1, p. 185.] 



Catlin identified Awatixa village on the south bank as the principal 

 village; it consisted of 40 to 50 earth-covered lodges (see map 5). 



Maximilian (1906, pp. 230-231) in 1833 reported that the Hidatsa 

 groups were in the same villages as when Charboneau came to the 

 Missouri in 1797. These were sites 35, 33, and 32. However, 6 or 7 

 years prior to 1797 it would appear that the Awatixa and Awaxawi 

 were not living at the mouth of Knife River, for Maximilian describes 

 an attack by the Sioux on Hidatsa village (site 35). These two 

 incidents provide a minimum date for the final union of the three 

 Hidatsa village groups at the mouth of Knife River where they 

 remained in close associations until 1837 when they scattered to 

 escape a second smallpox epidemic. The Maximilian account would 

 indicate that immediately after the smallpox epidemic of 1782, the 

 Awatixa were in Rock Village (site 53) upstream from the mouth of 

 Knife River, the Hidatsa were at the mouth of Knife River in village 

 site 35, and the Awaxawi were downstream near the Mandan of the 

 Hensler-Sanger region where ruins of their villages were described by 

 Lewis and Clark in 1804. This date for the occupation of Rock 

 Village would agree with Curtis' (1907 a, p. 131) account. 



Bears Arm, one of the principal informants for this study, stated 

 that his mother. Many Growths, was born at Awatixa site 33. Imme- 

 diately after the smallpox epidemic of 1782, the Awatixa abandoned 



