Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 181 



shelter to fast during the next performance of the NaxpikE. Purchase 

 was by an organized group from an organized group, the relationship 

 between the two groups being that of "father-son." The buyers 

 were encouraged and assisted by their respective households. Not all 

 boys joined the Stone Hammer society. Some families were not 

 interested in assisting their sons. There was a reluctance for boys 

 to join when the household had recently quarreled with another 

 household or a close relative leading a war party had returned in 

 mourning from an unsuccessful war expedition. Some boys were 

 bashful or were reluctant to ask help of their relatives. Not un- 

 commonly, a family would refuse to assist a close relative because 

 people had criticized them unfairly. There was no ceremonial 

 offering of wives for, theoretically, boys of this age had not married. 

 Purchase into the Stone Hammers introduced new rights and obli- 

 gations. The society had the right collectively to steal food for their 

 meetings, but they were obligated individually to appear on each 

 ceremonial occasion providing group fasting and to make efforts to 

 secure supernatural instructions. One gets the opinion from native 

 informants that there were those who were indifferent to these instruc- 

 tions to seek visions and that others, having no particular desire to be 

 brave, did not join the Stone Hammers. We have here the weeding 

 out of the cowardly and indifferent individuals. 



Kit Fox Society 



Since 1837 the order of purchase of the Kit Fox, Crazy Dog, and 

 Little Dog societies has not greatly concerned the Hidatsa. This is 

 due, it seems to me, to the reconciliation of different village systems 

 inherited from the first part of the century when three vUlage groups 

 were in existence. The Hidatsa interpret the societies bought and 

 sold before reaching the status of police or Black Mouths as prepara- 

 tory steps toward entrance into this important society with its many 

 police and governing functions. The Edt Fox society, as far as I 

 could determine, was not present at the old villages of Hidatsa and 

 Awatixa. Mandan traditions state that this society was one of the 

 numerous ones organized by the Mandan culture hero Good-Furred- 

 Robe to dance whenever the corn rites associated with certain bundles 

 were celebrated. This was also the basis for the practice of inviting 

 one with Corn rites to officiate as one of the singers for the men of the 

 Fox society; Moves Slowly was a singer for the Mandan and Bear- 

 Looks-Out served as singer for the Awaxawi about A.D. 1870. Good- 

 Furred-Robe founded two sacred bundles whose owners were singers 

 for the Kit Foxes. In late historic times one of these bundles was 

 sold to an Awaxawi married to a Mandan woman, at which time young 

 men of Awaxawi bought the society from the Mandan. Bear-Looks- 



710-1»5— 65 13 



