Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 341 



In addition to the simple ritual practices involving only the females 

 of a household, there were those practices which centered around the 

 Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies sacred bundles of which there was one 

 major bundle in each of the three Hidatsa villages of the Knife River 

 prior to 1837. These bundle owners organized and managed the vil- 

 lage rites during the period of the spring northward and fall southward 

 flights of the waterbirds. Prior to planting the crop, individuals would 

 pledge to have the rites performed if the crop was bountiful or the 

 household enjoyed good health. After the pledge was made, there 

 followed a period of preparation. At the appointed time a ceremonial 

 feast was given, during which those possessing rights in the Old- 

 Woman-Who-Never-Dies bundles, the animals and birds mentioned 

 in the sacred myths associated with the bundle, and all others who 

 had secondary rights in associated bundles, were authorized to at- 

 tend. Each received goods and prayed for the giver's success. ^^ 



There were three bundle lines at the time of the smallpox epidemic 

 of 1837 : Hidatsa village represented by Bears Heart's bundle; Awaxawi 

 village represented by Bear-Looks-Out's bundle; and Awatixa repre- 

 sented by Crow-Flies-High's father's bundle. Each bundle was equal 

 to the others in status. At this time the Mandan had two types of 

 Corn ceremony bundles; those which were concerned chiefly with 

 rites to Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies as described in the sacred 

 myths, and a second bundle complex of two bundles which additionally 

 represented dramatizations of the myth of the exodus of the people 

 as corn spirits from the ground and their various experiences until 

 reaching the Heart River. Mandan informants state that since 

 there were only two Good-Furred-Robe bundles, several villages had 

 only Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies bundles while others had both 

 kinds. 



The final diffusion of the Women's Goose society to all Hidatsa 

 village groups appears to have taken place during the early part of 

 the 19th century. Nowhere in the Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies 

 sacred myth is there reference to this society. Nevertheless, the Old- 

 Woman-Who-Never-Dies bundle owners were, in all villages, the 

 singers for this society during the entire period of recorded history. 

 According to Hidatsa traditions, the society was bought from the 

 Mandan who have a tradition of its founding by Good-Furred-Robe 

 to dance whenever the gardens needed rains. At first the Hidatsa 

 society did not wear the duckskin or gooseskin headbands, only carrying 

 bundles of sage in their arms. But, since the recent union of the Hi- 

 datsa and Mandan societies, even that distinction no longer exists 

 (Lowie, 1913). 



'2 These rites are described in considerable detail by Ourtls, 1907 a, pp. 148-152. 

 710-195—65 ^23 



