142 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 194 



go visiting. There was always plenty of food, for Two Shields hunted and the 

 women worked hard in the gardens. 



People were soon saying that Tucks In was a great man for he was very generous; 

 whenever one went to that lodge, he would find it full of their relatives. The 

 women were busy all the time tanning robes to sell to the trader to get guns and 

 ammunition for Two Shields and his two younger brothers-in-law. One time he 

 found some stray horses and gave them to his father-in-law. 



Two Shields was such a good provider that Short Bull offered him his daughter 

 named Spotted Woman. Then Two Shields had two lodges to provide for and 

 Tucks In's relatives didn't come so often. He would stay at one lodge for a short 

 time and then he would move over to the other lodge. When hunting, he would take 

 the meat to the lodge where he was living at that time and the women of that lodge 

 would take part of it to the other family. But the lodge where he lived would get 

 the greater share. If either family had objected to the arrangement, it would 

 have got no meat. 



He left Spotted Woman because her family was not satisfied with the arrange- 

 ment. If the family had wanted him bad enough they could have given him 

 another horse and asked him to come back but I guess they were glad to be rid of 

 him for they had another man in mind. 



Although Two Shields was a good hunter, he was not too smart. One time the 

 Fort Buford band was up near Poplar hunting and the men found a gray mare 

 that was so wild they could not catch her. Two Shields threatened to kill her but 

 the older men who understood the holy things said, "You must not kill that horse; 

 it may be that she comes out of the earth and goes back in again when she has 

 enough to eat. That is why her mane and tail are so long. Horses are holy. If 

 you kill her, she may bring you bad luck." 



Two Shields did not believe that so he waited for her at a waterhole and killed 

 her. The people said that he would surely have bad luck. More than twenty 

 years later, after the people were put on the Reservation, Two Shields, while 

 mowing hay, was cut on the foot and bled to death. 



It was not uncommon for a family to attempt to marry their girls 

 to men who were already married and had families. If the two 

 households were related and the women were of the same clan, this 

 pre^^rranged plan was often very satisfactory, particularly when a 

 shortage of eligible husbands existed. This arrangement was often 

 made between related households so that each could have the services 

 of a good provider. It was less likely to be more than a temporary 

 arrangement when the second household was not on intimate terms 

 with the other one. Then each household would try to outdo the 

 other and in the end one would become tired of the arrangement. 



Owing to the greater risks taken by males in warfare and hunting, 

 adult females greatly outnumbered the males, often 2 to 1. Monogo- 

 my was rare. Divorce was common. When there were children, 

 families were less likel}^ to break up. While maldng this study, the 

 Hidatsa said that Wolf Chief was one who had more than the usual 

 number of wives. Wolf Chief enumerated his various marital ventures 

 and seemed proud of many of his conquests. His only regret was that 

 with so many wives, he was childless in his old age. The variety of 



