Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 289 



the object of pity by all he met. Some who had never partaken of 

 rites to obtain good dreams or had no important dreams to show for 

 their efforts often, as in the case of Old-White-Man, accepted the 

 situation with indifference or a happy-go-lucky attitude. They 

 rarely offered advice or imposed their opinions on other people, 

 particularly outside their own households. Even as a man was 

 expected to behave in such a manner as to reflect his group's esti- 

 mation of him, the "joking relatives" were first to criticize one whom 

 they believed was carrying things too far. 



One was never measured by his wealth in personal property; those 

 highest in the regard of the group were likely to be relatively poor 

 because of their numerous social obligations. A man's position in 

 the tribe could also be measured by the amount of goods that he had 

 given away publicly and privately as well as the amount that he had 

 received as gifts from others in similar situations. All through life 

 there were important formal events when one was expected to give 

 property to one's older tribesmen, those who possessed superior super- 

 natural powers, and those who were objects of pity — particularly of 

 the father's and of one's own clan. Otherwise most gifts were to 

 persons, both male and female, of the father's clan from whom most 

 supernatural powers and authority were derived. On the occasions 

 of birth, vision experiences, first military successes, and ceremonial 

 purchases, one presented valued things to the members of the tribe, 

 especially the members of the father's clan — and occasionally to the 

 entire membership of the father's moiety when the father and son 

 were of opposite moieties. Even as one worked hard with the assist- 

 ance of the household and clan to accumulate goods and horses to 

 use during the various crisis periods of youth to middle age, so did 

 one who had advanced in status in this way get it all back several 

 times over in the years after middle age. 



So we find older men advising their "sons" to fast often and to 

 buy many ceremonial rites in order to live a good life in their later 

 years. But one's position as the receiver of honors from the younger 

 men also imposed restrictions; one would have quickly lost prestige 

 had he, in the position of ceremonial father, kept for himself all the 

 goods presented to him on such occasions. While a man endeavored 

 to show his status among his cooperating relatives by providing great 

 quantities of valuable things for disposal on the occasion of the pur- 

 chase of the father's bundle rites, hoarding of the goods so received 

 would have brought forth criticism from the whole tribe but more 

 particularly the joking relatives. As ceremonial father he might keep 

 only what he needed for his own use and distribute the surplus to 

 his friends and old people in need. He benefited both by receiving 

 and giving. He could enumerate publicly the goods and horses he 



