278 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 194 



and went into the water after them. They would stab them in the back or cut 

 the cord on the heel. One Sioux, a good swimmer, got across and Young Eagle 

 overtook him in a mudhole. When they came back, they found the Chippewas 

 had lit a fire and were roasting the meat of their enemies. They had taken the 

 flesh from the legs and the heel cords, for that gave one the power to run fast, 

 they said. They had cut the ears off, which they roasted and ate. Our 

 people were afraid and stood back at a distance. 



In another instance, Crows Heart mentioned a personal experience 

 near Devils Lake at the scaffold of a Sioux who had just died. During 

 one of his horse-stealing raids, Crows Heart looked for food around 

 the body during the night, thinking that the Sioux relatives might 

 have put out something edible when the body was disposed of. Even 

 the thought of eating a piece of the Sioux was revolting to him, 

 although in his famished situation and far from home, he was willing to 

 partake of the dead Sioux's funeral feast had he been able to find any. 

 I doubt that the Hidatsa practiced cannibalism, at least during the 

 19th century, although Wolf Chief thought that a number of young 

 men visiting the Chippewa would probably have eaten enemy flesh 

 had they been asked to, and if none of the older people were around. 



MILITARY HONORS 



When an attack was made on the village, any military honors 

 were individual in character. Unlike the organized military expedi- 

 tions in which the leader afterward wore scalps on his clothing to 

 indicate that men under him had distinguished themselves, there was 

 no leadership recognition other than social approval of the top village 

 authority. Individual awards were the same as for offensive warfare. 

 However, a defensive organization often quickly changed into an 

 offensive one. Someone would announce, as soon as the enemy moved 

 off, that he was organizing a party to meet them farther away from the 

 village at a time and place when they could be taken by sm-prise. In 

 this event, the leader took the same risks as on other offensive expedi- 

 tions and enjoyed the same honors if they returned successfully. To 

 succeed in offensive warfare, one needed a great deal of skill, f amiharity 

 with the country, and leisure from other activities. Some young men, 

 particularly those training for a career in the tribal ceremonies, rarely 

 went out with war parties, for their time and interests were directed 

 toward village matters. It is suggested that this selective factor 

 contributed, in part, to the cleavage of the male population into two 

 overlapping groups; the warriors and the village leaders. This does 

 not mean that each group did not participate in the activities of the 

 other. In general, however, most of the military honors of the village 

 leaders were acquired as a result of skirmishes at or near the village. 



The Hidatsa and Mandan recognized the same military honors. 

 The highest honors were shown to one who went out alone far from 



