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SCIENCE. 
A wooden tablet is prepared upon which is inscribed the 
totem or heraldic emblem of the injured man’s gens, and a 
picture writing setting forth the offence follows. 
The gentile chief appears before the chief of the council 
of the offender, and formally states the offence, explaining 
the picture-writing, which is then delivered. 
A council of the offender’s gens is thereupon called and 
a trial is held. It is the duty of this council to examine 
the evidence for themselves and to come to a conclusion 
without further presentation of the matter on the part of the 
person aggrieved. Having decided the matter among them- 
selves, they appear before the chief of the council of the 
aggrieved party to offer compensation. 
If the gens of the offender fail to settle the matter with 
the gens of the aggrieved party, it is the duty of his nearest 
relative to avenge the wrong. Either party may appeal to 
the council of the tribe. The appeal must be made in due 
form, by the presentation of a tablet of accusation. 
Inquiry into the effect of a failure to observe prescribed 
formalities developed an interesting fact. In procedure 
against crime, failure in formality is not considered a viola- 
tion of the rights of the accused, but proof of his innocence. 
It is considered supernatural evidence that the charges are 
false. In trials for all offences forms of procedure are, 
therefore, likely to be earnestly questioned. 
TREASON. 
Treason consists in revealing the secrets of the medicine 
preparations or giving other information or assistance to 
enemies of the tribe, and is punished by death. The trial 
is before the council of the tribe. 
WITCHCRAFT. 
Witchcraft is punished by death, stabbing, tomahawking, 
or burning. Charges of witchcraft are investigated by the 
grand council of the tribe. When the accused is adjudged 
guilty, he may appeal to supernatural judgment. The test 
is by fire. A circular fire is built on the ground through 
which the accused must run from east to west, and from 
north to south. If no injury is received, he is adjudged 
innocent; if he falls into the fire, he is adjudged guilty. 
Should a person accused or having the general reputation 
of practising witchcraft become deaf, blind, or have sore 
eyes, ear ache, headache, or other diseases considered 
loathsome, he is supposed to have failed in practising his 
arts upon others and to have fallen a victim to them him- 
self. Such cases are most likely to be punished. 
OUTLAWRY. 
The institution of outlawry exists among the Wyandottes 
in a peculiar form. An outlaw is one who by liis crimes 
has placed himself without the protection of his clan. A 
man can be declared an outlaw by his own clan, who thus 
publish to the tribe that they will not defend him in case 
he is injured by another. But, usually, outlawry is de- 
clared only after trial before the tribal council. 
The method of procedure is analogous to that in case of 
murder. When the person has been adjudged guilty, and 
sentence of outlawry declared, it is the duty of the chief of 
the Wolf clan to make known the decision of the council. 
This he does by appearing before each clan in the order of 
its encampment, and declaring in terms the crimes of the 
outlaw and the sentence of outlawry, which may be either 
of two grades. 
In the lowest grade it is declared that, if the man shall 
thereafter continue in the commission of similar crimes, it 
will be lawful for any person to kill him; and if killed, 
rightfully or wrongfully, his clan will not avenge his death. 
Outlawry of the highest degree makes it the duty of any 
member of the tribe who may meet with the offender to kill 
him. 
MILITARY GOVERNMENT. 
The management of military affairs inheres in the mili- 
tary council and chief. The military council is composed 
of all the able-bodied men of the tribe ; the military chief 
is chosen by the council from the Porcupine gens. Each 
gentile chief is responsible for the military training of the 
youth under his authority. There is usually one or more 
potential military chiefs who arc the close companions and 
assistants of the chief in time of war, and in case of the 
death of the chief take his place in the order of seniority. 
Prisoners of war are adopted into the tribe or killed. To 
be adopted into the tribe it is necessary that the prisoner 
should be adopted into some family. The warrior taking 
the prisoner has the first right to adopt him, and his male 
or female relatives have the right in the order of their kin- 
ship. If no one claims the prisoner for this purpose lie is 
caused to run the gauntlet, as a test of his courage. 
If at his trial he behaves manfully, claimants’ are not 
wanting, but if he behaves disgracefully he is put to 
death. 
FELLOWHOOD. 
There is an interesting institution found among the 
Wyandottes, as among some other of our North American 
tribes, namely, that of fellowhood. Two young men agree 
to be perpetual friends to each other, or more than bro- 
thers. Each reveals to the other the secrets of his life, 
and counsels with him on matters of importance, aud de- 
fends him from wrong and violence, and at his death is 
chief mourner. 
The government of the Wyandottes, with the social or- 
ganization upon which it is based, affords a typical example 
of tribal Government throughout North America. Within 
that area there are several hundred distinct governments. 
In so great a number there is great variety, and in this 
variety we find different degrees of organization, the de- 
gree of organization being determined by the differentia- 
tion of the functions of government and the correlative 
specialization of organic elements. 
Much has yet to be done in the study of these govern- 
ments before safe generalizations may be made. But 
enough is known to warrant the following statement. 
Tribal government in North America is based on kinship 
in that the fundamental units of social organization are 
bodies of consanguineal kindred either in the male or 
female line: these units being what has been well denomi- 
nated “ gentes.” 
These “gentes” are organized into tribes by ties of 
relationship and affinity, and this organization is of such a 
character that the man’s position in the tribe is fixed by his 
kinship. There is no place in a tribe for any person whose 
kinship is not fixed, and only those persons can be adopted 
into the tribe who are adopted into some family with arti- 
ficial kinship specified. The fabric of Indian society is a 
complex tissue of kinship. The warp is made of streams 
of kinship blood, and the woof of marriage ties. 
With most tribes military and civil affairs are differenti- 
ated. The functions of civil government are in general 
differentiated only to this extent, that executive functions 
are performed by chiefs and sachems, but these chiefs and 
sachems are also members of the council. The council is 
legislature and court. Perhaps it were better to say that 
the council is the court whose decisions are law, and that 
the legislative body properly has not been developed. 
In general crimes are well defined. Procedure is formal, 
and forms are held as of such importance that error therein 
is prima facie evidence that the subject matter formulated 
was false. 
When one gens charges crime against a member of 
another, it can of its own motion proceed only to retaliation. 
To prevent retaliation, the gens of the offender must take 
the necessary steps to disprove the crime, "or to compound 
or punish it. The charge once made is held as just and 
true until it has been disproved, and in trial the cause of 
the defendant is first stated. The anger of the prosecuting 
gens must he placated. 
In the tribal governments there are many institutions, 
customs, and traditions which give evidence of a former 
condition in which society was based, not upon kinship, 
but upon marriage. 
From a survey of the facts it seems highly probable that 
kinship society, as it exists among the tribes of North 
America, has developed from connubial society, which is 
discovered elsewhere on the globe. In fact, there are few 
tribes tnat seem scarcely to have passed that indefinite 
boundary between the two social states. Philologic re- 
search leads to the same conclusion. 
Nowhere in North America have a people been discov- 
