author
Waheenee
d. 1932
Remembered as Buffalo Bird Woman, this Hidatsa storyteller preserved a vivid record of traditional life on the northern Plains. Her words bring everyday knowledge—gardening, food, family, and survival—close enough to feel lived rather than simply described.
2 Audiobooks
Agriculture of the Hidatsa Indians: An Indian Interpretation
by Waheenee, Gilbert Livingstone Wilson
Waheenee: An Indian Girl's Story
by Waheenee, Gilbert Livingstone Wilson
About the author
Born around 1839, Waheenee—also known as Buffalo Bird Woman and often recorded as Maxidiwiac—was a Hidatsa woman from the upper Missouri River region in what is now North Dakota. She lived through a period of major upheaval for her people and became an important keeper of Hidatsa cultural memory.
She is best known for sharing detailed accounts of traditional Hidatsa life with anthropologist Gilbert L. Wilson. Those recollections became books including Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden and Waheenee: An Indian Girl's Story, which preserve practical knowledge about agriculture, food preparation, domestic life, and community customs.
What makes her work lasting is its grounded, personal voice. Rather than offering history from a distance, she describes how people planted, cooked, worked, and cared for one another, making her an essential witness to Hidatsa tradition and a memorable author for readers interested in Native life as it was actually lived.