190 THE WINNEBAGO TRIBE [eth. ann. 37 



As the basis of organization in a game, the twofold division finds 

 expression in ceremonial lacrosse. There the waygeregi are always 

 pitted against the nianegi. A well-known myth is associated with 

 this arrangement, according to which the animal ancestors of the 

 war)geregi and manegi decided their respective rank by playing a 

 game in which they were organized on this basis. The waygeregi 

 won and for that reason the chiefs of the tribe have been selected 

 from this division. A division into two halves when playing cere- 

 monial lacrosse is characteristic not only of the Winnebago but of 

 the Omaha, Menominee, Sauk, Fox, and other tribes. Among the 

 former two, these sides are identical with the two aforementioned 

 political divisions of the tribe, but among the latter two, where no 

 such division exists, the tribe seems to divide itself into two halves 

 merely on this occasion. 



Up to the present we have treated the two divisions as social units 

 per se, but now, before entering on the discussion of the clans, it 

 may be well to point out the fact that the waygeregi people are some- 

 times spoken of as the Bird clan (wanitjlc hoMk'aradjera) , and that the 

 four clans composing this side are so intimately related, and their 

 clan origin myths so similar, that the assumption of the four clans 

 representing one clan that subsequently split up into a number of 

 divisions is not outside the realm of historical possibihty. This is, 

 however, quite immaterial, for whether we have one bird clan op- 

 posed to eight other animal clans is of little consequence, for his- 

 torically it is not the bird clan that is opposing the other clans, but 

 one social unit, the division, set off against another. The numerical 

 equality that exists between these two sides, in spite of the dis- 

 parity in the number of clans, is perhaps another confirmation of 

 the fundamental character of the twofold structure. 



Clan Organization 



There are 12 clans among the Winnebago with the following names: 



A, Warigeregi herera (those who are above) : ' 



1. waJcandja, thunderbird. 



2. wonayire ua-nkcih, war-people. 



3. tcaxcep, eagle. 



4. rutcge, pigeon (extinct). 



B. manegi herera (those who are on earth) : 



5. huntc, bear. 



6. CUr^JctCltrik' , Wolf. 



7. waktcexi, water spirit. 



8. tea, deer. 



9. hu^wa^, elk. 



' All the clans of the upper phratry are also called ahuirasara, " Thosc-with-wings." This name is 

 found in ceremonies. 



