Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 421 



number of places west of the Missouri, only white clay from the hill 

 designated by the wolves in the traditional origin myth of the cere- 

 mony was used. 



The bundle buyer, bundle maker, director of the ceremony, and 

 the fasters entered the lodge during the evening preceding the com- 

 mencement of the ceremony and took their traditional places. The 

 fasters would cry all night. 



First day. — The older men with good military records and owning 

 bundles including buffalo skulls dressed as though going to war. 

 Each employed his distinctive painting and wore some article desig- 

 nating his ceremonial bundle rights. These men met at the lodge of 

 the member selected by them to wear the wolfskin. The leader of the 

 warriors and the buyer entered the ceremonial lodge; each carried a 

 pipe and wore a wolfskin. The buyer approached the new ceremonial 

 bundle and placed his pipe in front of the bundle, saying to the 

 Wolves, "I promised to perform this ceremony for you a year ago. I 

 have gathered all the things that are needed. Now, this day, I am 

 prepared to stand up and come to you. By making this promise I 

 wish to ha'v e my people free of sickness and lucky in everything they 

 do. I pray that we may get the advantage of our enemies every 

 time they attack us." 



The leader of the warriors picked up the bundle buyer's pipe and, 

 while lighting it, said to the Wolves, "You heard what your son said 

 to you. He expects you to bring his people good luck and no sickness. 

 He is going to suffer now for 4 days. He will take no food and water 

 for 4 days and nights, hoping to realize all that he has asked of you. 

 He believes all this will be given to him because of this ceremony." 

 Then he lit the pipe and returned it to the bundle buyer. 



While the leader of the warriors and the bundle buyer performed 

 this rite before the bundle at the altar, the other warriors stood outside 

 the lodge in a row with the Wolf Woman impersonator standing just 

 back of them. In a roll across her back she carried an untanned buf- 

 falo hide from which the hair had been removed. She sang whenever 

 the men sang. This untanned hide which she carried was kept as a 

 permanent part of her sacred bundle to be used especially for this 

 ceremony. They stood in a row and sang one particular wordless song 

 belonging to the ceremony and known as the "Invitation song." 

 When sung preceding the ceremony, it was an invitation for all major 

 bundle owners to participate. A man with a Wolf bundle might, on 

 other occasions, have food prepared for a feast and invite in the people 

 with Wolf bundles by singing the song from his earth lodge roof. When 



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