Bowera] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 353 



When the ceremony was about to begin, the First Creator impersonator carried 

 the bear hide into Black Shield's lodge and spread it out on the right side of the 

 lodge, placing a buffalo robe under it. The head faced the entrance to the sweat 

 lodge which was on the opposite side of the lodge. First Creator was addressed 

 by the name of ixtakis, a term of address also employed for the waiter in the eagle 

 trapping lodges. First Creator impersonator then carried in a buffalo bull's 

 skull. Old- Woman-Crawling was the singer for the ceremony for, in addition to 

 buying the Bear bundle, he had also bought singer rights at an additional ceremony 

 to the Bears. All those with Bear bundles, whether hereditary and acquired by 

 purchase or individual ones built up as the result of dreams, assisted him with the 

 singing. 



Bear bundle owners met at Old-Woman-Crawling's lodge beforehand and 

 advanced as a group to Black Shield's lodge. There were four stops to sing the 

 Bear songs as they approached the ceremonial lodge. 



At the first stop they sang, "I want to eat cherries," for the grizzly bears were 

 often seen in the chokecherry thickets eating cherries. 



They advanced another quarter of the distance and sang, "it is a pile of goods, 

 I think. The gourd I will take to it." 



At the third station they sang, "I want to eat cherries," 



The fourth station was the entrance to the earth lodge where they sang, "it 

 is a pile of goods, I think. The gourd I will take to it." 



The four stops represented the distance from the home of the spirits to the home 

 of the Hidatsa. In all of the ceremonies, this distance is represented by the four 

 stops to sing and dance. 



Then Old- Woman-Crawling led the way into the entrance where they sang, 

 "I want to eat cherries." 



He entered the lodge and took his place back of the bearskin, followed by the 

 owners of Bear and other major bundles which included a buffalo skull. Black 

 Shield and his wife took their places at the head of the lodge. The other partici- 

 pants took places as indicated in figure 5. Although the First Creator imperson- 

 ator was assigned a place at the first central post on the right when entering, he 

 did not sit down much since his duties kept him on the move. 



Spring Boy was represented by No Milk who had given the NaxpikE; Lodge 

 Boy was represented by Frosty Mouth who was the owner of a Sacred Arrow 

 bundle. Old Mouse made the sweat lodge in return for permission to be tortured 

 there. He also heated the rocks and kept the fire burning. Otherwise it would 

 have been Black Shield's duty to build the sweat lodge and heat the stones. 

 Old Mouse called Black Shield a brother although they had different mothers. 

 This was the reason he did it. 



Old- Women-Crawling asked Black Shield to fill the pipe and have it ready. 

 Black Shield filled the pipe and placed it in front of the bearskin. Then First 

 Creator impersonator carried coals to the front of the bearskin and burned 

 sweetgrass after holding the grass to the west, north, east, south, the sky, and the 

 ground. This was an offering to the spirits of those directions. He then carried 

 the pipe to the buffalo skull and burned incense of pine spills. The pine was 

 offered only to the four directions, meaning that the buffaloes live only on the 

 land. The man who burned incense before the buffalo skull lit the pipe which had 

 been placed there, after which all the sacred-bundle owners lit their own pipes 

 and smoked. 



Old- Woman-Crawling asked the holy men to go to the buffalo skull, light the 

 pipe, and smoke to the skull. One man lit the pipe, offered the smoke to the skull, 

 and took goods placed on the skull. Old- Woman-Crawling produced a snare such 

 as was used in Eagle Trapping rites, tied it to his robe, and fastened some Black 



