Mahican Indian Bands, Gens and Clans

Many tribes have sub-tribes, bands, gens, clans and phratry.  Often very little information is known or they no longer exist.  We have included them here to provide more information about the tribes.

Barton gives the Mahican 3 clans:

  1. Muchquauh (bear)
  2. Mechchaooh (wolf)
  3. Toonpaooh (turtle)

According to Morgan they had originally the same clans as the Delaware and Munsee-the Wolf, Turtle, and Turkey; but these ultimately developed into phratries, subdivided into clans as follows:

  1. The Tooksetuk (wolf) phratry into the
    • Nehjao (wolf) Clan
    • Makwa (bear) Clan
    • Ndeyao (dog) Clan
    • Wapakwe (opossum) Clan
  2. The Tonebao (turtle) phratry into the
    • Gakpomute (little turtle) Clan
    • (mud turtle) Clan
    • Tonebao (great turtle) Clan
    • Wesawmaun (yellow eel) Clan
  3. The Turkey phratry into the
    • Naahnlao (turkey) Clan
    • Gahko (crane) Clan
    • (chicken) Clan

Topics:
Mahican,

Collection:
Hodge, Frederick Webb, Compiler. The Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico. Bureau of American Ethnology, Government Printing Office. 1906.

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