38 HOUSES AND HOUSE-LIFE OF THE AMERICAN ABORIGINES. 
Under a confederacy of tribes the office of general (Hos-gd-d-geh'-da- 
go-wa), “Great War Soldier,” makes its first appearance. Cases would now 
arise when the several tribes in their confederate capacity would be engaged 
in war, and the necessity for a general commander to direct the movements 
of the united bands would be felt. The introduction of this office as a 
permanent feature in the government was a great event in the history of 
human progress. It was the beginning of a differentiation of the military 
from the civil power, which, when completed, changed essentially the 
external manifestation of the government; but even in later stages of 
progress, when the military spirit predominated, the essential character of 
the government was not changed. Gentilism arrested usurpation. With 
the rise of the office of general, the government was gradually changed 
from a government of one power into a government of two powers. The 
functions of government became, in course of time, co-ordinated between 
the two. This new office was the germ of that of a chief executive magis - 
trate, for out of the general came the king, the emperor, and the president, 
as elsewhere suggested. The office sprang from the military necessities of 
society, and had a logical development. 
When the Iroquois confederacy was formed, or soon after that event 
two permanent war-chiefships were created and named, and both were 
assigned to the Seneca tribe. One of them (Za-wan'-ne-ars, signifying 
needle-breaker) was made hereditary in the Wolf, and the other (So-m0'-so- 
wa, signifying great oyster shell) in the Turtle gens. The reason assigned 
for giving them both to the Senecas was the greater danger of attack at 
the west end of their territories. They were elected in the same manner 
as the sachems, were raised up by a general council, and were equal in 
rank and power. Another account states that they were created later. 
They discovered immediately after the confederacy was formed that the 
structure of the Long House was incomplete, because there were no officers 
to execute the military commands of the confederacy. A council was con- 
vened to remedy the omission, which established the two perpetual war- 
chiefs named. As general commanders they had charge of the military 
affairs of the confederacy, and the command of its joint forces when united 
in a general expedition. Governor Blacksnake, recently deceased, held the 
