198 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 194 



However unimportant the Old Dog society may have been in recent 

 time, the Dog society was an important one to which the chiefs or 

 leaders of various subgroups of the vUlage belonged. They were 

 mature men who had distinguished themselves in many ways. In- 

 formants would say, "That is the society that all of the greatest 

 leaders belonged to." When buying into the Dog society, the Black 

 Mouths relinquished their wives as in other society purchases, but 

 there was less inclination to avail themselves of that privilege. As a 

 man grew older, having prayed often for younger men, it was believed 

 that his supernatural powers given to him from time to time during 

 his lifetime by fasting, supernatural experiences, bundle purchases, 

 and feasts for the older people, were running low. Those who were 

 still sexually active attributed this situation to possession stUl of great 

 supernatural powers, and they sometimes availed themselves of the 

 "son's" wife. By the time the Dog society bought out the Bulls, 

 the latter society members rarely availed themselves of that privilege, 

 although their "sons" still continued to go through the formality. 



Bull Society 



The Bull society was fast going out of existence after 1837; none of 

 my informants had ever belonged to the society or observed its sale 

 and transfer. After 1837, this was the highest society in both the 

 Mandan and Hidatsa series. Traditionally it was always at or near 

 the top by virtue of certain ceremonial attainments prerequisite to 

 membership. The society in both the Mandan and Hidatsa villages 

 was limited to those males who had purchased sacred bundles con- 

 taining sacred buffalo skulls together with the right to instruct 

 younger men in the ceremonial painting of these skulls. Membership 

 in the society was a reward for village major bundle purchases. This 

 placed a premium on ownership of hereditary bundles and bundle 

 rites rather than on personal bundles based on vision experiences. 

 We find that both the Mandan and Hidatsa continued to recognize 

 the superiority of those bundles containing sacred buffalo skulls even 

 after the Bull society died out. Whenever a ceremonial feast was 

 given, all those having these sacred bundles were expected to attend 

 without formal invitation. 



The Bulls were expected to meet and dance in public four times 

 each year, at which time they represented the buffaloes of the particular 

 season and direction when the performance was being given (pi. 4). 

 Both the Mandan and Hidatsa sacred and origin myths make common 

 reference to the buffaloes of the four seasons and directions, so on this 

 basis one would not be able to determine which group first organized 

 the society. Although Lowie (1913) suggested a few minor differ- 

 ences in the society of the two tribes, my informants explained that 



