Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 347 



the corn spirits whom they guided south, reported the various ojfferings 

 that had been made to her. As a token of her thanks for these 

 offerings, it was beUeved she would send the winter buffaloes near the 

 village so that the people could live well until the next crop could be 

 planted and harvested. Certain women claimed to have corn spirits 

 in their body. Occasionally, especially during corn rites, this spirit 

 would appear in the woman's mouth, and payments were made to 

 her to "make the spirits go back down." Women sold these 

 mysteries to "daughters" independently of the other corn rites. 



Curtis (1907 a, p. 134) describes an instance in which the Goose 

 society was bypassed in securing supernatural powers directly from 

 the Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies: 



During the growing season the owner of the field took a buffalo robe as a gift 

 to one of the Corn Priests, asking him to pray to Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies 

 and to the spirits that controlled the weather, that the corn might thrive to 

 ripeness. The priest returned with the husbandman to his lodge, and there burned 

 incense and held a stalk of corn in the sacred smoke, praying that the crop might 

 prosper, and be plentiful. He then passed the stalk to the owner of the field, 

 saying, "Keep this," and it was hung in the sacred place of the lodge as a token 

 of a bountiful harvest. 



It frequently happened that one made the request before the 

 gardens were planted. In this instance a young shoot of the cotton- 

 wood was substituted for the corn plant. Others, however, made 

 requests for supernatural assistance to win over their enemies in battle. 

 A young man would go to a bundle owner who stood in the "father- 

 son" relationship and pledge that he would give a feast for the Old- 

 Woman-Who-Never-Dies and decorate her basket with a scalp if he 

 won over the enemy. If successful, after the scalp dances had been 

 celebrated, a date was set for the decoration of the basket. Food 

 was prepared. As many robes and other things as possible were 

 collected from his household and other cooperating relatives. Then 

 the bundle owner was invited in with his sacred bundle. Prayers 

 were offered to the "son" and some object from the bundle was given 

 him for his personal use. In general, however, the bundle rites were 

 concerned chiefly with garden crops. 



Maximilian (1906, pp. 372-373) writes of the sacred pots used in 

 connection with rainmaking rites as follows : 



She gave the Minitaries [Plidatsa] a couple of pots, which they still preserve as 

 a sacred treasure, and employ as medicines, or charms, on certain occasions. She 

 directed the ancestors of these Indians to preserve the pots, and to remember the 

 great waters, from which all animals came cheerful, or, as my old narrator ex- 

 pressed it, dancing. The red-shouldered oriole came, at that time, out of the 

 water, as well as all the other birds which still sing on the banks of the rivers. 

 The Minitaries, therefore, look on all these birds as medicine for their plantations 

 of maize, and attend to their song. At the time when these birds sing, they were 

 directed by the old woman to fill these pots with water, to be merry, to dance and 



