Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 401 



that we were to give later. At that time it seemed that the wind was changing to 

 the southwest so I hurried with my butchering and got ready to trap eagles. 



I used my brother's rabbit for bait as my meat had turned black, and I tied 

 some fat to it also. Many magpies came around to eat the fat. I would punch 

 them but they would come right back again. After a while an eagle came down 

 and I caught it. It was getting cold and it seemed that there were many eagles 

 flying so we went into our pits the next day. In a short time I saw a black spot 

 in the same direction as before. It disappeared before coming up over the bank 

 and onto the bait. I pulled in another fine calumet eagle and took the 12 tail 

 feathers out. I was crying for I wanted to catch another calumet. It was not 

 long until my prayers were answered and I pulled it in. 



It was getting cold and uncomfortable so I left early. I took the two birds and 

 went back to camp. I tied the two eagles at the back of the lodge with the others. 

 My brother came in late with a "soft small" eagle. He had been around our 

 father a good deal and knew many songs and stories about eagles. He was more 

 interested in it and braver than I for he had struck the enemy and had cut his 

 fingers off and fasted much. He was cold when he came in and I thought that 

 we might have a blizzard. 



I said to him, "I have often heard the rule that when it gets cold and the edges 

 of the rivers are frozen, we are not supposed to go out any more. It seems that 

 it is going to freeze up. If the birds get their feet cold, it means that the people 

 will get into trouble. I think the time for trapping is over and that we should 

 stop before going any further. We have enough eagles now." 



We did not go through the regular ritual here for we did not have a qualified 

 leader who knew all the rules for cleansing out the spirits. Then there is a regular 

 order with a head man to pray when the birds are killed so they will go back where 

 they came from. We did the best we could and turned them loose the next day 

 to fly away after feeding them fresh meat during which time my brother prayed 

 to them saying, "I did not have the regular right to do this. I had only the right 

 to dig the holes which my father taught me. I have no way of sending you back 

 but I ask you, Little-Black-Bears, 29 to help me send them back. I do not want 

 any trouble. I want you to carry out anything I do not know and excuse me." 

 We had a big load on for the women had worked hard drying the meat and hides. 

 We had a wagonload of dry meat piled up high and we tied some poles to the 

 back of the wagon on which we piled about 60 deer hides. We came back through 

 Dickinson where we sold 10 hides to buy coffee and sugar. There we found 

 fresh tracks and soon overtook Spotted Bear and his party to learn White men 

 had come to the village while we were away and had stolen most of our horses. 

 We hurried home when we learned that. The river was carrying a great deal of 

 ice but we crossed our stuff in buUboats, even taking the wagon apart and crossing 

 the parts in boats. My brother went back to his wife's parents and I went to my 

 wife's parents' lodge. 



Our wives did not give away all the hides for I had a good wife. I wanted to 

 sell many of them and turn them into other articles. I belonged to the Grass 

 Dance as did my brother. Wolf Eyes (Sunset Wolf bundle owner) came in and 

 I told him that I was going to feed my society for I wanted them to put in some 

 articles to help us fulfill our promise. He thought that it was the right thing 

 to do for it was hard to get the articles together. He thought that it would be a 

 good idea to pass through another year before fulfilling the promise as it was so 

 hard then for the people were so poor. 



*> The traditional custodians of the Eagle Trapping rites. 



