u>'KsKv] THE ASINIBOIN 223 



Deiilg 

 Wali-to-i>ali-liau-da-toh, 



Asinibo'in (jeiilen — Continueil 



Maxim ilian Hai/deii 



Watci pach iiato, Les Wali-to -pali-an - da-to, 



Old Gauche's gens, i. e., i geus de I'age. i Oeus du Gauche or Left 



Those who row in lanoes ; , , Hand. 



100 lodges, under Treni- ! 



bling Hand. 



Wah-ze-ah we-chas-ta, 0-see-gah (of Lewis and Wali-zi-ah, or I'o-kum- 



Northern People (so called | Clark, Discoveries, p. 43, | pi, Gens du Nord. 

 because they came from the j 1806). 

 north in 1839); 00 lodges, i 

 under Le Kobe de Vent. 



Tlie following geiites have not been collated: Of Maximilian's list, 

 Otopachgnato, les gens du large, possibly a duplication, by mistake, of 

 Watopaebnato, les geusde I'age; Tschantoga, les geus des bois; Tanin- 

 tauei, les geus des osayes; Cbabin, les gens des moutagnes. Of Hay- 

 den's list, j\Iin'-i-shi-uak'-a-to, gens du lac. 



The correct form in the Yauktou dialect of the first name is Witci°- 

 ya"i)ina (Wiciijyaijpiua), girls; of the second, probably I"ya°to"wa° 

 (Iijyaij toijwaij); the third and fourth geutes derive their names from 

 the verb watopa, to paddle a canoe; the fifth is Waziya witcacta 

 (Waziya wica.sta). Tschan in Tschantoga is the German notation of 

 the Dakota tea" (caij), tree, wood. Cha in Chabin is the German nota- 

 tion of the Dakota word lie, a liigh ridge of lulls, a mountain. 



In his report to Governor Stevens, from which the following infor- 

 mation respecting the Asiniboin is condensed, Deuig used the term 

 "band'' to denote a gens of the tribe, and "clans"' instead of corpora- 

 tions, under which latter term are included the feasting and dancing 

 societies and the orders of doctors, shamans, or theurgists. 



These bands are distinct and occupy different parts of the country, 

 although they readily combine when reijuired by circumstances, such as 

 scarcity of game or an attack by a large body of the enemy. 



The roving tribes call no general council with other nations; indeed, 

 they are suspicious even of those with whom they have been at peace 

 for many years, so that they seldom act together in a large body. With 

 the exception of the Hidatsa, Mandan, and Arikara, who are station- 

 ary and live in a manner together, the neighboring tribes are quite 

 ignorant of one another's government, rarely knowing even the names 

 of the priucijjal chiefs and warriors. 



In all these tribes there is no such thing as hereditary rank. If a 

 son of a chief is wanting in bravery, generosity, or other desirable 

 qualities, he is regarded merely as an ordinary individual; at the same 

 time it is true that one qualification for the position of chief consists 

 in having a large number of kindred in the tribe or gens. Should 

 there be two or more candidates, equally capable and socially well con- 

 nected, the question would be decided on the day of the first removal 

 of the camp, or else in council by the principal men. In the former 



