Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 423 



Raven Paunch stepped forward at the last stop, took the arrow, and 

 said, "I was one of the scouts. I saw the enemy making camp and 

 building their fire. This was just west of the Killdeer Mountains. 

 There were six enemies in the party; Bear-on-the- Water saw them 

 after I saw them." 



The warriors entered, followed by additional f asters carrying ar- 

 ticles from their fathers' bundles. 



When the warriors were ready to leave for the ceremonial lodge to 

 dance, painting of the bundle buyer was started and timed so as to be 

 completed when the warriors finished their last song. The bundle 

 maker did the painting, using white clay moistened with water to form 

 a thick paste. The paint was applied to the entire body; then he used 

 his fingers to remove strips of paint from the arms and legs as well as 

 from across the forehead. Beforehand, the bundle buyer selected a 

 clan brother to stand with him before the wolf hides and to be painted 

 in the same manner. Both were dressed in coyote-head caps with 

 raven feathers sticking up at the top and a coyote tail sewed at the 

 back so as to hang down at the back of the neck. They were given 

 two canes each, representing the two poles on which Hungry Wolf 

 suffered. The canes were partly peeled so as to leave four strips with 

 bark on. The canes were peeled at the top and bottom. The four 

 strips of bark represented the 4 nights of the ceremony and the four 

 divisions of life ; childhood, youth, maturity, and old age. The canes 

 were used during the ceremony to bend forward on and to keep time 

 with during the singing. A piece of wolf mane with a foot attached 

 was tied to their wrists and ankles. The clan brother selected was one 

 who had given much assistance in accumulating the goods necessary 

 to pay the performers. The bundle maker then dipped red grass into 

 the water and white clay and sprinkled the two wolf hides before 

 placing one around the waist of the bundle buyer and the other around 

 the clan brother. 



Dancing in the lodge stopped when the warriors arrived. The 

 four men who had recited their war records while approaching the 

 ceremonial lodge were expected to relate additional war deeds in 

 the same order while running toward the edge of the village. The 

 bundle buyer and his clan brother led the way, trotting like wolves, 

 followed by the fasters. Women desiring to fast followed the male 

 fasters. Some fasters dragged buffalo skulls fastened to their backs 

 by means of thongs inserted through the skin. Clan fathers had done 

 the piercing and were individually paid by the fasters' parents for 

 this service. The director of the ceremony and the bundle maker 

 remained at their places in the lodge while the fasters were outside 

 dancing. 



