ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 17 



extensive pueblos of that region you are all quite familar. To 

 a very large extent it is observed that the arrangement of dwellings 

 in a village is significant. In very many cases they are arranged 

 by clans and phratries. When such an arrangement does not exist 

 there is usually some other device taking its place. For example, 

 among Muskokis, or Creeks, near the centre of the village, there is 

 a square laid out in a very systematic manner with seats, or rather 

 spaces for sitting, on the ground relegated in a particular manner 

 to phratries and clans, so that the tribe was arranged, in the coun- 

 cil held from time to time in the square, in a systematic order. 

 Usually over these sitting places booths were erected, and the posts 

 that upheld the booths marked in a more specific way the seats of 

 the officers of the village. In connection with these council squares 

 a very interesting council lodge has bee« discovered. The booths 

 of the square did not furnish ample protection at all seasons of the 

 year, and in order to meet their wants on such occasions a huge 

 conical lodge was constructed of the tall trees of that country. 

 Slender trees 50 or 60 feet in height were cut down, trimmed, and 

 inclined against a central, standing tree. Thus a huge conical 

 lodge, 50 feet or more in height, was constructed, under which the 

 whole village could take shelter. Under this they gathered in in- 

 clement weather to conduct their dances. And just here it should 

 be remarked that the Creek Indians have yet a tradition of a time 

 when they built their houses with wattled walls, the interiors of 

 which were plastered — exactly such houses as have been described 

 by Prof. Thomas. 



The subject of house-building among the North American Indians 

 is one of very great interest, as the various tribes exhibited much 

 skill in utilizing the materials at hand, whatever they might be — 

 bark, poles, slabs, tules, skins of animals, stone, etc. 



Prof. Mason further stated that he had handled thousands of 

 Indian weapons, utensils, &c., and found that many objects occurred 

 in the mounds for which no particular use could be now assigned. 



Major Powell replied that it was very doubtful, at this time, if 

 anything existed that could not be explained through the survival 

 of similar articles now in use among some of the more isolated tribes 

 of Indians. 



Prof. ScuDDER referred to and reviewed some of Prof. Putnam's 

 investigations and discoveries at Madisonville, and referred specially 

 2 



