654 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 137 



The national council is composed of chiefs from each clan, some sending 

 more some less, regard being had to the population of each — though the number 

 is not very definitely fixed. Each clan has its separate portion of land, which 

 it holds in common right — the poorest men having the same right as the 

 greatest. (See Raleigh Register, 1818.) [But see Gilbert, 1943.] 



Sometimes the activities of Spanish, French, and English colonial 

 officials tended to undermine the central authority in a tribe as when 

 Americans backed Mcintosh and Ridge in order to secure the removal 

 of the Creeks and Cherokee from their territories. But, on the other 

 hand, they not infrequently sought to subsidize the regular rulers so 

 as to accomplish similar ends; they augmented the power of several 

 of the larger nations by destroying some of their rivals such as the 

 Timucua, Apalachee, Yamasee, Mobile, and Natchez; and their 

 influence was sufficient at times, as in the case of Alexander McGil- 

 livray, to centralize authority to an unprecedented extent. 



Clans and Gentes 



Throughout most of the Gulf area descent was matrilineal, but we 

 can no longer assume, as was often done by earlier writers, that 

 this fact involves the existence of clans or gentes. The only note- 

 worthy exceptions to matrilineal descent were among the Quapaw 

 and Shawnee whose entry into the region was probably very late, 

 and we note a partial exception in the case of the Yuchi, also late- 

 comers. In a recent article Speck has taken up "The Question of 

 Matrilineal Descent in the Southeastern Siouan Area," and comes 

 to a negative conclusion. He argues, however, rather against the 

 existence of a matrilineal totemic clan system than against matri- 

 lineal descent apart from clans. So limited, I think he makes an 

 excellent case ; the only early evidence for clans throughout this area is 

 a single reference by Lederer, and we do not know that the four 

 supposedly clan names he cites were actually totemic in significance. 

 But matrilineal descent independent of clans is affirmed so fre- 

 quently by Lawson that we can hardly deny it unless it can be shown 

 that his knowledge of Tuscarora had affected his views regarding 

 all the other tribes. Nevertheless, he states distinctly that this type 

 of descent prevailed among the Keyauwee (Lawson, 1860, p. 89). 



Among the Creeks we find the greatest profusion of totemic clans. 

 The Timucua of northern Florida and the eastern Caddo stood next. 

 The Chickasaw had a smaller number and the Cherokee in historic 

 times only seven. Seven or eight clans have been reported from the 

 Tuscarora but it is possible that some of these have arisen since 

 their removal north and contact with the other Iroquois tribes. 

 The names of a few supposedly totemic clans have been obtained from 

 the Chitimacha but the status of these, though strengthened by a 

 statement of Martin Duralde, is rather doubtful. The Choctaw 



