Uses of Plants by the Hidatsas of the Northern Plains

17. Miscellaneous Material

sixteen Earthlodges earthlodges 359 Building an earthlodge In reading about the earthlodge, one should keep in mind that the lodge was more than shelter. It was both microcosm and macrocosm of the Earth and the universe as perceived by the Hidatsas . The interior of the lodge was always oriented, in the minds of the occupants, to the cardinal directions no matter what the actual orientation of the lodge. If one looks at a plan, it can be seen that the earthlodge is, in reality, square. But it is a square house constructed so that the sides are flared out, thereby increasing the floor space. This architectural modification was probably made as various Northern Plains groups evolved into extended matrilocal or patrilocal social units. As many as twenty people lived in the lodges built by the Hidatsas. After Wilson’s death in 1930, the Division of Anthropology of the American Museum of Natural History asked one of its staff members, Bella Weitzner, to compile Gilbert and Frederick Wilson’s field notes on the construction and maintenance of earthlodges as a monograph. This was published in 1934 as The Hidatsa Earthlodge. Wilson was fortunate in many ways to have gotten to know Buffalobird-woman because, as it turned out, she was one of the few women in the village to have the right and the honor to oversee the construction of the core framing of an earthlodge. Unfortunately, Weitzner did what Wilson always sought to avoid: she turned Buffalobird-woman’s vivid, firsthand descriptions into a narrative in the passive voice. To return Buffalobirdwoman ’s voice of pride and authority, I am including here some substantial portions of her narrative as transcribed by Wilson. Buffalobird-woman was very proud both of her family’s status and her own. She was justifiably proud of her right to over- 360 earthlodges see the framing of a lodge, a very exacting task. She gives Wilson this account as an authority, and it is obvious that she wanted Wilson to convey this. By 1909 they had been working together for three years. So much of the Hidatsa world was constructed of wood, and it was so important to the Hidatsa way of life that at one point Buffalobird-woman says, “We honored wood, we Hidatsa people.” Buffalobird-woman (vol. 26, 1909: 242–43) Buffalobird-woman’s right and how obtained My right to prepare the four great posts and beams I got from my mother. I gave her one whole suit of clothes of finely tanned skins for the right. Everybody in the village recognized my right, but it was thought not the right thing for me to refuse anyone who wanted to hire my services. For my work I was paid one newly tanned buffalo skin carefully dressed and soft. The owner of the earthlodge also gave me a big dinner, dried meat, and other things. A big wooden bowl full. Only a very, very few women in our village owned the right to trim and oversee the raising of the four great posts of an earthlodge. Buffalobird-woman (vol. 8, 1909: 49–67) When a man wanted to build an earthlodge, he first got together a great deal of meat and other things to eat and much bone-grease. This bone-grease or marrow was gotten from the inside of the bones and was obtained by pounding up the bones and boiling and skimming off the grease with a horn spoon. The bones of one buffalo treated this way would yield about five pounds or two quarts of this kind of edible fat. Sometimes the man collected the fat out of the bones of several buffaloes before he thought he had enough. When the man was ready to begin building the frame of the house, all his friends came together into a bee to help him. The earthlodges 361 meat and other things the man had collected were to feast these friends. But before the frame of the house could be raised, the four great supporting posts upon which the house was stayed had to be raised into place. Only certain ones in the village had the right to put up these four supporting posts and the four logs or stringers that lay on the posts. This was because we thought the four posts were sacred. I was one of those who had the right to do this—raise the...