Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 279 



home to kill and scalp an enemy unassisted. This honor was chiefly 

 reserved for those who went out to avenge a sibling or clan member, 

 particularly a blood brother. One was not made ineligible for the 

 honor when a group of friends went along, provided the individual 

 who had vowed to revenge the brother's death did the actual killing 

 and scalping unassisted. In such cases, others of the party also were 

 not near enough to strike coup. According to native accounts, the 

 honors were sometimes won by going undetected into the enemy camp 

 at night to kill a particular person known to be the brother's slayer. 

 A variant to this form of brother-revenge occurred when one who had 

 recently had his wife stolen from him by a tribesman went out un- 

 observed by his tribesmen to vent his anger on the enemy. Usually 

 one announced his plans to a brother or sister but, not uncommonly, 

 he just disappeared and the group speculated on his whereabouts. 

 When one wished to embarrass his rival or his wife's people suspected 

 of encouraging the elopement, he often went alone far from the village, 

 even in the dead of winter, to kill and scalp an enemy. Sometimes a 

 man would announce his decision to his closest male friend or sibhngs, 

 saying that if he stayed around the village, he might do something 

 foolish — that it would be better to take out his anger on their enemies. 

 One showed these honors by painting one legging and the correspond- 

 ing side of the shirt and sleeve black, and the other side yellow or white. 

 He wore a coyote tail at each ankle to show that he saw the enemy first 

 and struck him and wore one eagle tail feather. He v/as expected to 

 dress in this manner whenever leading the fasters during ceremonies. 



When several went out and participated in the killing and strildng 

 of the coups, the fu'st to strike painted one side of his shirt and leggings 

 black, wore one coyote tail, and one eagle tail feather. The second, 

 dressed and painted in the same manner except that he painted one 

 red band on the eagle tail. The third and fom-th to strike painted 

 only the leggings black; the third wore a feather with two stripes and 

 the fourth wore a feather with three stripes. For the first time on 

 an expedition, when only one enemy was seen and has coups struck 

 on him, each warrior counting coup put two X's on one of his leggings. 

 For the second such honor, one put another pair of X's either on a 

 shirt sleeve or the other legging. If one struck four times when only 

 one enemy was seen, he put X's on both sleeves and leggings. 



The coyote tail was worn if one struck an enemy far from home. 

 Two tails were worn if one struck an enemy on two different trips or 

 on one enemy when one went out alone. The feather of a crow or 

 raven worn in the hair signified that one was first to see the enemy 

 while serving as scout. The leader of a war party was entitled to 

 carry a scalp stick with as many scalp segments as scalps taken by 

 the men under his leadership. The war leader could also wear as 



