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Agriculture of the Hidatsa Indians: An Indian Interpretation

Chapter 5: PREFACE
By Waheenee
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A detailed ethnographic account of traditional Hidatsa farming and related lifeways, describing garden preparation, planting, cultivation, and harvest of corn, sunflowers, squash, beans, and tobacco; practical processing techniques such as parching, threshing, braiding, drying stages, and cache-pit storage; tools, field layouts, and seed selection for crop improvement; social practices connected to cultivation including watchers, booths, songs, and communal labor; and notes on changes after contact, such as new crops and iron implements. Indigenous terms, a phonetic alphabet, measurements, and step-by-step procedures are included to convey practical and cultural knowledge.

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Title: Agriculture of the Hidatsa Indians: An Indian Interpretation

Author: Waheenee

Gilbert Livingstone Wilson

Author of introduction, etc.: Albert Ernest Jenks

Contributor: Edward Goodbird

Release date: September 17, 2019 [eBook #60313]
Most recently updated: October 17, 2024

Language: English

Credits: Produced by MFR, K Nordquist and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AGRICULTURE OF THE HIDATSA INDIANS: AN INDIAN INTERPRETATION ***

The University of Minnesota

STUDIES IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES NUMBER 9

AGRICULTURE OF THE HIDATSA INDIANS
AN INDIAN INTERPRETATION

BY
GILBERT LIVINGSTONE WILSON, Ph.D.

MINNEAPOLIS
Bulletin of the University of Minnesota
November 1917

Price: 75 Cents

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

These publications contain the results of research work from various departments of the University and are offered for exchange with universities, scientific societies, and other institutions. Papers will be published as separate monographs numbered in several series. There is no stated interval of publication. Application for any of these publications should be made to the University Librarian.

STUDIES IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

1. Thompson and Warber, Social and Economic Survey of a Rural Township in Southern Minnesota. 1913. $0.50.

2. Matthias Nordberg Orfield, Federal Land Grants to the States, with Special Reference to Minnesota. 1915. $1.00.

3. Edward Van Dyke Robinson, Early Economic Conditions and the Development of Agriculture in Minnesota. 1915. $1.50.

4. L. D. H. Weld and Others, Studies in the Marketing of Farm Products. 1915. $0.50.

5. Ben Palmer, Swamp Land Drainage, with Special Reference to Minnesota. 1915. $0.50.

6. Albert Ernest Jenks, Indian-White Amalgamation: An Anthropometric Study. 1916. $0.50.

7. C. D. Allin, A History of the Tariff Relations of the Australian Colonies. In press.

8. Frances H. Relf, The Petition of Right. In press.

9. Gilbert L. Wilson, Agriculture of the Hidatsa Indians: An Indian Interpretation. 1917. $0.75.

10. Notestein and Relf, Editors, Commons Debates for 1629. In press.

11. Raymond A. Kent, State Aid to Public Schools. In press.

STUDIES IN THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS

1. Frankforter and Frary, Equilibria in Systems Containing Alcohols, Salts, and Water. 1912. $0.50.

2. Frankforter and Kritchevsky, A New Phase of Catalysis. 1914. $0.50.

STUDIES IN ENGINEERING

1. George Alfred Maney, Secondary Stresses and Other Problems in Rigid Frames: A New Method of Solution. 1915. $0.25.

2. Charles Franklin Shoop, An Investigation of the Concrete Road-Making Properties of Minnesota Stone and Gravel. 1915. $0.25.

3. Franklin R. McMillan, Shrinkage and Time Effects in Reinforced Concrete. 1915. $0.25.

(Continued inside back cover)

Maxi´diwiac, or Buffalobird-woman

Photographed in 1910

The University of Minnesota

STUDIES IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES NUMBER 9

AGRICULTURE OF THE HIDATSA INDIANS
AN INDIAN INTERPRETATION

BY
GILBERT LIVINGSTONE WILSON, Ph.D.

