176 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 194 



cieties for position in the system. Since competition is not charac- 

 teristic of the Hidatsa age-grade system, they temporarily reconciled 

 these conflicts by providing two "routes" to the Black Mouth society 

 until one "route" became more popular than the other, with the 

 resultant cessation of the unpopular societies. 



There is historic and traditional evidence that not only were new 

 societies added to the age-grade system from time to time but that 

 the existing societies changed their relative positions. This is con- 

 sistent with native traditions of cultural differences between inde- 

 pendent villages. Union of two or more village groups, or the break- 

 ing up of an existing village group into two or more groups, affected 

 the number and order of the societies in the system. Since a member 

 retained his membership until bought out, any undue delay in pur- 

 chase by the younger men would tend to shift the position of the 

 society in the age-grade sequence. It is of historic record that the 

 village groups bought additional dances such as the Hot Dance, 

 Grass Dance, Big Grass Dance, and Night Grass Dance during the 

 19 th century. In addition, a number of societies (such as the Black 

 Mouth, Bull, and Kit Fox) are of traditional Mandan origin and are 

 not believed to have been of very great antiquity with the Hidatsa. 

 The preservation of Mandan origin myths for these three societies and 

 the absence of comparable myths for the Hidatsa further strengthens 

 native beliefs of their recent introduction. 



Of the Hidatsa age-grade series, the Stone Hammer and the various 

 Dog societies are frequently mentioned in their sacred myths. In 

 fact, variations in the origin myths as related today suggest former 

 village differences or versions. The Hidatsa, informed in the sacred 

 myths referring to the various Dog societies, speak of the common 

 bond uniting these four societies: the Little Dog, Crazy Dog, Dog, 

 and Old Dog. 



In the old villages at KJiif e River, the order of purchase preliminary 

 to entrance into the Dog societies differed. The Awaxawi, who 

 during the 18th century were closely associated with the northern 

 Mandan and the Nuptadi Mandan, had no Stone Hammer society. 

 Boys entered the age-grade system by joining the Notched Stick so- 

 ciety, whereas young Mandans of the same age had a Magpie society 

 in some villages, while those villages having the Corn Bundle rites of 

 Good-Furred-Robe had a similar Notched Stick society believed to 

 have supernatural powers over the rains. 



The Crow Imitator society, which was found only at Awatixa and 

 at the Mandan villages, was of late introduction, coming from the 

 Crow Indians. This society was never important after 1837. 



The absence of an origin myth, together vdih native beliefs that the 

 Half-Shaved Heads were of Crow origin, leads me to believe that this 



