Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 105 



physical punishment by whipping was almost entirely unknown. An 

 older brother might shake her and ask her to come back to her senses 

 but the usual procedure was to scold her or to offer positive rewards 

 in return for good behavior. 



Although residence was normally matrilocal, it was not customary 

 for several sisters with different husbands to occupy the same lodge. 

 The Hidatsa believed that it was hard for men married to sisters and 

 living in the same lodge to get along together. If one husband was 

 ambitious and a good hunter, he would be praised by the female 

 owners of the lodge and only poor hunters or unlucky warriors with 

 little pride would continue to live there. The first residence was 

 invariably patrilocal whenever insufficient time had been allowed 

 for the preparation of the son-in-law section of the lodge. 



Informants all thought that a woman had more "mothers" through 

 the father's clan than in the mother's clan. This is consistent with 

 the extension of the "mother" relationship beyond the immediate 

 households. In the mother's lineage and clan, only her household 

 sisters and those females who were daughters of the maternal grand- 

 mother (rarely was the great-grandmother known) were classified 

 as "mothers"; all other clanswomen were classified either as "older 

 sister," "younger sister," "daughter," or "grandchild," depending 

 upon their relative ages and other factors. Within the household 

 there were frequently other "mothers" of different clans when the 

 father had not married sisters. A female classified as "mothers" all 

 spouses of men of the father's clan. Of this group of "mothers" 

 close bonds of affection and respect were often shown due to the 

 practice of looking to the members of the father's clan for instruction 

 and assistance in ceremonial matters. 



Since the wife contributed significantly in goods and services 

 whenever a man performed a ceremony and shared in his purchases, 

 her advice was widely sought by a "daughter" through her husband. 

 In visiting other villages, one felt free to move in with a household 

 whose female members were classified as "mother" by the extension 

 of the kinship relationships when it was not convenient to stay with 

 a "sister." 



Mother-Son 



The relationship of a mother to her son was almost as close as to 

 her daughter since it was based on kinship ties. It was, however, 

 different from the mother-daughter relationship due to sex dichotomy, 

 division of labor, and matrilocal residence. A mother taught a son 

 early in life to play boys' games, to dress like boys, to be brave, and 

 at all times to avoid female avocations lest he be "blessed" by one of 

 the female deities and become a berdache. Naming, games, and 



