XXXVI ANNUAL REPORT OP THE DIRECTOR 



and execution, throws a flood of light upon many problems of 

 social evolution applicable to the whole human race. The 

 Omahas, who belong to a separate group of the Siouan lin- 

 guistic stock, were interrupted by civilization in their autoge- 

 nous development at a time when they admirably represented 

 a culture stage, called by Morgan the older period of barba- 

 rism, and by the Director the closing stage of savagery, and 

 its characteristic details have never yet been more thoroughly 

 explained and illustrated than in the present paper. A careful 

 student of it will observe many customs and institutions which 

 have been evolved into those appearing in the first dawn of 

 history among the progenitors of the English speaking people. 

 This paper will form a part of the basis of a work by the 

 Director upon the general subject of Sociology. 



Mr. Dorsey's paper first sets forth the classification of the 

 group formed by the cognate tribes and the migration and his- 

 tory of the Omahas so far as ascertained. It then explains 

 that among these tribes the primary unit is the gens or clan, 

 composed of a number of consanguinei, claiming descent from 

 a common ancestor and having a common taboo or taboos. 

 The largest division of the tribe is into two half tribes, not 

 strictly phratries, and each composed of five gentes. Each 

 gens is divided into subgentes, of which there are traces of 

 four to each gens. The group of men thus organized is a kin- 

 ship state, that is, one in which the governmental functions are 

 performed by men whose positions in the government are de- 

 termined by kinships, and in it rules relating to kinship and 

 the reproduction of the species constitute the larger body of 

 the law. The law regulates marriage, allowing 1 but narrow 

 limits of personal choice, and prescribes the rights and duties 

 of the several members of a body of kindred to each other. 

 Individuals are held responsible chiefly to their kindred, and 

 certain groups of kindred are held responsible to other groups 

 of kindred. 



The differentiation of organs in the state is discussed, with 

 state classes, servants, and corporations, the latter being chiefly 

 societies for religious and industrial objects The gentile sys- 

 tem is minutely described; the kinship system and marriage 



