Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 455 



united both bundles were used during the rites and the number of 

 bull impersonators was increased to 12. The rites were performed 

 under the direction of an Earthnaming bundle owner who served 

 as singer. 



The Hidatsa believed it was easy to get dreams from the buffaloes, 

 so young ambitious men sought their supernatural assistance through 

 the media of the various buffalo rites and age-grade purchases. The 

 Painted Red Stick ceremony and most age-grade purchases practiced 

 the rites of sexual license between females and males possessing rights 

 to own and to pray to the buffalo bulls. The sexual act constituted 

 a relinquishment of supernatural powers from the buffalo imperson- 

 ator to a "son" through the "son's wife" who, prior to the sex act, 

 was a "daughter-in-law" to the buffalo impersonator and afterward 

 was addressed as "granddaughter." Through the medium of the 

 sex act, the older men's supernatural powers to call the buffaloes were 

 transmitted to the younger generation. Since the chief role of the 

 sexual act was the transfer of supernatural powers, only men whose 

 record demonstrated possession of these qualities were selected to 

 carry the red sticks. The same situation prevailed in buying and 

 selling age-grade societies. Those who lost status as a result of 

 indifference to ritual responsibilities, evidence of cowardice or lazi- 

 ness, and unwillingness to assist their kinsmen in social and ceremonial 

 activities, were weeded out of the age-grade societies, leaving only 

 those who conformed to the highest traditional standards. Although 

 the same concepts of supernatural power transfers regulated the 

 sexual license of "fathers" with their "son's wives" during age- 

 grade society sales, the rites were not practiced at the lowest level 

 in the system because the "sons" had not married and the next 

 higher group had not as yet secured important sacred bundles con- 

 taining buffalo skulls. 



Wolf Chief provided the following data on his personal experiences 

 and beliefs as a result of performing the ceremony on the advice of 

 his father: 



Parents would advise their sons to seek gods while they were young so that 

 they would have guardian spirits and not have to rely entirely on their fathers' 

 gods. My father often told me that it was easy to get a dream from the buffaloes, 

 especially if I gave the Painted Red Stick ceremony for calling the buffaloes. 

 Before I was married, I had a dream in which I saw four frameworks of branches 

 surrounding my father's sacred bundles and the outer framework was old and 

 broken-down. 



I described my dream to my father, Small Ankles, saying, "I had a dream last 

 night; it seemed strange to me. I saw willows in a circle like the fishtrap. In 

 all there were four circles of willows and the outside one was broken-down. I 

 do not know what it means." 



My father gave this explanation, saying, "I often think of the way you and 

 your friends play around here in front of these skulls (Waterbuster clan bundle). 



