STARR A STUDY OF A CENSUS OF THE PUEBLO OF COCHITI. 33 



A STUDY OF A CENSUS OF THE PUEBLO OF 

 COCHITI, NEW MEXICO. 



BY FREDERICK STARR. 



For some time it has seemed to the writer that the quickest and simplest 

 method of getting at the fundamental facts in the social organization of any one 

 of our Indian tribes would be the taking of a census of the whole population by 

 houses, securing the clan of each person and his relationship to the other members 

 in the household. In making general inquiry of Indians regarding clans or the 

 structure of society some details are almost sure to be missed; with such a census, 

 properly made, no point can finally be overlooked. It has been believed, also, 

 that such a census would be useful material to place in the hands of a class of 

 students for study. Impelled by these two ideas, we made a house census of the 

 Pueblo of Cochiti, N. M., on our last visit there in September. 



The structure considered typical of most American tribes may be briefly stated. 

 Two ideas are fundamental — the importance of blood kinship and the supremacy 

 of woman in the household. The tribe is made up of a certain number of clans, 

 gentes, or kins, whose members are blood relatives and bear the clan name; 

 relationships are traced through the woman, and children belong to the clan of the 

 mother; the father is of another clan, as marriage between members of one clan 

 is prohibited. 



In 1890 Bandelier* stated that at Cochiti there were "at least thirteen clans," 

 the names of which he gave as follows: Sun, water, cottonwood, turquoise, 

 panther, bear, calabash, mexican sage, coyote, corn, scrub-oak, fire, ivy. It is 

 plain that Bandelier cannot have made a detailed census, such as is above sug- 

 gested. This will appear presently. 



The census of Cochiti on September 28, 1897, follows: 



NO. NAME : SPANISH. NAME : INDIAN. CLAN. REMARKS. 



1. Santiago Quintana Pa-wi-te Tanyi. 



2. *Sefarina Garcia, f Shra-ki-mi Hapani. 



3. Estafana Quintana. f Shwi-ti-utz Hapani . 



4. Maria Vittoria Quintana. f . Tsa-mii-i-utz Hapani . . "Tassel of Corn.'' 



* Papers Archasological Institute of America, American Series, Vol. Ill,, p. 273 . 



[Proc. D. A. N.S., Vol. VII.J 5 [Novemberi5, 1897 ] 



