Siouan Sociology Part 6

6. Ru'-tce, Pigeon 1. Min-ke' qan'-ye, Big-racc.o.o.n.

2. Min-ke'yin'-e, Young-racc.o.o.n 3. Ru'-tce yin'-e, Young-pigeon.

4. ?o'-ke, Prairie-chicken, grouse.

7. A'-ru-qwa, Buffalo 1. Tce-?o qan'-ye, Big-buffalo-bull.

2. Tce-?o yin'-o, Young-buffalo-bull.

3. Tce-p'o'-cke yin'-e, Young-buffalo-bull-that-is-distended (?).

4. Tce-yin'-ye, Buffalo-calf.

8. Wa-kan', Snake. An 1. Wa-kan' ?'i, Yellow-snake, i.e., extinct gens. Rattlesnake.

2. Wa-kan'-qtci, Real-snake, (named after a species shorter than the rattlesnake).

3. Ce'-ke yin'-e, Small or young ceke, the copperhead snake (?).

4. Wa-kan' qo'-??e, Gray-snake (a long snake, which the Omaha call swift blue snake).

9. Man'-ko-ke, Owl. The names of the subgentes have been Extinct. forgotten.

An account of the mythical origin of each Iowa gens, first recorded by the Reverend William Hamilton, has been published in the Journal of American Folk-lore.(7)

The visiting and marriage customs of the Iowa did not differ from those of the cognate tribes, nor did their management of the children differ from that of the Dakota, the Omaha, and others.

Murder was often punished with death, by the nearest of kin or by some friend of the murdered person. Sometimes, however, the murderer made presents to the avengers of blood, and was permitted to live.

THE OTO

The author has not yet learned the exact camping order of the Oto and Missouri tribes, though he has recorded lists of their gentes (subject to future revision), with the aid of Ke-?re?'e, an Oto, Cka??oinye, a Missouri, and Battiste Deroin, the interpreter for the two tribes. These gentes are as follows: 1, Pa-ca', Beaver; 2, Tunan'-p'in, Black bear, or Mn-tci'-ra-tce, Wolf; 3, A-ru'-qwa, Buffalo; 4, Ru'-qtca, Pigeon; 5, Ma-ka'-tce, Owl; 6, Tce'-xi-ta, Eagle, Thunderbird, etc; 7, Wa-kan', Snake.

THE NI-U'-T'A-TCI OR MISSOURI

This tribe, which for many years has been consolidated with the Oto, has at least three gentes. It may have had more, but their names have not yet been recorded. 1, Tu-nan'-p'in, Black bear; 2, Tce-xi'-ta, Eagle, Thunderbird, etc, in four subgentes: (_a_) Wa-kan'-ta, Thunderbird; (_b_) Qra, Eagle; (_c_) ?re'-tan, Hawk; (_d_) Mo'-mi, A-people-who eat-no-small-birds-which-have-been-killed-by-larger-ones (a recent addition to this gens, probably from another tribe): 3, Ho-ma' or Ho-ta'-tci, Elk.

THE HOTCAnGARA OR WINNEBAGO

The Winnebago call themselves Ho-tcan'-ga-ra', "First or parent speech."

While they have gentes, they have no camping circle, as their priscan habitat was in a forest region. The following names were obtained from James Alexander, a full-blood of the Wolf gens, and from other members of the tribe:

1. _Wolf gens_-Common name, Cunk i-ki'-ka-ra'-tca-da, or Cunk-tcank'i-ki'-ka-ra'-tca-da, Those-calling-themselves-after-the-dog-or-wolf; archaic name, e-go'-ni-na, meaning not recorded.

2. _Black-bear gens_-Common name, Honte' i-ki'-ka-ra'-tca-da, They-call-themselves-after-the-black-bear; archaic name, Tco'-na-ke-ra,, meaning not recorded.

3. _Elk gens_-Common name, Hu-wan'-i-ki'-ka-ra'-tca-da, They-callthemselves-after-the-elk; archaic name not recorded.

4. Snake gens-Common name, Wa-kan' i-ki'-ka-ra'-tca-da, They-call-themselves-after-a-snake; archaic name not recorded.

5. _Bird gens_-Common name, Wa-nik' i-ki'-ka-ra'-tca-da, They-call-themselves-after-a-bird; archaic name not recorded. This gens is composed of four subgentes, as follows: (_a_) Hi-tca-qce-pa-ra, or Eagle; (_b_) Ru-tcke, or Pigeon; (c) Ke-re-tcun, probably Hawk; (d) Wa-kan'-tca-ra, or Thunderbird. The archaic names of the subgentes were not recorded.

6. _Buffalo gens_-Common name, Tce' i-ki'-ka-ra'-tca-da, They-call-themselves-after-a-buffalo; archaic name not recorded.

7. _Deer gens_-Common name, Tca' i-ki'-ka-ra'-tca-da, They-call-themselves-after-a-deer; archaic name not recorded.

8. _Water-monster gens_-Common name, Wa-ktce'-qi i-ki'-ka-ra'-tca-da, They-call-themselves-after-a-water-monster; archaic name not recorded.

Some of the Winnebago say that there is an Omaha gens among the Winnebago of Wisconsin, but James Alexander knew nothing about it. It is very probable that each Winnebago gens was composed of four subgentes; thus, in the tradition of the Winnebago Wolf gens, there is an account of four kinds of wolves, as in the corresponding Iowa tradition.

The Winnebago lodges were always built with the entrances facing the east.

When the warriors returned from a fight they circ.u.mambulated the lodge four times, sunwise, stopping at the east just before entering.

THE MANDAN

The Mandan tribe has not been visited by the author, who must content himself with giving the list of gentes furnished by Morgan, in his "Ancient Society." This author's system of spelling is preserved:

1. Wolf gens, Ho-ra-ta'-mu-make (Qa-ra-ta' nu-man'-ke?).

2. Bear gens, Ma-to'-no-make (Ma-to' nu-man'-ke).

3. Prairie-chicken gens, See-poosh'-ka (Si-pu'-cka nu-man'-ke).

4. Good-knife gens, Ta-na-tsu'-ka (Ta-ne-tsu'-ka nu-man'-ke?).

5. Eagle gens, Ki-ta'-ne-make (Qi-ta' nu-man'-ke?).

6. Flat-head gens, E-sta-pa' (Hi-sta pe' nu-man'-ke?).

7. High-village gens, Me-te-ah'-ke.

All that follows concerning the Mandan was recorded by Prince Maximilian in 1833. Polygamy was everywhere practiced, the number of wives differing, there being seldom more than four, and in general only one. The Mandan marriage customs resemble those of the Dakota and other cognate peoples.

When a child is born a person is paid to give it the name chosen by the parents and kindred. The child is held up, then turned to all sides of the heavens, in the direction of the course of the sun, and its name is proclaimed. A Mandan cradle consists of a leather bag suspended by a strap to a crossbeam in the hut.

There are traces of descent in the female line; for example, sisters have great privileges; all the horses that a young man steals or captures in war are brought by him to his sister. He can demand from his sister any object in her possession, even the clothing which she is wearing, and he receives it immediately. The mother-in-law never speaks to her son-in-law, unless on his return from war he bring her the scalp and gun of a slain foe, in which event she is at liberty from that moment to converse with him. This custom is found, says Maximilian, among the Hidatsa, but not among the Crow and Arikara. While the Dakota, Omaha, and other tribes visited by the author have the custom of "bashfulness," which forbids the mother-in-law and son-in-law to speak to each other, no allowable relaxation of the prohibition has been recorded.