68 WYANDOT GOVERNMENT: 
of its encampment, and declaring in terms the crime of the outlaw and 
the sentence of outlawry, which may be either of two grades. 
In the lowest grade it is declared that if the man shall thereafter con- 
tinue in the commission of similar crimes, it will be lawful for any per- 
son to kill him; and if killed, rightfully or wrongfully, his clan will not 
avenge his death. 
Outlawry of the highest degree makes it the duty of any member of 
the tribe who may meet with the offender to kill him. 
MILITARY GOVERNMENT. 
The management of military affairs inheres in the military council and 
chief. The military council is composed of all the able-bodied men of 
the tribe ; the military chief is chosen by the council from the Porcupine 
gens. Each gentile chief is responsible for the military training of the 
youth under his authority. There is usually one or more potential mili- 
tary chiefs, who are the close companions and assistants of the chief in 
time of war, and in case of the death of the chief, take his place in the 
order of seniority. * 
Prisoners of war are adopted into the tribe or killed. To be adopted 
into the tribe, it is necessary that the prisoner should be adopted into 
some family. The warrior taking the prisoner has the first right to adopt 
him, and his male or female relatives have the right in the order of their 
kinship. If no one claims the prisoner for this purpose, he is caused to 
run the gauntlet as a test of his courage. 
If at his trial he behaves manfully, claimants are not wanting, but if 
he behaves disgracefully he is put to death. 
FELLOWHOOD. 
There is an interesting institution found among the Wyandots, as 
among some other of our North American tribes, namely, that of fellow- 
hood. Two young men agree to be perpetual friends to each other, or 
more than brothers. Each reveals to the other the secrets of his life, 
and counsels with him on matters of importance, and defends him from 
wrong and violence, and at his death is chief mourner. 
The government of the Wyandots, with the social organization upon 
which it is based, affords a typical example of tribal government through- 
out North America. Within that area there are several hundred dis- 
tinct governments. In so great a number there is great variety, and in 
this variety we find different degrees of organization, the degrees of 
organization being determined by the differentiation of the functions of 
the government and the correlative specialization of organic elements. 
Much has yet to be done in the study of these governments before 
safe generalizations may be made. But enough is known to warrant 
the following statement : <i 
Tribal government in North America is based on kinship in that the 
fundamental units of social organization are bodies of consanguineal 
