ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 81 



hered in the Bear gens, but at present he is chosen from the 

 Deer gens, from the fact, as the Wyandots say, that death 

 has carried away all the wise men of the Bear gens. 



The chief of the Wolf gens is the herald and the sheriff 

 of the tribe. He superintends the erection of the council- 

 house and has the care of it. He calls the council together 

 in a formal manner when directed by the sachem. He an- 

 nounces to the tribe all the decisions of the council, and 

 executes the directions of the council and of the sachem. 



Gentile councils are held frequently from day to day and 

 from week to week, and are called by the chief whenever 

 deemed necessary. When matters before the council are 

 considered of great importance, a grand council of the gens 

 may be called. 



The tribal council is held regularly on the night of the 

 full moon of each lunation and at such other times as the 

 sachem may determine ; but extra councils are usually called 

 by the sachem at the request of a number of councillors. 



Meetings of the Gentile councils are very informal, but 

 the meetings of the tribal councils are conducted with due 

 ceremony. When all the persons are assembled, the chief 

 of the Wolf gens calls them to order, fills and lights a pipe, 

 sends one puff of smoke to the heavens and another to the 

 earth. The pipe is then handed to the sachem, who fills his 

 mouth with smoke, and, turning from left to right with the 

 sun, slowly puffs it out over the heads of the councillors, 

 who are sitting in a circle. He then hands the pipe to the 

 man on his left, and it is smoked in turn by each person 

 until it has been passed around the circle. The sachem 

 then explains the object for which the council is called. 

 Each person in the way and manner he chooses tells what 

 he thinks should be done in the case. If a majority of the 

 council is agreed as to action, the sachem does not speak, 

 but maj'' simply announce the decision. But in some cases 

 there may be protracted debate, which is carried on with 

 great deliberation. In case of a tie, the sachem is expected 

 to speak. 

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