394 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 194 



SUNRISE WOLF 



Wolf Chief, who bought full ceremonial rights in this ceremony, 

 provided a detailed account of the sacred origin myth and his bundle 

 purchase efforts. The following is a condensed account of this 

 myth: 



When the Hidatsa, the people who afterward lived on the north bank of 

 Knife River, reached the Missouri they first crossed and settled near Heart River. 

 The people would see the high buttes around there and think that some great 

 spirits surely lived in them. A young man though the would try to learn which 

 spirits were in these buttes so he walked far up the Heart River and fasted at 

 one of the highest buttes. He fasted from time to time for 4-day periods until 

 one morning just before sunrise he heard someone singing Wolf songs and talking 

 from afar. 



The voice said, "I take their part going out against the enemies and now my 

 son here will do the same." Then the wolves ran, singing, "You will take the 

 part I used to take. I used to go out against the enemies and take their scalps. 

 Now you will do the same as I did." 



They ran a third time but he could not see the people who were running. 

 Each time they stopped they sang a holy song. They said, "My son, you should 

 do as we did and go out and overcome your enemies." They ran again and 

 stopped to dance. They said, "It is easy for us to do that and, you being our 

 son now, we give you the power to do it also." 



The wolves came into view and he saw nearly 30 of them. He heard the 

 songs but he did not understand them. He went home and in his dreams he 

 saw wolf hides over the wolves' shoulders and caps of wolf hide, to which the ears 

 were attached, on their heads. 



The Wolves said, "You have been suffering so long to get a god of your own. 

 We knew that you were fasting and we have come to instruct you to put on the 

 Wolf ceremony so that you can carry on these rites that we want your people 

 to have. This is a good thing we have brought to you. There are many enemies 

 to the south and they will come against you. You will need this power. In 

 the future you will pass the ceremony on to others but, before they put up the 

 ceremony, they must first go out and kill their enemy. You see how we said 

 'We have been victorious over our enemies.' You repeat that to your sons, too. 

 There will be another wolf, the Wolf of the Sunset. Tell your people that you 

 want to put on the ceremony for the Flatland Wolf. When you do this, we are 

 going to sing a holy song and change you into a wolf. You do not have to go 

 out and kUl an enemy afterwards but pretend that you do. Then the people 

 will make fun of you and give you a funny name. Whenever you sing this 

 holy song you will change into a wolf. We will show you how to get more strength 

 and power so that you will never become exhausted no matter how far you travel. 

 Do not show off too soon. It may be that some enemies will attack and surround 

 you and then we will instruct you further." 



The Wolves showed him how to use the sacred things — Black Medicine, Sweet- 

 grass, White Clay, and Earth — so that he and later generations would know what 

 to do when tired, saying, "You should inform the people that there are songs to 

 go with each of these four things. When you pass them on to the younger genera- 

 tion, you should teach them when to use the songs." 



Then the Wolves sang, "This earth is holy; sweetgrass is holy; black medicine 

 is holy; water is holy. All these things are holy; they will give you back your 

 strength again." 



