Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 367 



All along Smells knew that he was to sing the holy songs so he had been repeating 

 them over to himself before he went to the lodge, thinking that he might have 

 forgotten some of them. 



The next morning I was called over to the lodge and found that Smells had 

 already selected the 12 men who would get the bird sticks to show that they were 

 to attend. Smells got 12 good men who had important sacred bundles with buffalo 

 skulls, for these men added prestige to the buyer. He selected: Small Ankles, 

 my father (Eagle Trapping, Wolf, and Holy- Woman- Above bundles); Different 

 Wolf (Buffalo Skull bundle) ; Belly Up (Eagle Trapping bundle) ; Bear-Looks-Out, 

 (Old- Woman- Who-Never-Dies and the Mandan Skull bundles); Bears Heart 

 (Bear bundle) ; Poor Wolf (Earthmaking bundle) ; Crows Breast (Eagle Trapping 

 and NaxpikE bundles); Red Tail (Wolf bundle); Son-of-Star (Wolf bundle); 

 Wolf eyes (Eagle Trapping and Thunder bundles); Hairy Coat (Holy- Woman- 

 Above bundle); and Chippewa (Thunder bundle). 



In addition to these, all those who had other bundles containing buffalo skulls 

 were expected to attend and to receive presents. Hard Horn had gone out when 

 Smells and the 12 men carrying the bird sticks were heard singing. They stopped 

 four times as they came towards the lodge and each time Hard Horn was expected 

 to give some article. 



They had reached the lodge and were in their places when I was called in. 

 Smells was in the center of the circle of old men, painted up with zigzag marks 

 on his body to look like lightning; his entire body was red with blue paint on the 

 nose and the marks of lightning all over his face. He had two rattles of buffalo 

 hide with stones inside. From his wrists hung eagle claws. 



Smells stood up and said, "Bring one of the robes before me; spread it out in 

 front of the sweat lodge; pile up the corn balls there. When you put them there, 

 I am going to walk around them and sing a holy song. That dried meat should 

 be put in one pile together with the bird sticks. When I sing the song, distribute 

 the meat to each of these medicine men. Use these bird sticks.""* 



Then he began the song, using the rattles. Hard Horn, his brothers and their 

 wives, and his sisters passed the dry meat to the 12 men. There was a buffalo 

 skull inside the sweat lodge and Smells said, "Put some of the dry meat in front 

 of the skull; I will appoint different holy men to take the meat from the skull. 

 They will each pray for you." 



Hard Horn spoke up, saying, "Of course, these robes belong to Wolf Chief and 

 he is the one to do with them as he wishes. There are a few additional articles 

 that I will do with as I please. It is up to him how he disposes of the robes for 

 I have promised them to him already." "' 



I stood up and said, "I am glad you spoke that way. I prefer that you use 

 these articles to cover the sweat lodge. I am glad that all of you people who 

 own powerful bundles are here. I can see that there are plenty of articles. I 

 know that Hard Horn wants to succeed, have a good home, and bring the people 

 good luck. In the beginning you made the pledge; at first I thought that it would 

 be a hard thing to do. I had no power but I took it up with an old man who has 

 more gods than I and he helped me. Now I see that tliis ceremony will be 

 successful. Everything will turn out well. Smells will carry out everything that 

 you wanted me to do. I was looking for your medicines all this time; we have 

 succeeded, even though I knew it was going to be hard to find them. Smells had 

 a good dream and our enemies came. He brought one of the ferrets which are 



» This act was symbolic of ttie spring and fall feeding of the big birds during their flights past the villages, 

 at which time offerings of foods and hides were placed on bird sticks outside the village. 



•' That is true— but it is also Wolf Chief's duty to see that all those who pray for Hard Horn receive 

 adequate reward. 



