MALLERY, | EXPLOIT MARKS. 437 
The Hidatsa scheme of designating achievements was obtained by 
Dr. Hoffman, at Fort Berthold, North Dakota, during 1881, and now 
follows: 
A teather, to the tip of which is attached a tuft of down or several 
strands of horse hair, dyed red, denotes 
that the wearer has killed an enemy 
and that he was the first to touch or 
strike him with the coup stick. Fig. 
567 a. 
A feather bearing one red bar made 
with vermillion, signifies the wearer to 
have been the second person to strike 
the fallen enemy with the coup stick. 
Same Fig. b. ; 
A feather bearing two red bars sig- 
nifies that the wearer was the third 
person to strike the body. Same 
Fig. ¢. 
A feather with three bars signifies : 
that the wearer was the fourth to Fic. 567.—Marks of exploits, Hidatsa. 
strike the fallen enemy. Fig. 568 a. Beyond this number honors are 
not counted. 
A red feather denotes that the wearer was wounded in an encounter 
with an enemy. Fig. 568 b. 
A narrow strip of rawhide or buck- 
skin is wrapped from end to end 
with porcupine quills dyed red, though 
sometimes a few white ones are in- 
serted to break the monotony of color. 
This strip is attached to the inner 
surface of the rib or shaft of the quill 
by means of very thin fibers of sinew, 
and signifies that the wearer killed a 
woman belonging to a hostile tribe. 
It is shown in Fig. 568 ¢. In very 
fine specimens the quills are directly 
applied to the shaft without resorting = « 
to the strap of leather. Fig. 568.—Marks of exploits, Hidatsa. 
Similar marks denoting exploits are used by the Hidatsa, Mandan, 
and Arikara Indians. The Hidatsa claim to have been the originators 
of the devices. 
The following characters are marked upon robes and blankets, usually 
in red or blue colors, and often upon the boat paddles. I’'requently an 
= 
\ 
‘Indian has them painted upon his thighs, though this is generally 
resorted to only on festal occasions or for dancing. 
