Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 57 



selected solely on the basis of the wood supply and observations that 

 the buffalo sought shelter there during the colder months. The 

 lodges were neither large nor carefully constructed, and the eagle- 

 trapping lodge was of common use. In the fall, after the garden 

 products had been stored away, the population of any of the summer 

 villages would disperse into several groups to seek shelter on the 

 Missouri or one of its tributaries. There, under the leadership of an 

 eagle-trapping bundle owner, eagles and other large birds were 

 caught until ice began to form along the edges of the streams. If 

 the crops were poor, they usually remained in the eagle-trapping 

 camp until spring, depending on the hunt, and returning in the spring 

 by bullboat, floating down their lodge goods, dried meat, and hides. 

 Not uncommonly, while the Crow were on the Little Missouri and 

 Lower Yellowstone and before enemies became too numerous, these 

 winter hunting parties would go overland to the Little Missouri 

 nearly to its source to trap eagles and hunt until spring and return 

 to the summer villages by water, using the larger hides for boat covers 

 to float the party and the goods. There was a revival of this practice 

 after the railroads went through and the Sioux were put on reserva- 

 tions, but the distances traveled were not as great as formerly. 



The winter camp organization was much simpler than that of the 

 summer village. The top leadership was vested in a "winter camp 

 chief" selected by the council, and his authority was only for the 

 period out of the summer village. According to tradition, the winter 

 camp system was based on that of the eagle-trapping camps; one 

 leader functioned with full authority and responsibility for the wel- 

 fare of the group. His duties were to supervise and organize the 

 camp for the duration of the winter until they returned in the spring. 

 He selected the winter campsite with the advice of the council, deter- 

 mined the time for moving, and generally supervised the group very 

 closely. He set the time for the winter ceremonies, regulated camp 

 activities during sanctioned rites and fasting for the winter buffalo- 

 calling ceremonies, and placed restrictions on family movements be- 

 yond the camp whenever the enemy was about or when the herds 

 were observed to be moving toward the river bottoms. The winter 

 camp leader was held responsible for any misfortunes that befell mem- 

 bers of the party, even such trivial matters as accidental broken limbs. 

 Once having suffered misfortune, a household preferred to avoid going 

 out with the same leader unless he compensated the unfortunate ones 

 with gifts of one sort or another. The same responsibility rested with 

 one leading the winter camp in later years even when the total village 

 population was in a single camp. Every ambitious male aspired to 

 be winter chief at least once in his lifetime although men usually 

 refused to serve more than twice. His authority and responsibility 