MINNEAPOLIS
Bulletin of the University of Minnesota
November 1917

Copyright 1917
by the
University of Minnesota

PREFACE

The field of primitive economic activity has been largely left uncultivated by both economists and anthropologists. The present study by Mr. Gilbert L. Wilson is an attempt to add to the scanty knowledge already at hand on the subject of the economic life of the American Indian.

The work was begun without theory or thesis, but solely with the object of gathering available data from an old woman expert agriculturist in one of the oldest agricultural tribes accessible to a student of the University of Minnesota. That the study has unexpectedly revealed certain varieties of maize of apparently great value to agriculture in the semi-arid areas west of Minnesota is a cause of satisfaction to both Mr. Wilson and myself. This fact again emphasizes the wisdom of research work in our universities. When, now and then, such practical dollar-and-cent results follow such purely scientific researches, the wonder is that university research work is not generously endowed by businesses which largely profit by these researches.

It is the intention of those interested in the anthropological work of the University of Minnesota that occasional publications will be issued by the University on anthropological subjects, although at present there is no justification for issuing a consecutive series. The present study is the second one in the anthropological field published by the University. The earlier one is number 6 in the Studies in the Social Sciences, issued March, 1916.

Albert Ernest Jenks
Professor of Anthropology

CONTENTS

PAGES
Foreword 1-5
Chapter I—Tradition 6-8
Chapter II—Beginning a garden 9-15
Turtle 9
Clearing fields 9
Dispute and its settlement 10
Turtle breaking soil 11
Turtle’s primitive tools 12
Beginning a field in later times 13
Trees in the garden 15
Our west field 15
Burning over the field 15
Chapter III—Sunflowers 16-21
Remark by Maxi´diwiac 16
Planting sunflowers 16
Varieties 16
Harvesting the seed 17
Threshing 18
Harvesting the mapi´-na´ka 18
Effect of frost 18
Parching the seed 19
Four-vegetables-mixed 19
Sunflower-seed balls 21
Chapter IV—Corn 22-67
Planting 22
A morning’s planting 23
Soaking the seed 23
Planting for a sick woman 24
Size of our biggest field 24
Na´xu and nu´cami 25
Hoeing 26
The watchers’ stage 26
Explanation of sketch of watchers’ stage 28
Sweet Grass’s sun shade 30
The watchers 30
Booths 31
Eating customs 32
Youths’ and maidens’ customs 33
Watchers’ songs 33
Clan cousins’ custom 34
Story of Snake-head-ornament 35
Green corn and its uses 36-41
The ripening ears 36
Second planting for green corn 37
Cooking fresh green corn 37
Roasting ears 37
Mätu´a-la´kapa 38
Corn bread 38
Drying green corn for winter 39
Mapë´di (corn smut) 42
Mapë´di 42
Harvest and uses 42
The ripe corn harvest 42-47
Husking 42
Rejecting green ears 44
Braiding corn 45
The smaller ears 46
Drying the braided ears 47
Seed corn 47-49
Selecting the seed 47
Keeping two years’ seed 48
Threshing corn 49-58
The booth 49
Order of the day’s work 52
The cobs 53
Winnowing 54
Removing the booth 55
Threshing braided corn 57
Amount of harvest 57
Sioux purchasing corn 58
Varieties of corn 58-60
Description of varieties 58
How corn travels 59
Uses of the varieties 60-67
Atạ´ki tso´ki 60
Mäpi´ nakapa´ 60
Mä´nakapa 61
Atạ´ki 62
Boiled corn ball 62
Tsï´di tso´ki and tsï´di tapa´ 62
Mạdạpo´zi i’ti´a 63
Other soft varieties 63
Ma´ikadicakĕ 63
Mä´pĭ mĕĕ´pĭi’´kiuta, or corn balls 63
Parched soft corn 64
Parching whole ripe ears 64
Parching hard yellow corn with sand 64
Mạdạpo´zi pạ´kici, or lye-made hominy 64
