We Could Learn
From Ihe Indians
Tli<»ir councils governed, say* Law-
son, **wilh all the integrity imagin¬
able. . .
tty ruth y. wmioHi:
I From the forthcoming book.
First on the Ijind: The North Carolina Indian
»
Copyright 1974. John F. Blair. Publisher)
Those European explorers and set¬
tlers who called the Indians of North
Carolina "savages" and their chiefs
"kings" missed the point of Indian gov¬
ernment.
Government affairs were not run by
royal decree, but instead the state’s
original inhabitants made their policy
decisions in council meetings after de¬
bating the issues "very deliberately . . .
for the Good of the Publick."
This was reported by John Lawson,
the surveyor and author who visited
most of the Indian tribes of Eastern
North Carolina in 1700 and 1701.
Lawson used the term "king." but he
obviously understood that Indian chiefs
did not possess the great powers of
European kings. Here is his description
of a Siouan (sec "One Last Word"),
council meeting:
The King is the Ruler of the Na¬
tion. and has others under him. to
assist him. as his War-Captains,
and Counsellors, who are pick'd
out and chosen from among the
ancientest Men of the Nation he is
King of. These meet him in all
general Councils and Debates,
concerning War, Peace. Trade.
Hunting, and all the Adventures
and Accidents of Humane Affairs,
which appear within their Verge;
where all Affairs arc discoursed
of and argued pro and con, very
deliberately ... for the Good of
the Publick; . . . they discharge
their Duty with all the Integrity
imaginable, never looking towards
their Own Interest, before the
Publick Good. After every Man
has given his Opinion, that which
has the most Voices, or, in Sum¬
ming up. is found the most rea¬
sonable. that they make use of
without any Jars and Wrangling,
and put it in Execution, the first
Opportunity that offers.
At least one of the Siouan tribes —
the Catawba — elected its chief. In
some Algonquian tribes the title of
chief was hereditary. (Let the women’s
liberationists note that the succession
was determined by the mother’s family,
so that the rule passed from the chief
to his sister’s children.)
Among the Siouan tribes with more
than one village, each village had its
own leader or headman. Communica¬
tions between villages were spread by
runners, coded drum messages, and
fire or smoke signals.
The Catawba’s elected chief was not
an absolute ruler but was assisted by a
council of headmen and adivsors. This
arrangement was fairly common
throughout this area. Most tribes did
not have a single leader but a hier¬
archy of leaders, ranging from clan
leader and headman in the village to
the tribal chief, who was responsible
for several villages or major subdivi¬
sions of a tribe.
Two Chiefs
Another leadership arrangement
among the Carolina tribes was that of
a "peace chief.” who presided over
hunting, agriculture, and religious ob¬
servances. and a "war chief.” selected
on the basis of his military experience
and ability.
Probably the most elaborate organi¬
zation was that developed by the
Cherokee, who had two separate gov¬
erning bodies, the White (peace) and
the Red (war). The White or peace
chief supervised communal activities
and had the power to call and preside
over council meetings. I hese councils
probably coincided with the annual
cycle of festivals. The most important
general council of the year, attended
by the entire population of the village,
was held in late October. Questions un¬
der discussion might be the construc¬
tion or repair of public buildings or
the need for moving to new field sites.
In forming policy and making de¬
cisions. the White chief was assisted
by two councils: one composed of
( Continued on pane 32 )
Intide the council home ol tKo Cherokee Indians or Oeonaluftcc Indion Village, in Cherokee The
governing organization developed by the Cherokee wo» probably the most elaborate ol Corolino
tribe». <N. C. Trovel ond Promotion Div. Photo!
21
THE STATE. JULY 1974
