Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 101 



All other things being equal, relationships through persons of the 

 same sex were closer than through opposite sexes. Frank Packineau, 

 Low Hat clan, and his wife, Rattles Medicine of the Maxoxati clan, 

 both belonged to the Three-clan moiety with Bears Arm who was of 

 the Knife clan. Bears Arm would classify Packineau as an "older 

 brother" and Rattles Medicine as an "older sister" prior to their 

 marriage, but after they were married he could not do so since that 

 would imply that Frank Packineau had married his sister. Bears 

 Arm could continue to call Rattles Medicine a "sister" and then 

 Frank Packineau would be a "brother-in-law" or he could call Frank 

 Packineau a "brother" and Rattles Medicine would be a "sister-in- 

 law." Bears Arm chose the second alternative because he considered 

 relationships established between individuals of the same sex closer 

 than with the opposite sex. Bears Arm's sister. Wolverine, employed 

 the first alternative, calling Rattles Medicine a "sister" and Frank 

 Packineau a "brother-in-law." Informants recognize that relation- 

 ships based on moiety membership are remote and not ordinarily 

 employed. 



Formerly, the village residence was also a factor in determining 

 relationships when no known lineal or clan aflBliation existed. Persons 

 of the same village were considered closer even when no actual rela- 

 tionships were known. Since Rattles Medicine and Bears Arm were 

 of parents coming from Awaxawi village, whereas Frank Packineau 

 was from Awatixa village, in former times Bears Arm would have 

 considered Rattles Medicine a closer relative of the Three-clan than 

 Frank Packineau and would have called her "sister" and Frank 

 Packineau "brother-in-law." This distinction was rarely used after 

 the remnants of the three Hidatsa village groups united following 

 the epidemic of 1837. 



Out of the numerous alternatives, the selection made by the indi- 

 vidual determined his social position in relation to others. A woman 

 of the Xura clan might call an individual of the Maxoxati clan a 

 "son" whereas he would call her "father's sister" while her husband 

 called the same individual a "brother-in-law" because the man of 

 the Maxoxati clan had married a "sister." Lead Woman (see chart 

 13) called Old-White-Man a "son" as he was the son of a member 

 of her clan. She also could have called him a "grandfather" since 

 Old-White-Man was Lead Woman's husband's sister's husband, but 

 the latter relationship would be based on marriages and could be 

 dissolved at will whereas neither Lead Woman nor Old-White-Man 

 could change their clan affiliations. Also, by maintaining a "father's 

 sister" status to Old-White-Man she was eligible to receive presents 

 during social and ceremonial occasions. Crows Heart could have 

 called Old- White-Man a "grandson" but he never did, always calling 



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