Siouan Sociology

Name: Siouan Sociology
Author: James Owen Dorsey

By James Owen Dorsey

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About This Book

A systematic ethnographic account of social organization across Siouan-speaking groups, detailing kinship units (clans, gentes, and subgroups), rules of descent and marriage, and how kinship structures regulate political, judicial, and economic functions. It describes major and minor corporate forms, the roles of chiefs, warriors, and ordinary men, patterns of camping and tribal division, and processes of consolidation, segregation, adoption, and migration. Comparative sketches of particular tribes illustrate variations in phratries, gentes, marriage taboos, and ceremonial and military arrangements, with phonetic notes and diagrams supporting linguistic and organizational descriptions.

About the Author

James Owen Dorsey

James Owen Dorsey was an American ethnologist and linguist known for his extensive work on Native American cultures, particularly those of the Siouan language family. He served as a key figure in the Bureau of Ethnology, where he contributed to the understanding of indigenous traditions and languages through detailed reports and studies. His notable works include "A Study of Siouan Cults," which explores the religious practices of the Siouan tribes, and "Omaha Dwellings, Furniture and Implements," which provides insights into the material culture of the Omaha people. Dorsey's research has been instrumental in preserving the knowledge of Native American heritage.