62 WYANDOT GOVERNMENT: 
the woman has been chosen a councillor. The ceremony is followed by 
feasting and dancing, often continued late into the night. 
The gentile chief is chosen by the council women after consultation 
with the other women and men of the gens. Often the gentile chief is 
a potential chief through a period of probation. During this time he 
attends the meetings of the council, but takes no part in the delibera- 
tions, and has no vote. 
At his installation, the council women invest him with an elaborately 
ornamented tunic, place upon his head a chaplet ot feathers, and paint 
the gentile totem on his face. The sachem of the tribe then announces 
to the people that the man has been made chief of the gens, and admitted 
to the council. This is also followed by a festival. 
The sachem of the tribe is selected by the men belonging to the coun- 
cil of the tribe. Formerly the sachemship inhered in the Bear gens, but 
at present he is chosen from the Deer gens, from the fact, as the Wyan- 
dots say, that death has carried away all the wise men of the Bear gens. 
The chief of the Wolf gens is the herald and the sheriff of the tribe. 
He superintends the erection of the council-house and has the care of it. 
He calls the council together in a formal manner when directed by the 
sachem. He announces to the tribe all the decisions of the council, and 
executes the directions of the council and of the sachem. 
Gentile councils are held frequently from day to day and from week 
to week, and are called by the chief whenever deemed necessary. When 
matters before the council are considered of great importance, a grand 
council of the gens may be called. 
The tribal council is held regularly on the night of the full moon of 
each lunation and at such other times as the sachem may determine; 
but extra councils are usually called by the sachem at the request of a 
number of councilors. 
Meetings of the gentile councils are very informal, but the meetings 
of the tribal councils are conducted with due ceremony. When all the 
persons are assembled, the chief of the Wolf gens calls them to order, 
fills and lights a pipe, sends one puff of smoke to the heavens and an- 
other to the earth. The pipe is then handed to the sachem, who fills his 
mouth with smoke, and, turning from left to right with the sun, slowly 
putts it out over the heads of the councilors, who are sitting in a circle. 
He then hands the pipe to the man on his left, and it is smoked in turn 
by each person until it has been passed around the circle. The sachem 
then explains the object for which the council is called. Each person in 
the way and manner he chooses tells what he thinks should be done in 
the case. If a majority of the council is agreed as to action, the sachem 
does not speak, but may simply announce the decision. But in some 
cases there may be protracted debate, which is carried on with great 
deliberation. In case of a tie, the sachem is expected to speak. 
It is considered dishonorable for any man to reverse his decision after 
having spoken. 
Such are the organic elements of the Wyandot government. 
