Bowerg] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 383 



would also put on a feast and call in all those who had rights in the various animals 

 that lived in the creeks.^ 



My mother was taught to doctor and most of the time when she did the doc- 

 toring, she cured the sick persons. Only a few of them died during my time. 

 While she kept this bundle, she would call me to make offerings to the mink, otters, 

 and turtles; I would give my robes to the bundle for they belonged to my mother. 

 She often told me that this Creek bundle was almost like Missouri River bundles 

 as they were of the otters, mink, and turtles also, so I would sometimes make 

 offerings to the Missouri River as well. 



One time we were downstream below Fishhook Village on the west side. I 

 killed a buffalo and cut the lower part of the leg off and offered it to the "Grand- 

 father" in the Missouri. I had heard that it was customary to put meat and 

 calicoes on the bank for the Grandfather, a large snake. I took the ankle and 

 fastened it to a stick and dropped it into the river, saying, "My Grandfather, 

 I am giving you this meat." ^ 



I was 10 years old when my mother taught me how to pray to these sacred 

 things. She would say, "If you make offerings often and say, 'I want to save 

 my life,' when you come to the enemies, you can pray to the bundle." 



My mother gave me an otter skin to keep. When I went out to attack the 

 enemy, I put it over my head; I was always lucky and did not lose my life. I did 

 not put on the ceremony to own the bundle, for my mother owned it and prayed 

 whenever I was to war. About 1882 my two brothers. Spotted Bird and Two 

 Teeth, and my sister named Brown Woman went together and bought my mother's 

 bundle rights. They made the vow and then went up the Missouri hunting to 

 get the meat. While they were out hunting, they came to the Crow-Flies-High's 

 village and their clans-people up there put in some goods for the ceremony .^ A 

 dance was given there also, during which time "sons and daughters" of the people 

 of the Prairie Chicken clan gave many fine things, knowing that their "fathers 

 and mothers" would need these things for the ceremony. They stayed up at 

 Fort Buford until spring when the cherries were in bloom. 



When they gave the ceremony, they called in the holy men; they were the 

 people who had buffalo skulls in their sacred bundles. They really did not have 

 to be invited, for it was expected of them. These people represented the holy 

 men: Smells (Big Bird rights); Chippewa (Big Bird rights); Hairy Coat (Woman 

 Above rights); Son of Star (Wolf rights); Bear-Looks-Out (Old- Woman- Who- 

 Never-Dies rights) ; Bear Heart (Bear rights) ; Wolf Eyes (Wolf rights) ; Crows 

 Breast (NaxpikE rights) ; Red Tail (Wolf rights) ; Different Wolf (Buffalo rights) ; 

 Woman-in- Water (Missouri River rights); No Milk (Missouri River and Naxpiksj 

 rights) ; Poor Wolf (Missouri River rights) ; and Small Ankles (Waterbuster skull 

 rights) . 



Poor Wolf was the leader of the singers, getting his rights both from the Creek 

 bundle and the sacred buffalo skull through the Imitating Buffalo ceremony. 

 He invited the Holy Women society to come to the feast. They used the Mandan 

 Okipa lodge for the ceremony. Anyone who prayed to even a small part of 

 the Creek bundle was expected to attend. When the procession reached the lodge, 

 my brothers filled the pipe and gave it to one of the Waterbuster clan "fathers." 

 During this time my mother was using the rattles and singing the holy songs. 



• Biindle renewal feasts. When none pledged these feasts, it was customary for a bundle owner to per- 

 form these Renewal Feasts. 

 ' This was also a popular food for Old- Woman- Who-Never-Dies. 

 ' Although this group had separated a few years before, the bond between clan relatives remained strong. 



