442 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 194 



The ceremony was traditionally an annual event at each of the 

 villages untU 1837. It was held during the late winter until, with 

 the near extinction of the buffaloes, the herds no longer came to the 

 river bottoms near the winter villages. Then the ceremony was 

 shifted to the summer and became rites to the summer herds which 

 were found farther to the west. Dog Bear, son of Missouri River 

 who was one of the "builders" of Fishhook Village, was the last to 

 perform the ceremony. According to a dozen or more witnesses to 

 the ceremony, it was performed in the traditional manner with the 

 exception that it was held during the summer instead of the winter, 

 the shift being made because it was only during the summer that 

 the people then hunted buffaloes. Although Dog Bear was buying 

 rights through his father who came from Awatixa village, informants 

 recognized no differences in village bundle line rites. 



The following account of this ceremony was supplied by Bears Arm 

 and Rattles Medicine, the latter an officer in the ceremony and the 

 daughter of Poor Wolf who was principal singer at that time: 



Dog Bear gave the ceremony to get the Imitation Buffalo rights from his 

 father, Missouri River. He made the vow so all could hear while the Hidatsa 

 and Mandan were on the summer buffalo hunt. Kidney had been selected as 

 leader of the summer hunt that year and had taken the people to the southwest 

 where scouts had reported buffaloes. While near the Rainy Buttes, Kidney 

 named Dog Bear to be the leader of the hunters, for he had prayed often to the 

 buffaloes because Missouri River had those rights. At first Dog Bear was afraid 

 to accept the risk for his hunters. Then he remembered that he had once dreamed 

 of bis father's old buffalo bull so he decided that should he make the vow it would 

 be just the same as having already performed the ceremony. 



He went to Poor Wolf's lodge and talked to them about it for Poor Wolf was 

 a "father," being of the same clan as Missouri River, and Poor Wolf's wife would 

 be a "mother." They agreed that it was the proper thing to do and that it was 

 wise to decide to give it, for it would give Poor Wolf an opportunity to find the 

 oldest buffalo bull from which to get the skull and hide. This duty fell to Poor 

 Wolf or Guts, the singers and Earthnaming bundle owners, whenever the cere- 

 mony was to be performed. 



Dog Bear then made the vow, standing in the center of the camp circle, so 

 all could hear him. Poor Wolf selected Coyote Head to be announcer and to 

 instruct the hunters to watch for an old buffalo grazing alone. When a buffalo 

 grew old, it was customary for the young bulls to drive him out of the herd. 

 They had some difficulty finding an old animal and moved camp several times 

 until they reached Buffalo Home Butte where one was found. The people 

 remarked that because Dog Bear had been unable to find one, Blood Man had 

 sent one out of the butte in which resided the spirits of the buffaloes. 



Poor Wolf took charge of the buffalo. He skinned and cleaned the head 

 and neck for the costume to be worn by some visitor during the ceremony. Then 

 he cleaned off the flesh so that the skull could be used as a part of Dog Bear's 

 Imitating Buffalo bundle when the ceremony was given. 



The ceremony was given 1 year later. In the meantime. Dog Bear and his 

 relatives collected goods and horses. Officers for the ceremony were: Poor 

 Wolf, the singer and Blood Man impersonator; Dog Bear, buyer of his father's 



