66 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 194 



The Prairie Chicken clan was believed to have once been a separate 



village group. The name was derived from the fact that members 



of this group were noisy like the prairie chickens. In another myth, 



the Prairie Chicken clan began from the custom of a war party 



to camp at night in the bushes, the berries of which were eaten by the 



prairie chickens. The AwaxEnawita clan derives its name from the 



childhood custom of building tiny villages with wet clay. Later 



the people saw hills upstream and nearly opposite the present city 



of Williston, N. Dak., that reminded them of the work of small 



children. The people camped there three times; hence the name 



AwaxEnawita taken from awaxE meaning 'hill sliding down' and 



nawi meaning 'three.' The Miripdti clan derives its name from a 



quarrel that occurred in the village. The Miripdti separated and 



built near the village of the Xura, who, at that time, had a separate 



village. Water was brought from the river and stored in bladders 



for use in case of a prolonged attack. One man became angered 



because of the cowardice of his people and cut up the waterbag 



hanging in his lodge; after this the group was known as Miripatihs 



from miri meaning 'water' and pati meaning 'to break open.' The 



Xura clan, which in recent years has functioned as a named lineage 



in the Waterbuster or Miripdti clan, is believed to have been a 



separate village at one time. The name is derived from the noise 



of the cicada. The village, except for one woman and her baby daughter, 



disappeared mysteriously during the night. The survivors moved to 



the village of the Waterbusters of Awatixa and formed a friendship 



with that group. 



The Itisuku clan received its name from the custom of being out 

 to the front of the war party along the edges of the hills overlooking 

 the Missouri. Once a group of young men called on Old-Woman- Who- 

 Never-Dies at her lodge near the Red Buttes and she promised them 

 success in warfare. When they returned to their homes, they called 

 themselves Itisuku. 



In addition to the eight clans listed above, there were a few members 

 of the Speckled Eagle clan in the tribe. According to tradition, this 

 clan was of Mandan origin although many members can no longer 

 trace their lineages back to any particular Mandan village group. 

 They lived principally at Awaxawi village. According to the Mandan, 

 however, the Awaxawi Speckled Eagles were people who moved to 

 Awaxawi at the time of the destruction of Nuptadi shortly after 

 1780. Like the Mandan Speclded Eagle clan, they have been assimi- 

 lating with the Prairie Chicken clan in recent years and marriage with 

 the Prairie Chicken clan is now generally disapproved. 



