242 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 194 



"power" to bring the buffalo herds near the village but he liked to 

 fight so he taught his sons that warfare was an honorable life. In 

 the following narrative, Four Dancers traces out his grandfather's 

 later activities relative to the training of his sons and his eventual 

 relinquishment of the bundle when two of his sons are killed while 

 following his instructions. 



Guts got his Earthnaming rites from his parents and had the right to pray to 

 all of the gods. Guts would say to his sons, "When you are out looking for the 

 enemy, you must be brave. Fast often and buy many gods; they will assist you 

 when you are out against the enemy. If you have something to worship in the 

 ceremonies, then you will be a head man and the people will look up to you. If 

 there is a fight and the enemy surrounds any of your relatives, do not be afraid 

 to go to their help. Then you will have a good record. If you don't do that, 

 your misfortunes will reflect unfavorably against me for I am expected to give 

 you all of these instructions." 



His son, Never-Runs-Away, was one who hked to put on the ceremonies for the 

 buffalo so he had his wives "walk" four times with the old men. Charging 

 Eagle's real father was the Mandan Four Bears but Guts adopted him as his son 

 when he married Four Bear's widow after the smallpox. Charging Eagle fasted 

 much like his father, Four Bears, did and got the medicine robe Uke his father 

 had in a public ceremony. Sitting Owl was one who fasted much but he never 

 got to 7 days. The youngest was Bobtail Bull, my father. He dreamed of the 

 "walking ceremony" just as Never-Runs-Away did. 



At the winter camp called Killed-the-Bent-Enemy [1854], Never-Runs-Away 

 and Sitting Owl followed two enemies who had stolen horses and struck an 

 enemy first and second. Guts followed behind because he was interested in 

 seeing what his sons would do when they first met the enemy. When he found 

 that his sons were ahead of the others tracking the enemy, he was proud of his 

 sons. Back at the camp when the victory dances were held. Guts took out his 

 large rattles for the Earthnaming ceremony and sang pubUcly, "My sons said 

 they would be brave in the future and it is so." 



Then the two sons were recognized as leaders and the people began to respect 

 them. Then they got new names. 



Another time the enemy came and stole horses but the people crowded them so 

 hard that they went into the brush. Wolf Eyes told the younger men not to go 

 into the brush or some would be killed. Just at that time a Mandan named 

 Three Rabbits came up and said, "What are you people waiting for? You 

 Hidatsas are always going far down the river looking for your enemies but now 

 they have come to you. When you are around in the village you are always 

 showing off before the women pretending you are brave." 



The enemy had already shot a Hidatsa in the mouth and the others had with- 

 drawn. The Mandan went in and was killed. Sitting Owl, Bobtail Bull, 

 Never-Runs-Away, and Guts came along at this time and announced that they 

 were going to jump into the fort while the others rattled their tongues to confuse 

 the enemy, but the enemy ran away instead and jumped into the river. The 

 people praised the brothers because they had volunteered to go into the brush. 



Shortly afterward, the Sioux attacked the village of Fishhook and the men got 

 ready to fight. The Sioux ran to save their lives when the Hidatsa came out. 

 Bobtail Bull said to his brothers while they were painting for the battle, "Let's 

 each catch a Sioux." They came to a creek where there was a large bunch of 



