344 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 194 



to enrich the ritual by singing the Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies, 

 the Skull, or the Robe songs. 



Individuals receiving dreams associated with the Old Woman, 

 the Skull, or the Robe bundles could bypass the Goose society members 

 in performing rites and frequently did. And female membership of 

 the Goose society was of unequal status in respect to their relationships 

 to the male bundle owners. Some women had put up goods collec- 

 tively to purchase the society and held their rights in the society 

 imtil a younger group bought them out. On the other hand, there 

 were numerous women who had dreamed of the sacred bundles relating 

 to agriculture or had assisted their husbands or brothers or both 

 in performing rites to the Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies, Skull, and 

 Robe bundles as well as buying with their group into the Goose society. 

 These women retained rights to meet even after they had sold rights 

 in the Goose society to "daughters." This special group also included 

 the wives and sisters of Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies, SkuU, and 

 Robe bundle owners. 



The Goose society, although associated with Old-Woman-Who- 

 Never-Dies, had all the characteristics of a separate ceremony. 

 These women kept their own pipe, drums, and sacred paraphernalia 

 when the society was not performing and did their own singing and 

 conducted all of the ritual acts when no singer was available. The 

 Hidatsa thought of the society as an addition to the long-established 

 groups. 



The Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies rites are a dramatization of the 

 sacred myths, and the bundle was associated with these plants, 

 animals, and birds mentioned in the myth: 



corn elk blackbirds 



geese 

 ducks 

 cranes 



Bundle purchase was a 4-night ceremony attended by all those 

 whose sacred bundles contained buffalo skulls. Traditionally, only 

 those with rights in Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies bundles and those 

 ceremonies mentioned in the myth attended prior to the epidemic 

 of 1837. The number of legitimate owners was so small after that 

 date, however, that the category of those invited to attend and to 

 pray for the success of the bundle buyer was increased to include the 

 principal bundle owners for the other tribal rites. Purchase was 

 from the father, and a father's clansman was selected to make up the 

 new bundle and give ritual training. The father's clansman also 

 selected the singer for the rites. The singer approached the cere- 

 monial lodge by the usual four steps, singing a different sacred song 

 belonging to the ceremony at each of these stations where the buyer 



