Bowers] HID ATS A SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 329 



as her "son." Village-Old- Woman threw a louse onto Woman Above's head 

 and the Holy Women below waved their robes. Woman Above became drowsy 

 and permitted Village-Old- Woman to touch the necklace with her pipe. 



Woman Above ate the corn balls, smoked the pipe, and then went to sleep. 

 Village-Old- Woman stole the necklace, sang the victory songs, and flew down to 

 the village where the ceremony was being performed, again entering the lodge 

 through the smokehole. 



The Holy Women placed the image in the sweat lodge pit, put the hot stones 

 on it, poured in the water, heard the image burst, and then announced that the 

 young man had conquered his enemies. With this assurance, the young man led 

 a war party toward Mouse River and built two mounds ^ as Holy Women 

 directed. 



Hearing young men singing, he found that they were being led by Swallow and 

 Hawk who were teaching them the Stone Hammer society songs. ^ 



The young man selected Swallow and Hawk to kill the enemy who had been 

 adopted as Woman Above's son and gave them instructions in cutting off the 

 head so that it would not come back to life again. 



During the fight, the leader of the enemies was seen coming into the conflict, 

 painted red on the forehead and cheeks with a robe of calfskin and wearing magpie 

 feathers in his hair. All the time he was protected by a string reaching down 

 from a small cloud overhead. *5 



Swallow and Hawk cut the string, causing their enemy to lose his supernatural 

 powers originating with Woman Above. Woman Above came down from the 

 sky, carrying her ashwood stick in her right hand and wearing her robe with a 

 coil of sweetgrass. She was painted red on the forehead and cheeks. She 

 demanded the head which Swallow and Hawk had taken but they took it to their 

 leader instead. He extended his pipe toward the head, which died. Then the 

 eyes closed. 



After removing the scalp, he gave Woman Above the head which she failed to 

 bring to Ufe again. The war party returned to the village where the Holy Women 

 danced the scalp dances and received many presents. They sewed scalps to the 

 young man's shirt, for he was now a chief, and gave him the name Young-Man- 

 Chief. Whenever the warriors retiu-ned successfully from war the Holy Women 

 would dance. When times were hard, they would butcher animals and put the 

 meat on the scaffolds for the people. The rites were passed down from generation 

 to generation. Because Young- Man-Chief did not make offerings to his sister 

 above, the people learned that she was holy so they prayed to her too. Village- 

 Old- Woman was represented recently by Fast Dog's grandmother and Cherry 

 Necklace was the singer for the Holy Women. 



" Similar mounds pertaining to these beliefs together with medicine poles are erected adjacent to the 

 villages as shrines for the arrangement of skuU circles: see Catlin, 1841, vol. 1, pp. 89-91, pi. 48; and 

 Maximilian, 1906, vol. 23, p. 340. 



" This incident dates the sacred myth as subsequent to Grandson's residence with the people since Grand- 

 son founded the Stone Hammer society. According to native concepts, the sacred myth is interpreted to 

 relate incidents that occurred prior to the founding of the Earthnamiag rites and the first introduction 

 of the horse — Swallow and Hawk, who are mentioned in this rite, had died and were spirits when the Earth- 

 naming rites were established. By relating incidents of this kind, native informants determine the relative 

 chronological position of the various rites. For further information concerning Swallow and Hawk, see 

 the Earthnaming rites, pp. 434-436. 



55 This description of Woman Above's "son" provides the basis for subsequent dress and painting for 

 those Hidatsa who owned rights in Woman Above bundles. Note the close similarity of dress and painting 

 to the Holy Women; the basis for native concepts that the Holy Women and Women Above bundle owners 

 should meet together on ceremonial occasions. 



