Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 447 



corrals situated near both the summer and the winter villages (see fig. 9) . If 

 corralling buffaloes during the summer, the corrals were usually 

 built near the Missouri at those points where the herds usually- 

 crossed from the eastern range to the west banks during the late 

 summers when the waterholes and sloughs had dried up. For winter 

 corralling, the pens were situated near the winter villages on tributary- 

 streams. Each corral was individually- owned by one possessing 

 rights in Imitating Buffalo ceremonies, but the building and repairing 

 was a group activity under the bundle owner. As the horse popula- 

 tion increased and the buffalo herds became smaller due to excessive 

 slaughtering by White hunters, corrals were less commonly used. 

 The last corral, built north of Fishhook Village on a tributary to the 

 Missouri, was operated under the direction of Black Shield who had 

 inherited his rights from his father while still living at Awaxawi 

 village. 



The topography along the Missouri and Little Missouri Rivers 

 was well suited for corrals. Any sharp bank with a flat area extend- 

 ing back from the cliff made a suitable spot for the corral, particularly 

 when the flatland narrowed toward the river bank. This made 

 easier the convergence of the buffalo into a compact herd at the 

 entrance. It was important that the cliff over which the animals 

 were run was precipitous enough to prevent the animals from climbing 

 back out. It was also necessary to have these corrals near the village 

 or winter camp to reduce the work of bringing in the meat. The 

 Hidatsa seemingly did not depend on the steep banks to kill the 

 animals as did other tribes farther west, although some Mandan and 

 Hidatsa informants had participated in cliff-killing when visiting the 

 Crow on Powder River. Instead, the corral was constructed beneath 

 a lower bank 10 to 15 feet high. From my observations of "kills" 

 situated on Powder River in the vicinity of Broadus, Mont., it would 

 appear that corrals were not employed there due to the scarcity of 

 wood at many of those sites. On the Missouri River in the territory 

 occupied by the Hidatsa, the terrain is not so deeply eroded and fewer 

 spots were suitable for killing buffaloes by driving them over steep 

 banks. 



Construction and repair of the corral were supervised by the owner 

 of the site; one who had either bought the corral and the associated 

 rites directly from his father or had built one of his own after ob- 

 serving the movement of the herds and the suitability of the terrain. 

 However much one desired to build and operate a corral for its 

 prestige value, social recognition and support of the people was 

 essential since the work was exceedingly hazardous and involved 

 the organized activities of many people. The whole population 

 assisted in making the corral. Men and women went into the woods 



