Evening star., 1939-08-01
Of Stars, Men
And Atoms
Notebook of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henri.

Og 4ftOHtuo ~. 14CIT6s
Hitherto unavailable data on the edu-
cational, legal and religious systems Of
the Creek Indians after their settlement
in Oklahoma, collected by the late DR..
j. NJ B. Hewitt of the Bureau of Amer
ican Ethnology, has just been issued as
a bulletin of the Smithsonian Institu-
ton.
The information was given DR.. Hewitt
by two eminent members of the tribe
who visited Washington in 1872, while
the 49-town confederation was in its
heyday and before white influences had
very seriously changed the aboriginal
institutions. The Greeks were building
up a sort Of nation at the time, a civil
lization of far from an inferior order,
which embodied much Of their ancient
philosophy and folkwayS
Among the Greeks the husband most
assuredly was not boss in his own house
hold
He had, Mr.. Hewitt relates, mo more
to do with the discipline and education
Of his children than an alien. He could
y,
but he had such a right in some other
mans family-that is, in the family of
the man who had married his sister
In his Wife's house the husband might
sit around and talk, but he had no
authority. He had full authority, If he
wished to exercise it, in the house of his
sister and her husband.
"Tp eVerv tour, thora yoe ~ ,yl .,,,,
who taught the children. He went from
house to house, gathering them about
him, telling them tales singing songs,
tnstructing them in their duties at home,
teaching them obedience to their moth
ers and uncles. They were instructed
that they must not tell falsehoods, steal
injure any one, fight or kill AS soon
as they were years old the boys were
taught to battle in stream every morn
ing before sunrise, especially in winter
They were taught to play ball and once
every year they were 'scratched'-that
Is, the muscles of their calves and their
thighs were scratched until the blood
ran out in order to make them grow and
to harden them. This was continued
until they were Is, and it was regarded
as an honor for young man at the ball
games to show his scratches in regular
order on his arms and legs
The object Of all instructions was to
develop fine body and a good char
acter. The girls were instructed in their
duties by the same old man. When a
boy had been detected in an offense
such as theft, he would be brought up
for trial and the old man asked whether
he had been taught not to steal. If the
reply was in the affirmative he was Sc
verely punished. If the teacher said
that he never had been so taught no
punishment would be inflicted
Mr.. Hewitt obtained from the Indians
considerable data on the legal system
OF the Greeks. The fundamental idea
regarding punishment was that it
cleansed the culprit from the guilt of
his crime. Criminals carried no guilt
with them out of the world. After
undergoing the prescribed punishment
a culprlt was innocent, it mattered not
what he had done, and the matter never
could be brought up against him again.
Law was essentially an agreement be-
tween clans, especially in regard to
murder. A slayer's life was forfeit to
the clan of his victim, if the relatives
wished to take it. There were various
ways, however, in which he might es-
cape. If he was a man of eminence
in the community the kinfolk of his
victim might willingly adopt him to
take the place of the slain individual.
II the injured clan had suffered some
lndlgnlty in battle he might volunteer
to avenge them. One of his own clan,
OF lower standing in the community,
might be substituted for him. His
relatives might try to atone for the
crime by payment of gifts If no settle
ment was made the murderer was exc
cuted by the relatives of his victim
with bow and arrow if he happened to
be man of distinction and with war
clubs by the old women if he was a
fellow of no standing
II serious personal difficulty arose
between members of different clans it
was settled simply by agreement be-
tween them All matters of this sort
were disposed of by calling the town
together. In case a member of one clan
lost an eye by act of a member of
another clan, one of the other clan
must also sacrifice an eye, if reparation
was not otherwise made.
very troublesome man was often
killed by his own clansmen after due
warning. Or he might be outlawed.
Then no individual could kill him, but
he was slain by the collective body.
Stealing between clans was settled
| quite simply. The clan whose member
had suffered the theft simply notified
the clan of the thief and reparation
was made of two-fold the value of the
| objects stolen. There was little discus
sion over it, if the clan was satisfied
that their member was guilty. 1t usu-
ally was since such charges were not
made lightly. II the case was aggra-
waited, in addition to compensation for
the loss the culprit might be turned
over to the injured clan for punish
ment, usually whipping.