Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from Grammar and Dictionary of the Language of the Hidatsa (Minnetarees, Grosventres of the Missouri): With an Introductory Sketch of the Tribe
The way in which agriculture is conducted is of the most primitive character, the ground is turned up with hoes, and five years ago the aboriginal hoe made from the shoulder blade of the buffalo was still largely 111 use. Nothing know they, of course, of the science of agriculture and year after year the unchanged seed of the same plant is stuck down, not only in the same piece of ground, but in the very same hole out of which the roots of last year's plant Were pulled. Add to the imperfect modes of cultivation the further dis advantages of a cold and dry climate, a short season, an inferior soil, the frequent incursions of hordes of grasshop pers, and the dangers from the attacks of inimical tribes, and it may readily be conjectured that the rewards of hus bandry are but poorly proportioned to the labor expended; and such is the case, their crops only partly aid in sustain ing them. Hunting, and the scanty annuities received from the government make up the balance of their meager subsistence.
The village consists of a number of houses, built very closely together and without any attempt at regularity of position, the doors face in every possible direction, and there is so much uniformity in the appearance of the lodges that it is a very difficult matter to find your way among them.
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