Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 261 



took the initiative ; they collected the goods and selected the doctor. 

 When the doctor saw that the case was not hopeless, he dressed in his 

 ceremonial garb and took over the curing. Although the super- 

 natural depicted in the rites did not always "come to life," this was 

 believed to be a common experience when the greater doctors per- 

 formed. We see the employment of sacred songs, the public display, 

 and river bathing.^^ This curing rite expresses significant societal 

 values ; in spite of all of the fanfare when the military leader returned 

 successfully, or the deep sorrow and loud wailing when he "kicked 

 the stone," the real authority and confidence rested with a restricted 

 number of village sacred bundle owners whose authority came to them 

 out of the traditions and sacred rites of the past. Although the 

 highest acclaim and respect was shown those who pursued a military 

 career, in crisis situations, such as the doctoring of the military leaders 

 or the establishment of a new village, the people looked to the older 

 men whose sacred bundle rites were of traditional great antiquity, 

 and the military leaders played no significant role. A review of the 

 first building of Fishhook Village will show that in the rites on this 

 important occasion, Four Bears, who then occupied the top military 

 position, was not mentioned. 



We close these case histories of military and related activities with 

 a summary of Wolf Chief's experiences. Born in 1850 into one of the 

 respected households, he well represents the culture of his generation 

 (pi. 5). His father, Small Ankles, was the owner of Woman Above, 

 Waterbuster Clan Skulls, Eagle Trapping, and Wolf Ceremony 

 village sacred bundles. Rarely were so many sacred bundles owned 

 by one man. In Wolf Chief, we have an individual who lived an easy 

 life; the father was a distinguished bundle owner and Wolf Chief had 

 several brothers who were good hunters. Wolf Chief's interest in the 

 opposite sex was of wide knowledge in the tribe and his love affairs are 

 given in detail under "The Life Cycle." 



The following abbreviated narrative covers the significant points in 

 his preparation for a military career: 



My father was one of the real medicine men and fasted often. My maternal 

 grandfather, Big Cloud, was also a great medicine man and gave me much advice. 

 He had cut off his fingers in the Mandan Okipa and I saw the wounds on his chest 

 and arms. Even my older brothers talked to me often and told me that I should 

 take fasting seriously. When I was young I got most of my advice from Big Cloud, 

 for he was getting along in years and was around the village more than my brothers 

 and father who were busy hunting and working for a living. Big Cloud told me 

 how after the smallpox only 10 families stayed at Hidatsa village on Knife River, 

 so they went out west and camped on Rose Creek with the Crows for a while. He 

 went out with another to fast on a high hill; during the day they would stand on the 



•« River bathing was universally associated with those bundles containing objects from creatures com- 

 monly inhabiting the streams and lakes. 



f710-l»5— 65 18 



