RADiN] SOCIAL, OEGANIZATION — GENERAL DISCUSSION 187 



manegi divisions, we, of course, know that the characteristics of the 

 animal in question have nothing to do with the matter. We must 

 then realize that we are dealing with reciprocal influences — of the 

 religio-mythical conception of animals on the one hand, and of 

 political functions of social units on the other. In some cases, such 

 as the specific associations with the water-spirit, it is probable that 

 the religio-mythological conception of the animal is dominant. 

 The association of the thunderbird with fire has likewise not been 

 due to any activity of the social unit; and thus examples might be 

 multiplied. In this connection, the fact that animals with whom 

 a multitude of associations have already been established are sub- 

 sequently associated with social units is fundamental. From this 

 point of view, the animal names of social organization are intrusive 

 features, and we will consequently expect to find historical adjust- 

 ments. This, we think, is what has taken place here. The animal 

 name with its religio-mythological conceptions was a remarkably 

 strong unit, and as a result reciprocal influences took place. Although 

 the religio-mythological influence must thus have been marked, it 

 appears to have changed none of the marital and other functions 

 of the two divisions nor the political functions of the clans. What 

 it did change, and change fundamentally, was the interpretation 

 of the social organization. 



Functions of the Twofold Division 



The only function that the waijgeregi and manegi divisions seem 

 to have had was the regidation of marriage. A waijgeregi man 

 had to marry a manegi woman, and vice versa. The only other 

 function was, according to some informants, reciprocal burial. 

 Here the religio-mythological interpretations seem in part to have 

 determined this relation, for a manegi man buried a waijgeregi man 

 because, as a "land division," it pertained to him to place a corpse 

 in the earth. This, however, seems to be a doubtful function, for 

 earth burial seems in olden times to have been characteristic only 

 of the manegi division, the waijgeregi clans employing scaffold burial. 

 In addition, the burial relation was one of the many reciprocal duties 

 of the "friend-clan," and if it was ever postulated of the waijgeregi 

 and manegi, this was likely due to the fact that the "friendship" 

 relation seems also to have existed between two clans belonging 

 to the two different divisions. According to one myth, however, 

 the four clans of the waijgeregi paired ofi' as "friends" with four 

 clans of the manegi. This would then be practically equivalent to 

 saying that the mxinegi buried the waijgeregi. 



Thus far we have spoken only of the socio-political functions. 

 The two divisions, however, play a part in a number of social and 