General characteristics of the varieties 65
Fodder yield 66
Developing new varieties 66
Sport ears 67
Names and description 67
Na’´ta-tawo´xi 67
Wi´da-aka´ta 67
I´ta-ca´ca 67
Okĕi´jpita 67
I´tica´kupadi 67
Chapter V—Squashes 68-81
Planting squashes 68
Sprouting the seed 68
Planting the sprouted seed 69
Harvesting the squashes 69
Slicing the squashes 70
Squash spits 71
Spitting the slices 72
In case of rain 73
Drying and storing 73
Squash blossoms 75
Cooking and uses of squash 76
The first squashes 76
Boiling fresh squash in a pot 76
Squashes boiled with blossoms 77
Other blossom messes 77
Boiled blossoms 77
Blossoms boiled with mạdạpo´zi i’ti´a 77
Blossoms boiled with mäpi´ nakapa´ 78
Seed squashes 78-81
Selecting for seed 78
Gathering the seed squashes 78
Cooking the ripe squashes 79
Saving the seed 79
Eating the seeds 80
Roasting ripe squashes 80
Storing the unused seed squashes 80
Squashes, present seed 81
Squash dolls 81
Chapter VI—Beans 82-86
Planting beans 82
Putting in the seeds 82
Hoeing and cultivating 83
Threshing 83
Varieties 84
Selecting seed beans 85
Cooking and uses 85
Ama´ca di´hĕ, or beans-boiled 86
Green beans boiled in the pod 86
Green corn and beans 86
Chapter VII—Storing for winter 87-97
The cache pit 87
Grass for lining 88
Grass bundles 89
The grass binding rope 89
Drying the grass bundles 89
The willow floor 89
The grass lining 90
Skin bottom covering 90
Storing the cache pit 90
The puncheon cover 93
Cache pits in Small Ankle’s lodge 95
First account 95
A second account on another day 96
Diagram of Small Ankle’s lodge 97
Chapter VIII—The making of a drying stage 98-104
Stages in Like-a-fishhook village 98
Cutting the timbers 98
Digging the post holes 99
Raising the frame 100
The floor 100
Staying thongs 101
Ladder 101
Enlarging the stage 102
Present stages 102
Building, women’s work 102
Measurements of stage 103
Drying rods 104
Other uses of the drying stage 104
Chapter IX—Tools 105-106
Hoe 105
Rakes 105
Squash knives 106
Chapter X—Fields at Like-a-fishhook village 108-112
East-side fields 108
East-side fences 108
Idikita´c’s garden 110
Fields west of the village 110
West-side fence 111
Crops, our first wagon 112
Chapter XI—Miscellanea 113-118
Divisions between gardens 113
Fallowing, ownership of gardens 113
Frost in the gardens 115
Maxi´diwiac’s philosophy of frost 115
Men helping in the field 115
Sucking the sweet juice 116
Corn as fodder for horses 116
Disposition of weeds 116
The spring clean-up 116
Manure 117
Worms 117
Wild animals 117
About old tent covers 118
Chapter XII—Since white men came 119-120
How we got potatoes and other vegetables 119
The new cultivation 120
Iron kettles 120
Chapter XIII—Tobacco 121-127
Observations by Maxi´diwiac 121
The tobacco garden 121
Planting 122
Arrow-head-earring’s tobacco garden 122
Small Ankle’s cultivation 122
Harvesting the blossoms 123
Harvesting the plants 124
Selling to the Sioux 125
Size of tobacco garden 126
Customs 126
Accessories to the tobacco garden 126-127
Fence 126
The scrotum basket 127
Old garden sites near Independence 129

HIDATSA ALPHABET

a as a in what
e ” ai ” air
i ” i ” pique
o ” o ” tone
u ” u ” rule
ä ” a ” father
ë ” ey ” they
ï ” i ” machine
ạ ” u ” hut
ĕ ” e ” met
ĭ ” i ” tin
c ” sh ” shun
x ” ch ” machen (German)
j ” ch ” mich (German)
z ” z ” azure
b, d, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, w, as in English
b, w, interchangeable with m
n, l, r, interchangeable with d
An apostrophe (’) marks a short, nearly
inaudible breathing.

Native Hidatsa words in this thesis are written in the foregoing alphabet. This does not apply to the tribal names Hidatsa, Mandan, Dakota, Arikara, Minitari.