EADiN] SOCIAL ORGANIZATION SPECIFIC CLANS 217 



any cooking utensils they broiled their meat on sharp sticks. Then 

 the oldest one began making utensils for cooking. He took clay and 

 slippery elm bark, mixed them together, and made a pot out of it, 

 which was then heated over a fire. 



Within Lake was their main stopping place during their wander- 

 ings. Now the members of the other clans began gathering at this 

 place and all the other clans got to this place and obtained their fire 

 from the Thunderers. From that time on they also began inter- 

 marrying. The rule was that the upper clansmen married the 

 women of the lower clans and vice versa. The oldest one of the 

 brothers made friends with the Water-spirit clan and the second 

 brother made friends with the Bear clan. The reason why the 

 upper clans and the lower clans intermarried was to prevent their 

 marrying their own relatives. The second brother is the ancestor of 

 the War clan people. 



The Thunderers do not say that they were descended from the 

 Thunderbirds, but they claim that in wandering about there was 

 always a drizzling rain and fog which they caused and on account 

 of the similarity of this to the actions of the Thunderbirds they 

 called themselves the Thunderers.^ 



From the gathering at Green Bay the clan names originated. 

 The names were taken from incidents of their journey to this place. 

 The older brother kept on naming everything; the different parts 

 of our body; the diiferent parts of animals, etc. Wlien he finished, 

 he suddenly stopped breathing and died. His death occurred at 

 dawn. The brothers did not know that he had died. For a long 

 time they waited for him to come to life again, but he never came to 

 life again. Thus death originated. His body died, but his spii-it 

 traveled west toward the setting of the sun, making a road for all 

 who were to come after him. He was the chief of the village of the 

 spirits. 



THIRD VERSION (TOLD BY A MEMBER OF THE CLAN — FRAGMENTARY)* 



' 'Well, mj'^ younger brother, what shall we speak of i Let us 

 speak of the Winnebagoes. You are right. Of them we will speak. 

 What shall we eat? If we see an animal let us eat liim. I will go 

 and look. See I have brought a deer. We will eat him." So they 

 built a fire and broiled that deer. They cooked it and then ate it. 

 Then they heard something. They listened and two persons came 

 into the tent. They took a seat opposite. ''Ha, ha, you that sit 

 opposite, what relation will you be to me?" "What relation should 

 I be to you?" "You shall be my chief ." "Listen, some are saying 



' The word Thunderers is the same as Thunderbirds. One and the same being is meant. 

 » This account seems to begin after the Thunderbirds have reached Green Bay and are sitting in the 

 lodge waiting for the other clans to arrive. 



180823—22 15 



