406 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 194 



pected to have most of the articles spread before the buffalo skull; also have some 

 near the sweat lodge. When they bring in the sacred bundles that you are to 

 get, such as the wolf hide and scalp, they will leave them on top of the articles 

 that you have heaped there." 



We had the sweat lodge covered with dry goods and many fine articles, also 

 the sticks representing the horses. It was evening. We had given only a few 

 articles on the previous evening for this was the important meeting. 



My father said, "Whenever Hairy Coat calls for some articles, take our four 

 and give them to him for ho is the leader. Whatever he asks for will come 

 true." 



My brother brought coals as Hairy Coat had directed. Hairy Coat burned 

 some sweetgrass and smoked the rattles before beginning the songs. He was 

 painted with red paint over his body and face and wore magpie tail feathers in 

 his hair. He wore only his breechcloth. When he finished singing he said, 

 "Whoever owns the Old- Woman-Above bundle step forward to the Buffalo 

 Skull and pray for your son. When you have prayed for your son, you may 

 take the articles on the skull. Pray that he will be successful." 



Big-Foot-Bull, a Mandan who owned the Sacred Shell Robe of the Mandans 

 and Awatixa, stepped forward and prayed, "My god, Woman in the sky Above,'* 

 I wish that you would see that my 'sons' here have long lives for they want to 

 be successful in all that they do." Then he smoked the pipe before the skull 

 and took the goods. 



Again Hairy Coat called for a fire and sweetgrass. I put goods before the skull 

 and another man prayed for us. Then we would distribute corn and meat to 

 the people and my sister would give the food to the old women who had rights 

 in Wolf ceremonies. Sometimes the songs belonged to the Old- Woman-Above 

 and other times the songs were to the Sunrise Wolf. 



Then he called for other old men to go the the skull and pray. Short Bull went 

 there and prayed, "Up in the sky, holy Old Woman, I beg of you to help these 

 sons enjoy a long life; you are the one who has the power. These articles that are 

 given to you I am going to use."^' Then he asked Red Basket'^ to come forward, 

 saying, "Whoever owns the bundle for the Sunrise Wolf step forward and take the 

 articles and pray for your sons." 



Then Hairy Coat stopped singing and there was a short rest. 



Small Ankles came to us and said, "Your 'father' did not tell you about this but 

 there are some old women who own the ceremony of the Holy Woman. These 

 women always meet separately when a ceremony is in progress. They are to- 

 gether now so you should save some of the articles for them. They represent 

 the very early days before this ceremony was founded. Besides the Old- Woman- 

 Above there were these other women in those times. "^^ 



Hairy Coat called for coals again for he was going to sing the Invitation song 

 again. The Wolves sang this song whenever they wanted the gods to come to the 

 feast, so we passed the food around again in imitation of the Wolves. 



Again Hairy Coat invited someone with Sunrise Wolf rights to step forward and 

 take the things at the skull. This time Wolf Eyes did, saying, "Stand by me, 

 my sons. In the early days I tried to own this god. I had a hard time so I know 



59 He belonged to the WaxikEna clan and moiety opposite that of Wolf Chief who was a Prairie Chicken; 

 hence, Wolf Chief was a "son." 



5' Short Bull, a Mandan, had an equivalent Mandan Old -Woman -Above bundle and was of Wolf Chief's 

 opposite moiety. 



'8 Waterbuster clan, so a father to Wolf Chief; he had rights in the Sunrise Wolf and his wife was one of the 

 Wolf Woman owners. 



>' Note here how the Hidatsa relate two ceremonies in time. 



