32 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 92 



recognized as such nor did he have command, but they only recognized 

 the woman. But she did not govern or perform the functions of 

 chief, but the government was exercised by another, an uncle or a 

 grandfather, the nearest of blood. But the first male whom she bore, 

 immediately was declared chief, and from that time on all of them 

 already recognized him as such, although the other one was ruling 

 during the entire period of his minority, which was up to such 

 time as he could perform alone the functions of chief. On the day 

 when the command was delivered to him, they invited the neighboring 

 chiefs and friends, the crier called together the town, and they 

 made their great feast as we have mentioned above. 



It is to be noted that whenever a feast was held all those invited 

 brought their present for the chief who was inviting them, but he 

 had the obligation to return it when they invited him, and in the 

 same kind which they had given him. 



As regards the obedience and subjection which these Indians 

 had to their chiefs, what I have been able to investigate is that 

 in as far as his mode of living was concerned, they did not recognize 

 him at all ; nor did he mix [that is, interfere] with his people, as 

 they say: they [the people] had a free life, without subjection or 

 subordination to anyone, without laws of government, or police, 

 without punishments for wicked doers, as also without rewards for 

 the well deserving ; and in a word everyone lived as he pleased 

 without anyone interfering with him, do what he might. Since the 

 knowledge of the true God was lacking among these Indians, they 

 lived without faith, without law or king, and therefore a life more 

 that of brutes than of rational beings. What causes wonder is how 

 these towns could keep in peace and quiet without laws of govern- 

 ment or police. And indeed in the gentile period there were very 

 few fights and quarrels between them, for since all the rancherias 

 were composed of a single relationship, I believe that it was for 

 that reason that all lived in peace, the parents continually exhorting 

 their children to be good; for if someone committed some crime, if 

 the ofifcnded person was al)le to revenge himself, the revenge, which 

 was almost invariably death, was the punishment for the crime, but 

 the chief did not intervene in the matter at all. 



Although the chief did not exercise any authority so to speak in 

 the administration of justice, nevertheless they had for him great 

 respect and veneration, and especially so the youths on account of 

 the great fear and dread with which they were imbued from the 

 time they were small, and likewise for the elders, this being the daily 



