438 INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTIONS. 



&quot; Their large houses usually contain several families, consisting of 

 the parents, their sons and daughters-in-law and grandchildren, among 

 whom the provisions are common, and whose harmony is scarcely ever 

 interrupted by disputes.&quot; 



&quot; Several of these ancient yourts were very large, as shown by the 

 ruins, being from fifty to eighty yards long, and twenty to forty in 

 width. ... In these large yourts the primitive Aleuts lived by forties, 

 fifties, and hundreds, with the double object of protection and warmth. &quot; 



&quot; The household of the Mandans consisting of from twenty to forty 

 persons, the households of the Columbian tribes of about the same 

 number, the Shoshonee household of seven families, the households of 

 the Sauks, of the Iroquois, and of the Creeks each composed of several 

 families, are fair types of the households of the Northern Indians at 

 the epoch of their discovery.&quot; Morgan adds: &quot;provisions were in 

 common.&quot; They &quot;practiced communism in living in the household.&quot; 



Concerning the existing Maya Indians we learn from Mr. 

 J. L. Stephens the following account: 



&quot;Their community consists of a hundred labradores, or working 

 men; their lands are held and wrought in common, and the products 

 are shared by all. Their food is prepared at one hut, and every family 

 sends for its portion.&quot; 



While in this last case the separate families of the commune 

 had separate dwellings, in the preceding cases some lived in 

 long houses formed of separate compartments while others 

 lived in large undivided houses. 



Only an undeveloped ancestor-worship characterizes these 

 tribes ; and it is noteworthy that there consequently lacks the 

 bond of union constituted by subordination to a patriarch. 

 Respecting grown up families among the Columbian tribes 

 we read &quot; In this state the old man is not considered the 

 head of the family, since the active duties, as well as the re 

 sponsibility, fall on some of the younger members. As these 4 

 families gradually expand into bands, or tribes, or nations, 

 the paternal authority is represented by the chief of each as 

 sociation. This chief tain [ship], however, is not hereditary.&quot; 



783. Other forms of modified communism are shown us 

 by certain uncivilized peoples in the Old World. Winter- 



