The Kansas Indian Tribe

The Kansas tribe was organized along the general sociological line of North American Indians. It was separated into phratries, gentes or clans, and subgentes. There were seven phratries, sixteen gentes or clans, and probably thirty-two subgentes, though the names of twelve of these subgentes have not been preserved. The gentes are as follows, omitting the Indian names and giving the English equivalents; giving also the subgentes so far as known:
  1. Earth, or Earth-lodge-maker
    1. Large Earth
    2. Small Earth
  2. Deer, or Osage
    1. Real Deer
    2. Eats-no-deer
  3. Ponka
    1. Ponka People
    2. Wear-red-cedar-fronds-on-their-heads
  4. Kansa, or Last-lodge
    1. Wind People, or South-wind People, or Camp-behind-all
    2. Small Wind, or Makes-a-breeze-near-the-ground
  5. Black Bear
    1. Real Black Bear, or Eats-raw-food
    2. Wear-tails-of-hair-on-the-head
  6. Ghost
    (Subgentes not learned.)
  7. Turtle, or Carries-a-turtle-on-his-back
    (Subgentes not learned.)
  8. Sun, or Carries-the-sun-on-his-back
    (Subgentes not learned.)
  9. Elk
    1. Real Elk
    2. San-han-ge. (Meaning not known.)
  10. White Eagle
    1. White Eagle People, or Legs-stretched-out-stiff
    2. Blood People, or Wade-in-blood
  11. Night
    1. Night People
    2. Star People, or Walks-shinning
  12. Pipe People, or Holds-the firebrand-to-sacred pipes
    1. Little-One-like-an-eagle, or Hawk-that-had-a-tail-like-a-king-eagle
    2. Raccoon People, or Small-lean-raccoon
  13. Large Hanga, or Stiff deer-tail, or A-black-eagle-with-spots
    (Subgentes not learned.)
  14. Buffalo, or Buffalo-bull, or Big-feet
    1. Buffalo with dark hair
    2. Reddish-yellow-buffalo
  15. Peacemaker, or Red-hawk-people
    (Subgentes not learned.)
  16. Thunder, or Thunder-being-people, or Gray-hawk people
    (Subgentes not learned.)

The phratries of the Kansas are organized as follows:

First Phratry:

  1. Earth
  2. Ghost
  3. Elk

Second Phratry:

  1. Deer
  2. Buffalo
  3. Thunder

Third Phratry:

  1. Ponka
  2. Kansa
  3. Black Bear

Fourth Phratry:

  1. Turtle

Fifth Phratry:

  1. Sun
  2. Peacemaker

Sixth Phratry:

  1. White Eagle
  2. Night

Seventh Phratry:

  1. Pipe People
  2. Large Hanga

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