Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 41 



covered certain tribal bundles, indicating that the villages should 

 be erected at that spot. The Hidatsa-Mandan council sent word 

 across with Four Bears that the Arikara should move across and 

 build with the others but they told this delegation that they had 

 put their medicines in the ground at that place and planned to build 

 there. Then the bundle owners entrusted with the rites of the 

 "protection of the people" selected Wooden Bowl to take the pipe 

 to the Arikara and ask them to come but they still refused to accept 

 the pipe. Standing before them, Wooden Bowl raised his pipe so 

 all could see, saying, "My medicine is the bear who lives above. 

 These people have refused to take the pipe so I ask you, my god, to 

 send them across in four days." 



Wooden Bowl returned and told the people how he had invoked 

 his god, the bear, to compel the Arikara to comply with the orders 

 sent across by Four Bears and his council. In a few days a large 

 party of Sioux came and camped beside the Arikara. They got 

 along very well for a few days and then a quarrel broke out between 

 an Arikara and a Sioux in which both tribes became involved. The 

 Mandan and Hidatsa crossed to the aid of the Arikara even though 

 they had "called down the gods" on them with the result that the 

 Sioux were driven off. Then the Arikara crossed and joined the 

 Hidatsa and Mandan where they remained until the reservation was 

 established. 



On another occasion, the Hidatsa were informed in 1851 that they 

 should send representatives to Fort Laramie for the purpose of entering 

 into a treaty with the Government concerning tribal territory. 

 Again we find the real authority asserting itself in the persons of 

 those bundle owners possessing supernatural powers. Among these 

 were the two Earthnaming bundle owners whose rites were concerned 

 with certain hills and other landmarks believed to be the homes of 

 various supernatural beings, foremost of which were those believed 

 to be connected with the increase of the buffalo herds. When the 

 delegation was selected with Four Bears as leader. Guts and Poor 

 Wolf instructed him relative to tribal territorial claims based on 

 the area traditionally associated with their bundle rites. It was on 

 the basis of this information that the delegation entered into a treaty 

 with the Government. 



A chief was considered great if he could command the respect 

 of the village for a long time. The principal war chief's position 

 and reputation varied according to residence. He was essentially 

 a summer chief and connected with the summer village life during 

 which time warfare was actively conducted. Although he would 

 stiU be an important person during the winter period, when warfare 

 was usually discontinued, the winter chief or leader of the winter 



