S0< I M- ORG \\i/\ I ION. 89 



men of each band forming a general council which 

 in turn recognized one individual as chief. In the 

 Plateaus the Northern Shoshone, at least, had even a 

 less formal system. 



Though there were in the plains some groups spoken 

 of as confederacies by pioneers; viz., the Blackfoot, 

 Sarsi, and Gros Ventre; the seven Dakota tribes; the 

 Pawnee group; the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Kiowa, and 

 Comanche, none of these seem to have been more 

 than alliances. At least, there was nothing like the 

 celebrated League of the Iroquios in the Woodland 

 area. In general, the governments of the Plains were 

 in no wise peculiar. 



Soldier Bands, or Societies. 



We have previously mentioned the camp police. 

 The Dakota governing society, for example, appointed 

 eight or more men as soldiers or marshals to enforce 

 their regulations at all times. There were also a num- 

 ber of men's societies or fraternities of a military and 

 ceremonial character upon any one or more of which 

 the tribal government might also call for such service. 

 As these societies had an organization of their own, it 

 was only necessary to deal with their leaders. The 

 call to service was for specific occasions and the particu- 

 lar society selected automatically ceased to act when 

 the occasion passed. The Blackfoot, Gros Ventre, 

 Assiniboine, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Crow, Hidatsa, Alan- 

 dan, and Arikara, also had each a number of societies 



