Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 361 



sleep while out hunting. Two Thunderbirds take Packs Antelope to their nest on 

 Thunder Buttes while he sleeps.*^ 



He awakens to learn that he is on a high butte with no way of escaping. The 

 Thunderbird children tell him that he has been brought there by their parents to 

 protect the children during molting time from the double-headed snake that lives 

 in the lake on the west side of the buttes. The Thunderbirds feed Packs Antelope 

 meat cut from deer they have butchered. 



When the Thunderbird children shake themselves, their down floats out onto 

 the lake and the snake knows that they are now defenseless and ready to eat. 

 The snake's two heads appear on opposite sides of the butte and Packs Antelope 

 shoots sacred arrows into both heads, killing the snake. 



The Thunderbird children instruct Packs Antelope in the rites for calling the 

 large birds to the feast at which the snake will be eaten. These songs were later 

 used when announcing that a ceremonial feast for the big birds was ready. The 

 big birds, while assembled, change Packs Antelope into a big bird to hunt for them 

 and he is given a wooden sword to kill with.*' Thunderbird's daughter teaches 

 Packs Antelope the special song the big birds use for killing and they know, when 

 they hear him singing this song, that he is now as powerful as they. 



Packs Antelope hunts snakes for the big birds for 4 years, during which time the 

 Grandfather in the Missouri is angry because all of the snakes are being killed off. 

 Grandfather prepares a sweat lodge. Then he entices Packs Antelope to come 

 near, seizes him and pulls him under the water. Packs Antelope is carried into 

 the sweat lodge and caused to vomit out the snakes; he is fanned with sage until he 

 regains consciousness. Then Packs Antelope becomes a human again. 



Packs Antelope looks up and lightning flashes from his eyes. Grandfather 

 gives him a low cap to wear over his eyes and tells him that from this time on he 

 and his brothers, mother, and sisters will wear low caps and will be called Low 

 Cap people [clan] by the other groups. 



Grandfather instructs Packs Antelope to give the Big Bird sweat lodge cere- 

 mony and says that the Grandfather will be in it as the principal one. [This 

 explains rites both to snakes and the big birds in the Thunder ceremonies.] Grand- 

 father announces that he is more powerful than the eagles, for he was able to 

 capture Packs Antelope. [This provides the basis for snake poles and rites in 

 the trapping lodge when out trapping eagles in the fall.] 



Packs Antelope goes back to his own people south of the Knife River — the 

 Awatixa village with which the rites of the Sacred Arrow are generally associated. 

 He announces that he is going to give the ceremony for the big birds and notifies 

 the people that the weather in early spring will be cloudy and rainy for 4 days, 

 after which the birds will arrive in groups from the south. Packs Antelope 

 places meat on sticks and, as the birds arrive, they take the meat, return the 

 sticks, and promise Packs Antelope success in war. *" 



The Eagles instruct Buffalo Skull to promise Packs Antelope good dreams so 

 that he will be successful in hunting. After this, the buffalo skull was a part of 

 the altar. 



The Eagles take Packs Antelope to the sweat lodge and promise him good health 

 and the power to doctor; they teach him the holy songs and instruct him to keep 

 his holy bow and arrows since that is the most important part of the bundle; 

 they give him the sword with the marks of lightning on the side. 



" These buttes are southwest of Sanish, N. Dak., and west of the Missouri. 

 " This sword was a common object in these sacred bundles. 



* These sticks are known as Bird Sticks. Eagles taken during the trapping period were also fed meat by 

 means of these sticks. 



