Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 179 



societies suggests a recent development based on an older pattern 

 embracing the Awatixa, Awaxawi, and the Mandan village groups. 

 Those Hidatsa-River Crow who moved farther upstream developed a 

 system such as was found among the Crow in the 19 th century. 

 Those who stayed on the Missouri and took over the earth lodge 

 culture drew heavily from the Awatixa, their nearest neighbors 

 downstream. The smallest village group, the Awaxawi, had the 

 Half -Shaved Head, Black Mouth, Dog, Old Dog (?), and Bull societies 

 as did the other Hidatsa and Mandan village groups. The series 

 for younger men at Awaxawi resembled the Mandan more closely 

 than did the other two Hidatsa villages. In light of the intermediate 

 position of the Awatixa with both "father-son" and clan inheritance 

 of sacred bundle rites, the former pattern being characteristic of the 

 Hidatsa-Awaxawi and the latter pattern that of the Mandan, it 

 would appear that the age-grade sequences as reported by my oldest 

 informants had changed, at least for the younger men, during the 

 last half of the 18th century. 



During the 19th century, and prior to the dispersal of the native 

 population from Fishhook Village onto the reservation, further 

 changes occurred in the societies although the age-grade pattern 

 persisted. The union of villages caused a bunching of societies at 

 the bottom of the series. At the same time, societies and dances 

 bought from the Sioux and Arikara had wide popularity because 

 persons of both sexes were admitted without regard to age. During 

 this period the position and importance of the Black Mouth society 

 remained unchanged. The Notched Stick society of Awaxawi was 

 never popular after the three village groups united. There were 

 rehgious taboos associated with a rainmaking ceremony, Tying-the- 

 Pots, that had died out with the death of the bundle owners and with 

 their death there were none to serve as singers. Shortly after 1837 

 the Awaxawi abandoned their independent village and united with 

 the Awatixa and those Hidatsa who had remained at the mouth of 

 the Ejiife River. The young boys then entered the Stone Hammer 

 society with boys from the other two villages. 



Although the Hidatsa recognized the Notched Stick and Stone 

 Hammer societies as the first ones entered by boys, there were numer- 

 ous informal societies organized by older men which boys could join. 

 Any older man, seeing a number of young boys watching the dances 

 or remarking that they wished they had a dancing society, might 

 organize a dancing club. He would suggest various forms of dress and 

 serve as the singer for the boys. These informal societies usually con- 

 sisted of Httle boys 4 to 6 or 7 years of age who usually played together. 

 Frequently the leader was some old man of the household who was 

 interested in the boys sufficiently to relate war accounts and show an 



