Bowers] 



HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 



69 



Table 2. — Mandan and Hidatsa intermarriage by moieties 



Moieties 



Hidatsa three-clan 

 Hidatsa four-clan_ 

 Mandan moiety I_ 

 Mandan moiety II 



Mandan 

 moiety II 



13 

 31 

 31 



Mandans, or the equivalent of approximately 1 out of 3 marriages. 

 During the same period, Mandans married with Hidatsas in the ratio 

 of 59 to 50. 



In theory, moieties were not exogamous. This is in sharp contrast with 

 the Mandan who claim that prior to the smallpox epidemics, moieties 

 were exogamous. Table 2 shows the same marriages when grouped ac- 

 cording to moiety. It shows that of the 128 Hidatsa marriages, 57 

 were between opposite moieties while 70 were mthin the same moiety. 

 Moiety exogamy was most generally observed by people of the Three- 

 clan moiety with only 15 exceptions. The figures for the Mandan 

 seem to verify native traditions of former moiety exogamy; 31 mar- 

 riages were between opposite moieties while 19 were within the 

 moiety. The figures indicate that in cases of intertribal marriages, 

 even for the Mandan, there was no tendency to select mates of the 

 opposite moiety. 



At the present time the Mandan clans are equated with certain 

 Hidatsa clans. The Mandan WaxikEna equals the Hidatsa Maxoxati; 

 the Tamisik equals the Knife; the Mandan Prairie Chicken equals 

 the Hidatsa Prairie Chicken; the Mandan Speclded Eagle equals the 

 Hidatsa Speckled Eagle. As stated above, those of the Hidatsa 

 Speclded Eagle clan claim to be descendants of Mandans who moved 



710-195—65 ^6 



