The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-18

Indian tribes generally we're organized
in gentes. with descent in the female line.
In some tribes. however. as among the
Dakotas. the gentes had disappeared; in
others. as among the jibwas. the Omahas
and the Mayas (of Yuoatan). descent had
been changed from the female to the
male line. The number OF persons In a
gems varied. Three Thousand Senecas,
for instance. divided equally among their
eight gentes would give an average OF
375 persons to a gems. Fifteen thousand
Ojibwas divided equally among their
twenty-three gentes would give $50 persons
TO a gems. The Cherokees would average
more han a thousand to a gems. In the
present condition OF the principal Indian
tribes the number in each gems ranges from
a hundred TO a thousand.
The phratry. as we have said, is a brother
hood and a natural growth from the prim-
tive organization into gentes. II Is an
organic union or association Of two or more
gentes OF the same tribe for certain common
objects. For instance. the eight gentes OF
the Seneca tribe OF the lroquois we're rein
tegrated in two phratries. The gentes IN
the same phratry are brother gentes TO each
other and cousin gentes TO those OF the
other phratries. Originally marriage was
not allowed between the members OF the
same phrstry; but the members OF either
could marry into any gems OF another
phratry. Among the Iroquois the phratry
was without governmental functions in
the strict sense Of the phrase. these being
confined to the gems, the tribe and the con-
federacy. 1t entered. however. into their
social affairs with large administrative
powers. and would have concerned itself
more and more with their religious AFFAIRS
as the condition Of the people advanced.
DIR. Morgan is convinced that II future in
v~estigation is directed specially to the
functions OF the phratric organization
among the tribes Of the American aborigines
the knowledge gained will explain many
peculiarities Of Indian life and manners
not now well understood and throw ad-
ditional light upon their usages and customs
and their plan Of life and government.
We pass to the tribe. which. OF co urse.
is not strictly equivalent TO a nation. A
nation does not arise under gentle insti-
tutions until the tribes united under the
same government have coalesced into one
people. as the four Athenian tribes coalesced
in Attica. three Gorian tribes in Sparta and
three Latin and Sabine tribes at Rome.
According TO DIR. Morgan, no coalescence
OF tribes into a nation has occurred in any
part Of pre- Columbian America. Among
the American Indians a tribe was and is
composed OF several gentes. developed
from two or more. all the members OF which
are intermingled by marriage. and all OF
whom speak the same dialect. 10 a
stranger the tribe il visible. but not the
gems. The instances are extremely rare
among the American aborigines in which
the tribe has embraced gentes speaking
different dialects. Only a small portion
of the tribes had attained to the ultimate
stage Of social combination reached in the
Western Continent. that. namely, OF a
confederacy OF tribes speaking dialects
pertaining to the same stock language.
There have been developed in North Amer
lea alone upward Of forty stock languages
each spoken in a number of dialects by a
number of independent tribes. What then
were the distinctive functions and attributes
OF an Indian tribe? They we're the posses
sion Of a common territory and a common
name; the exclusive possession Of a dia-
lect; the right to invest with executive
powers the sachems and chiefs elected
by the gentes; the right to depose these
sachems and chiefs; the possession OF a
religious faith n worship; a supreme
government, consisting Of a cou neil Of
chiefs; a head chief of the entire tribe, in
some instances. On the whole. an Ameri-
can Indian tribe was and is a very simple
as well as humble organization.
Following the ascending organic series,
we are next 10 consider the Iroquois Confed-
eracy, in which the gentes. phratries and
tribes will be seen in new relations. A ten
dency 20 confederate for mutual defence
would naturally be evolved among kindred
and adjoining tribes. When the advantages
Of cooperation had been made patent by
experience, the organization. at first a
league, would gradually be cemented into
a federal unit. As might have been ex-
| pected, several confederacies existed in
different parts OF North America when it
was discovered. some OF which were quite
remarkable in plan and structure. Among
the number may be mentioned the lroquois
Confederacy OF five subsequently six)
independent tribes (~misnamed by the
English colonists nations; the Creek Con-
federaoy OF six tribes; the Ottawa Confed-
eracy Of three: the Dakota League Of the
Seven Council FIRES; the Moaui Confeder-
acy in New Mexico. Of seven pueblos, and the
Aztec C~onfederacy Of three tribes in the
valley OF Mexico.
III.
Our author holds that the two highest
examples of Indian confederacy in North
America were those Of the Iroquois and
Of the Aztecs. From their acknowledged
superiority as military powers and from
their geographical position these confedera-
cies in both cases produced remarkable re-
suits. Our knowledge OF the principles and
! the structure OF the former il definite and
complete, but it is DR.. Morgan's judgment
that the Aztec confederacy has been handled
in such q manner historically as to leave
it doubtful whether it was an offensive
and defensive league OF three kindred
tribes or a systematic federation like that
Of the Iroquois. He comedies, however,