478 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 19 3 2 



What is meant here concerning the internal government of the 

 ohwachira may be understood better by several examples than by 

 extended technical verbal descriptions of the entire S3^stem. 



This important fact shows that primordially the " mother's 

 brother," or approximate " uncle," shared measurably with his sister 

 in her rights and obligations of eldership ; and it also explains why 

 the " father's brother," or approximate " uncle," was excluded from 

 the native category of " uncle " and placed in that of a " father " who 

 was an alien in blood descent to the offspring of his brother. 



Again, the native kinship expressions, ktcVa!' and aht<yh"a\ and 

 Mgen^d'' and h'he'gen''a' (Onondaga dialectic forms), are of equal 

 interest here. The first two are only approximately rendered into 

 English by the phrases, " my elder brother " and " my elder sister," 

 respectively, and the second two expressions by " my younger 

 brother " and "" my younger sister," respectively. 



It is very plain that the first two cognate forms have nothing in 

 common with the last two with the exception of the prefixed pro- 

 nouns, namely, ^-, «^'-, and 7ii-, and hlie-^ which have only pro- 

 nominative values. 



The notional word stem in the first two expressions is -tci''d\ and 

 in the last two, -''geJi'a'. These two word stems are clearly radically 

 unrelated, showing that the English renderings largely miss the 

 original meanings of them. But, of course, they correctly allocate 

 the persons designated by them in the general scheme of eldership. 

 The native terms are so ancient that their concrete significations are 

 no longer manifest. But, if a conjecture may be permitted here, it 

 may be said that there appears little doubt that the word stem, 

 -tcVd\ primordially signified " the friend, the protector, or the 

 defender." 



PrimariW, the verbal stem underlying the native kinship term, 

 denoting "" mother," is with little doubt identical with the native 

 kinship term, denoting " mother's brother," usually rendered into 

 English by the noun " uncle," a term which has a signification, how- 

 ever, too comprehensive to translate accurately the native term which 

 strictly excludes the " father's brother " from the category of " uncle." 



The collective action of the oliwachira was secured by obtaining 

 the suffrages of the mothers and adult girls in it; but the male 

 members, the warriors of it, might be consulted if considered ad- 

 visable. 



The ohwachira, which in their own right possessed official titles of 

 hereditary chiefships, and lesser officials, filled these offices by nomi- 

 nation by the suffrages of the mothers and adult girls in them. The 

 federal chief who represented the ohwachira in the tribal council and 

 also in the federal council, and the chief warriors as well, were 

 chosen in this manner, usually wuth the advice of the warriors of 



