Before European settlement, the Hidatsa had 13 clans which eventually became the 7 clans that they are today. This then is split into the Three Clans and the Four Clans (“Ethnography”).
Three Clans
- 1)The Low Cap Clan (apuhkawigaa)
- 2) The Knife Clan (me?cirooga)
- 3) The Alkali Salt Clan (ma?xooxadi)
The Four Clans
- The Water-Buster Clan (miribaad)
- The Wide Ridge Clan (ihdishuga)
- The Prairie Chicken Clan (ciicga)
- The Dripping Dirt Clan (awaxe or awaxeraawihta)
The clan system was important because it was a deciding factor for marriages, land distribution, and hosting of celebrations. It was ultimately destroyed due to smallpox epidemics, marriages outside the tribes, and the push from colonists to become assimilated into an Anglo-centered culture (“Ethnogrophy”).
Gender Roles
The Hidatsa follow a matrilineal structure, which means that offspring take the clan that their mother is in. Family life was centered around the women in the family. Hidatsa women had roles that included cooking, gardening and farming, and taking care of their homes because they owned their individual earth lodges. Women were the only ones allowed to perform the White Buffalo Society dance because it was believed that the buffalo would be entranced by it and the hunters would be able to kill them much easier (Alchin). Hidatsa women were also responsible for carrying their infants on their backs while they worked (“Native American Facts for Kids: Hidatsa Tribe”). It was a common practice for a bride’s family to construct the newlywed’s earth lodge as a gift (Alchin). Men were left to take care of the warfare and bring home meat and hides to be cooked up and cleaned by the women.
Hidatsa children were not unlike modern day children. They spent most of their time going to school and helping their mothers tend to the chores in and around the earth lodge. When they were done with their responsibilities they were allowed to go out and play with each other. One of the games they enjoyed was the hoop game, and they also had dolls and other toys to play with. Occasionally, they would be allowed to go fish with their fathers and go swimming (“Native American Facts for Kidds: Hidatsa Tribe”).
Clothing
Hidatsa men typically wore very little in the summer and more in the winter because the climate in North and South Dakota would change with the season. For the hot summer months, they would mostly wear a piece of breechcloth to cover themselves just enough, while also typically going barefoot or wearing moccasins. When the extremely cold winters hit, they would wear a complete shirt and leggings made out of animal hide. If it was raining or unbearably cold then they would also cover themselves in robes that the women would make out of the buffalo hides that the men had brought home. Since men led the warfare they were rewarded for the victories by being allowed the privilege of wearing a war bonnet. These would be elaborately decorated with beads and feathers and was a major symbol of pride for the men. A few Hidatsa men were even known to grow beards (“Ethnography”).
Hidatsa women were the clothing makers and they were extremely skilled at their work. The clothing for Hidatsa women was also made out the hides of hunted animals but instead were made into dresses that were painted to reflect themselves and their families. The symbols that went on a dress represented what their family stood for and even some of the good deeds that they and their men had done for the tribe. They were able to celebrate themselves through their clothing with colored beads and feathers. Women also had robes to protect them from the snow and rain. Hidatsa women decorated their braided hair with beads as well because it was so long (“Ethnography”).
Tribal tattoos could be seen on both men and women, but women often wore theirs on their chins while the men did so on their bodies. Both genders wore earrings and necklaces which were symbolic and highly decorative as well (Alchin).
To give each member of the tribe an equal education they had the men and women perform various jobs per their gender. Each member could have a vast skill set to make them useful in every way to their village (“Ethnography”). By the time members reached an old age, they had learned almost everything there was for their gender to know and then some. This gave the village great and knowledgeable leaders.
The Hidatsa & The Three Affiliated Tribes 