Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 61 



completed and enough meat had been secm-ed for the winter needs 

 (and the meat-cm-ing capacity of the women had been reached), 

 all restrictions were removed and those who desired additional meat 

 went out in small parties and hunted whenever they wished. With 

 the arrival of the winter herds, the ritualistic activities diminished. 

 Those who had pledged summer ceremonies used the period for 

 exceptional efforts to obtain large quantities of meat and robes. The 

 pledgers hunted continuously and the women cured meat and tanned 

 robes with the assistance of their female relatives. The people would 

 say that the pledger's prayers for a good Uving for his people were 

 being answered when, diu"ing his period of preparation, the winter 

 herds were unusually large. "The gods he was buying had sent the 

 buffaloes," they would say. 



The winter camp leader's responsibilities ended with the return to 

 the summer village. When enemies were far away, the families 

 leisurely returned to the summer camp in small groups of related 

 households, assisting each other with the loads and the care of the 

 children. If, however, signs of enemy war parties had been reported 

 or there were other reasons for believing that an attack might be made, 

 the group moved as an organized party with the leader to the front 

 and the Black Mouths in charge to see that none dropped out of line. 

 Should a household encounter difficulty in traveling at the pace set 

 by the leader or the loads fell from the horses, others gave immediate 

 assistance so that all were adequately protected. Each individual 

 killed or wounded represented a mark against the leader's record. 

 Therefore, the good leader was careful to maintain discipline and to 

 prohibit individual and disorganized breaking of camp unless danger 

 of attack was very remote. He lacked authority to prevent segments 

 of the group from leaving the main party, establishing temporary 

 hunting camps out in the hills, and following the buffaloes moving out 

 from the river valleys with the first general thaws. He was not, 

 however, responsible for the safety of these small hunting parties 

 once they had fallen out of line. 



These spring hunting camps were not without leadership. The 

 principal purpose of these side trips was to obtain an additional 

 supply of fresh meat. The older men met and selected from their 

 number one who had formerly enjoyed good luck while making the 

 "surround" and who had bundle rights which included the sacred 

 buffalo skull. The organization of the camp was essentially the same 

 as for the larger summer buffalo hunt. These hunts were known as 

 "in-between" hunts as they were conducted after the winter camp 

 had broken up and before the summer village was reoccupied. Guards 



