There is little probability that the Siouan habitat, as thus outlined, ran
far into the prehistoric age. As already noted, the Siouan Indians of the
plains were undoubtedly descended from the Siouan tribes of the east
(indeed the Mandan had a tradition to that effect); and reason has been
given for supposing that the ancestors of the prairie hunters followed the
straggling buffalo through the cis-Mississippi forests into his normal
trans-Mississippi habitat and spread over his domain save as they were
held in check by alien huntsmen, chiefly of the warlike Caddoan and Kiowan
tribes; and the buffalo itself was a geologically recent--indeed
essentially post-glacial--animal. Little if any definite trace of Siouan
occupancy has been found in the more ancient prehistoric works of the
Mississippi valley. On the whole it appears probable that the prehistoric
development of the Siouan stock and habitat was exceptionally rapid, that
the Siouan Indians were a vigorous and virile people that arose quickly
under the stimulus of strong vitality (the acquisition of which need not
here be considered), coupled with exceptionally favorable opportunity, to
a power and glory culminating about the time of discovery.
ORGANIZATION
The demotic organization of the Siouan peoples, so far as known, is set
forth in considerable detail in Mr Dorsey's treatises(52) and in the
foregoing enumeration of tribes, confederacies, and other linguistic
groups.
Like the other aborigines north of Mexico, the Siouan Indians were
organized on the basis of kinship, and were thus in the stage of tribal
society.
Pages:
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65