Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 437 



grew up with their fathers' bundles and learned the rites a little at a 

 time. They assisted their fathers each time rites were performed 

 until each was fully acquainted with the rites, even before the bundle 

 transfer was completed. The bundle owner's position as singer and 

 director of the rites was comparable to that held by the Lone Man 

 impersonator in the Mandan Okipa and their buffalo rites. 



The final transfer of the bundle and ritual leadership was made at 

 a public feast attended by all persons having major bundle status; 

 that is, persons having ceremonial rights which included sacred 

 buffalo skulls. Transfer was authorized by a man of the father's 

 clan who interpreted the vision experience to signify that the purchase 

 of the father's bundle was indicated. There was the usual year's 

 preparation during which time it was necessary to acquire 100 buffalo 

 robes, 100 pairs of moccasins, and sufficient food to feed every man 

 possessing a sacred buffalo skuU during the 4 days of the transfer 

 rites. Conceptually, the cost of the ceremonial transfer exceeded 

 that of all bundles and was expressed in terms of village status, 

 the bundle owner being the leading peace chief of the village group. 

 His status, expressed in terms of the goods mustered, indicated the 

 importance of the buffalo in the economic life of the people. 



For this study it is important to note that Earthnaming bundle 

 ownership gave one paramount status in terms of village and cere- 

 monial organization. He was the titular head of the rites to propa- 

 gate the buffalo herds and, as such, occupied highest status in the 

 ceremonial life. Whenever one dreamed of the buffaloes and wished 

 to perform a feast for them, the bundle owner was ex officio singer 

 for the ceremonies. As a symbol of the buffalo which he represented, 

 he acted as singer for the Imitating Buffalo and Red Stick ceremonies 

 by virtue of Earthnaming bundle status. 



Although the Hidatsa did not customarily perform village rites 

 when out on summer buffalo hunts, it was customary for one having 

 Earthnaming rights to retire to pray at those buttes mentioned in his 

 sacred myths and to place offerings near them according to the habits 

 practiced at the various buttes. On one occasion, when the Hidatsa 

 were camped near the KUldeer Mountains, Poor Wolf and his daughter 

 climbed the cliff to the deep hole in the top believed to be the home 

 of the speckled owl, singer for the rites performed at that hole period- 

 ically by the spirits of the buttes, and placed old robes near the cave, 

 saying, "Buffaloes, we have brought you your old robes and put them 

 here for you. You don't come out of this butte very often now and 

 we are hungry." 



Then they cried. As they walked back toward the camp, they 

 saw a small herd of buffaloes and the young men kiUed some of them. 

 When they cut the paunches open they found no grass, only balls 



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