286 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 194 



social practices; one should not undertake many military adventures 

 unless he fasted frequently or continued to add to his supernatural 

 powers by ritual purchases, informal feasts, bundle renewals, or 

 other power-seeking activities ; one who had been leader of the summer 

 buffalo hunt or the winter camp should not accept another similar 

 appointment too soon as such responsibilities drew heavily on one's 

 supernatural powers. Here we see this concept of the variability 

 of supernatural power expressed in social behavior, that is, the rota- 

 tion of the personnel entrusted to group leadership. As another 

 example, because the same bundle is used for fish trapping and eagle 

 trapping and because a great deal of supernatural power is necessary 

 to catch fish, the manager of a fishtrap during the summer should 

 not supervise the fall eagle traps — he would bring poor luck to his 

 eagle trappers. Similarly, one should not too frequently accept 

 invitations for sex expression in the "walking" ceremonies. The 

 custom of inviting other recognized possessors of great supernatural 

 powers to assist as coleaders on hazardous military expeditions 

 further expressed native concepts of the quantitative character of 

 supernatural powers. 



Similar grading of the supernatural existed in the sacred myths: 

 Packs Antelope, although having great supernatural powers as a 

 hunter by virtue of the powers given him by the Eagles, is drawn 

 under the Missouri waters by Grandfather Snake who once was 

 one of the Sacred Arrows; Two Men are made to suffer hunger be- 

 cause, during the ceremonies at Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies' lodge. 

 Grandson selects the arrows having the greatest supernatural powers 

 and thus secures for himself the supernatural powers formerly pos- 

 sessed only by Two Men. The same concepts are expressed in other 

 instances. The Woman Above blesses a Hidatsa and promises him 

 seven enemies; before he can take possession of them, however, the 

 enemy makes greater sacrifices to her and she gives him even stronger 

 supernatural powers so that he is able to overcome and kill seven 

 Hidatsa men instead. 



According to Hidatsa concepts, all of the supernatural has existed 

 from the beginning of time and various aspects of the supernatural 

 have been revealed to them from time to time during the history of 

 the tribe. As new revelations were revealed in visions, "seeing with 

 their own eyes," purchases from other tribes who had simQar revela- 

 tions, or the appearance of certain culture heroes who came to live 

 with them, the people were given instructions in the establishment 

 and performance of the various formal ceremonies. Thus, the exist- 

 ing ceremonial structure continued only as long as the younger 

 generation was given appropriate visions to continue the various 

 rites. This is somewhat at variance with the Mandan pattern 



