62 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 194 



were placed around the camp but the Black Mouths no longer func- 

 tioned as an organized group except when the entire winter encamp- 

 ment moved out onto the hills as a group. Instead, the leader selected 

 various younger men who served without regard to age-grade afl&lia- 

 tions. The old people today identify the thousands of boulder outlines 

 on the prairies adjacent to the river valleys as former tipi outlines of 

 these ''in-between" camps occupied in the late winter and early spring 

 as precaut ons against sudden flooding of the river bottoms. From 

 all available evidence it appears that with the arrival of the Sioux 

 and Assiniboin, the "in-between" hunting camps were less common 

 and that when brief expeditions were made onto the adjacent prairies, 

 greater emphasis was placed on organization for defense. 



As the groups moved back into the summer village, the summer 

 chieftains assumed command, and the winter camp leader became 

 merely a distinguished member of the council of older men. If the 

 population at large was well cared for, had no suffering or deaths, the 

 winter camp leader was highly acclaimed. If there had been an 

 unusually large number of buffaloes nearby, the people would say that 

 not in years had there been so many buffaloes, and would recount the 

 fine winter they spent. They would show their esteem after returnmg 

 to the summer camp by preparing feasts from the garden products 

 which had been sparingly used during the winter, and invite the 

 winter camp leader and his family. Other households perhaps, were 

 not so successful: one member of the household had died or had had 

 an accident; their horses had been taken sick and died or had strayed 

 away to be captured by raiding parties; their best buffalo horse may 

 have broken a leg or been gored by a buffalo. All these and other 

 misfortunes went agauast the winter leader's record. They would tell 

 their friends of their misfortunes and criticize the leader behind his 

 back even though he had been their best friend before going into the 

 winter camp. 



Custom provided numerous measures for restoring good will and 

 the wise leader was certain to take quick action. If the discontent 

 arose from the killing of a member of the household by a known enemy, 

 the leader would often organize a retaliatory war party or designate 

 one to go out and take the scalp of the particular enemy or one of 

 his near relatives. This type of war honor, going out for a specific 

 person, particularly if unaccompanied far from the village, was of the 

 very highest. In recent years, the Hidatsa had a wide acquaintance 

 with enemy groups and frequently the person killing a Hidatsa was 

 known in the viUage. When the individual or war party returned 

 successfully, the scalp was taken to a sister of the one mourned. She 

 carried the scalp during the war dances and sang the praises of the 

 one who had returned victorious. No longer did the household 



