Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 461 



men entered, followed by the young men who were bringing their wives. The 

 pipes were passed; corn balls were given out; the dances were held; lastly, the 

 young men's wives walked with or received the blessing of the holy men. 



Near the end of the ceremony Poor Wolf stood up and announced that I would 

 win the game; I would be successful; the village would be saved. Then he called 

 me and Knife's wife to stand in front of him. He had a chokecherry branch 

 sticking in the ground in front of the buffalo skull, a black-tipped eagle tail 

 feather, a tip of a buffalo's tail, and a branch of creeping cedar. He said that 

 they should be used for doctoring my children and some of the people laughed 

 for I didn't even have a wife since mine had run away 2 days before and none 

 knew where she was hiding. 



As he passed the articles to me he sang, "A man came and left again; these 

 people live to the east; Wolf Chief kills them; Wolf Chief brings the buffaloes; 

 Wolf Chief will call the rain; Wolf Chief will bring the fruits and plants; the 

 people will have plenty to eat." These were the things that Poor Wolf had the 

 right to promise on the part of Sun whom he represented. 



A large sack of dried buffalo meat hung on the wall back of the Sun impersonator. 

 As soon as he left the lodge, followed by the holy men, those who had brought 

 their wives took the sack down and divided the meat between the women who, 

 during the ceremony, had represented the Buffalo Women. Then their husbands 

 burned the lodge, setting fire to it at many points to make the flames leap high 

 and throw the Hght far. 



The Holy Women society met on the last evening at their singer's lodge. 

 These women met during the ceremony because, when Buffalo Woman prevailed 

 upon Sun to destroy his own warriors, these Holy Women came out and helped 

 the Hidatsa during the battle. All of us who had brought our wives to the 

 ceremony went to the Holy Women's lodge with our wives. Each Holy Woman 

 stated the direction she came from, danced in her ceremonial outfit, and then 

 demanded her pay. Each received a robe and corn balls and gave in return 

 Black Medicine roots to use in doctoring. Then the participants were sprinkled 

 with water, using the creeping cedar to terminate the ceremony. 



The rites were performed primarily to bring the buffalo herds near 

 the villages. In this sense, the giver performed an act of great value 

 to the group. In return for his and his wife's part, supernatural 

 powers were passed down from the top by the buffaloes and all the gods 

 to the red stick and other officers. They, in turn, transmitted these 

 supernatural powers to the women and their husbands through the 

 medium of the sexual act, pressing of the sacred red sticks to their 

 naked chests, prayers by the old men, gifts of food, and the presenta- 

 tion of pipes. There was no formal bundle transfer and once having 

 performed the rites one did not possess the authority to serve as singer, 

 these rights being reserved for Poor Wolf and Bobtail Bull who held 

 equal rights by virtue of Earthnaming bundle possessions. The rites 

 were comparable to those performed during the summer by those 

 making the vow in order to insure good growing conditions for the 

 crops. Nevertheless, one who performed the rites did have the 

 authority to pray to the buffaloes and, in that sense, occupied a high 

 status inferior only to tribal bundle owners and singers. One obtained 



