THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CLAN SYSTEM AND OF SECRET SOCIETIES AMONG THE NORTHWESTERN TRIBES

western California. In the interior the Chilkotin, Carriers, western Nahane, Kutchin, Khotana, and Ahtena belong to it or are greatly affected by it. Considered from the technical and the esthetic points of view, this culture is found to reach its highest development among the Haida of Queen Charlotte islands, although the Tsimshian and the Tlingit are but slightly inferior. I shall adduce evidence to show that the origin of the clan system associated with mother-right must be looked for in the same region. On the map (plate xv) the heavy, broken line separates the area of tribes possessing mother-right from those having paternal descent or those in which the form of descent is transitional. All of these tribes except the Kootenai possess clans, or organizations that seem to correspond to them, and all belong to the area of northwest coast culture. The Chilkotin gentes mentioned by Father Morice1 appear to admit descent in the male line, and therefore this tribe falls outside the list of tribes with maternal descent. Fortunately for us in this connection, it happens that, for the interior tribe of Carriers, which has a most highly developed maternal clan system, we have the first-hand authority of Father Morice. This writer has made the question Are the Carrier Sociology