The legislative, executive, and judicative functions have not been
differentiated in Indian society as found among the Siouan groups. Two
tendencies or processes of opposite character have been observed among the
tribes, viz, consolidation and segregation. The effects of consolidation
are conspicuous among the Omaha, Kansa, Osage, and Oto, while segregation
has affected the social organization among the Kansa, Ponka, and Teton.
There have been instances of emigration from one tribe to another of the
same linguistic family; and among the Dakota new gentes have been formed
by the adoption into the tribe of foreigners, i.e., those of a different
stock.
Two classes of organization are found in the constitution of the state,
viz, (1) major organizations, which relate directly to government, and (2)
minor organizations, which relate only indirectly to government. The
former embraces the state functionaries, the latter comprises
corporations.
Although the state functionaries are not clearly differentiated, three
classes of such men have been recognized: chiefs, policemen or soldiers,
and young men or "the common people." The chiefs are the civil and
religious leaders of the masses; the policemen are the servants of the
chiefs; the young men are such as have not distinguished themselves in war
or in any other way. These last have no voice in the assembly, which is
composed of the chiefs alone. Among the Omaha there is no military class,
yet there is a war element which is regulated by the Elk gens. The ¢ixida
gens and part of the Nika*d*aɔna gens of the Ponka tribe are considered to
be the warriors of the tribe, though members of other gentes have
participated in war. In the Kansa tribe two gentes, the Large Hañga and
the Small Hañga, form the phratry connected with war, though warriors did
not necessarily belong to those gentes alone. In the Osage camping circle
all the gentes on the right side are war gentes, but the first and second,
reckoning from the van, are the soldiers or policemen; while all the
gentes camping on the left are associated with peace, though their first
and second gentes, reckoning from the van, are policemen or soldiers.
Among the Omaha both officers and warriors must be taken from the class of
"young men," as the chiefs are afraid to act as leaders in war; and among
both the Omaha and the Ponka the chiefs, being the civil and religious
leaders of the people, can not serve as captains, or even as members, of
an ordinary war party, though they may fight when the whole tribe engages
in war. Among the Dakota, however, chiefs have led in time of war.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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