Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 299 



spotted cattle and the maggots around a dead wolf representing the White people 

 were thrown eastward across the waters until a later time when they would return 

 as the White men and their cattle. Finding the land to the east too level for 

 shelter from storms, they roughened it with their heels to form the land as it is 

 seen today. The people dispersed over the land into tribes and the two men 

 visited them in their villages and camps. At this time the people, called Mirokac 

 whom we know as River Crow, Hidatsa, and Awaxawi, moved northward toward 

 Devils Lake and Uved together as a single group. There were many lakes where 

 they lived at that time. 



Hungry Wolf of good reputation Uved in the village with a younger brother 

 named High Bird. Young men would Une up along the path taken by the young 

 women getting water to ask for a drink. When water was offered one, it indi- 

 cated that she was fond of him. High Bird's friend, an orphan, Uved with him. 

 Hungry Wolf's wife offered High Bird water; he refused it because she was his 

 brother's wife and she became angry. She told her husband that High Bird had 

 attacked her. Although witnesses denied the charge, Hungry Wolf did not 

 beUeve them. He announced that he was organizing a war party and High Bird 

 and the orphan decided to go along. To cross a large lake, 40 buUboats were 

 made to carry the 80 men. They traveled 4 days by water. High Bird as scout 

 brought in an enemy's scalp for his brother but Hungry Wolf ordered his party 

 to leave quietly by water while his brother slept, leaving him no means of reaching 

 the mainland. 



Hungry Wolf called back to his brother that the Water Buffalo, his "father," 

 had ordered him to do this. High Bird was protected by his gods who ate those 

 who assisted Hungry Wolf. [The narrative here introduces the sun as a super- 

 natural guardian and also as a cannibal. The concept of the sun as a cannibal 

 appears throughout Hidatsa sacred mythology. See Woman Above rites for 

 additional references to Sun as a cannibal who causes bad luck so that he can 

 feast on the bodies.] 



Hungry Wolf called back that if High Bird crossed the water, the Sharp Noses 

 would kiU him so High Bird matched the supernatural powers of the Sharp Noses 

 with that of the Thunderbird, his supernatural father. [This conflict provides 

 the setting for at least one of the Thunderbird ceremonies performed by the 

 Hidatsa in recent years. When this study was made, White Fingernails had a 

 Thunder sacred bundle traditionaUy originating with High Bird. For the rites, 

 see pp. 358-363 which deal with the Thunder Ceremonies.] 



Before the war party was out of sight. Hungry Wolf threatened that Owns- 

 Many-Dogs' dogs would eat High Bird. [The narrative at this point describes 

 the penalties to the social group when brothers quarreled. Bears Arm said that 

 people were quick to put brothers aright if they showed a tendency to quarrel or 

 fight. This applied also to clan brothers. He explained that as a result of the 

 destruction of a large part of the population, people learned that brothers must 

 always aid and support each other, revenge the other's death by the enemy, and 

 provide for those the brother loved and respected while he lived.] 



Thunderbird came down from the sky, learned from High Bird the cause of 

 the quarrel, and gave High Bird advice on escaping from the island. High Bird 

 learned from Thunderbird that the water buffalo was in reality a large snake 

 living in the lake. [We find here introduced the conflict between the sky gods 

 represented by the big birds and the water gods represented by the snakes. 

 This conflict runs all through Hidatsa mythology.] 



