Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 155 



from a successful war expedition was likely to receive many invitations 

 to marry girls who had not been married and who had good reputa- 

 tions, even before the victory dances were ended. 



Prominent men invariably had two or more wives. The older ones 

 had assisted the husband in achieving his ambitions by contributing 

 towards ceremonial purchases and formal feasts for the older men and 

 women. As a man's social status grew, his social obligations increased. 

 Frequently the wives encouraged their husband to get another wife 

 to help them with their work, in which case the additional wife Uved 

 with the household. A man might bring a female prisoner to his 

 lodge to increase the number of his wives or he could marry someone 

 from the tribe. Not uncommonly, however, it was necessary to main- 

 tain two or more households because of the objections of the other 

 wives to moving or abandoning their lodge. Sometimes the new 

 wife was the chief provider for her own old people. A vUlage leader 

 could not risk his reputation by marrying one who had carried on 

 numerous affairs with other men. Thus he invariably married a 

 young girl strictly trained by her parents. Being past the age when 

 he would be offering his wives in the walking ceremonies, he would 

 keep close watch of her and usually enlisted his clansmen and society 

 to do likewise. He would keep her always as his favorite wife and 

 should a situation arise when a clansman asked for a wife to take to 

 the "walking" ceremony, he would give him one of his first wives. 

 Knowing that he was keeping close watch of her and had the aid of 

 his friends and relatives as well, it was considered great sport to meet 

 her on the sly. He would take her out on hunting trips, on visits to 

 neighboring camps, even on war expeditions, knowing that his joking 

 relatives would tease him if they learned of an affair going on behind 

 his back. If her lover was one of little standing in the village or 

 belonged to a small clan and had few relatives, he was likely to be 

 beaten. Sometimes however, the rival was a person of considerable 

 social stature in his own right, or even a clan brother. The Hidatsa 

 stiU tell and reteU the story of Two Tail's and Wolf Chief's quarrel, 

 occurring between 1826 and 1830. Bears Arm's account is as follows: 



Two Tails ^^ was a great gambler. He would gamble each day at Hidatsa 

 village on the Knife River. Wolf Chief, who was one of the principal chiefs of 

 that village, had three wives, the youngest one being much younger and very 

 pretty. Her parents had married her to Wolf Chief but she liked Two Tails 

 who was younger than her husband. She would send little boys to Two Tails to 

 tell him where he could meet her. 



Two Tails was getting a good reputation as a war leader after he had given 

 both Wolf Ceremonies, was leading successful war expeditions, and was fasting 

 often. He would gamble all day and then go out to fast for several days. One 

 time when he was out fasting. Sun came down and said to him, ''Every morning 



" The name refers to two eagle taU feathers. Two Tails was the father of Four Bears, chief at the time of 

 the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851. 



